Transforming government and empowering communities : the Sri Lankan experience with e development Foreword Acknowledgments Acronyms and abbreviations Introduction E development as a holistic vision The eSri Lanka program Learning from eSri Lanka Developing e leadership institutions An institutional innovation in e leadership: the ICT Agency of Sri lanka The institutional model Evolution of the authorizing environment and governance model Mandate Paths to sustainability Core competencies Partnerships A learning organization Role of aid agencies Lessons and conclusions Annex 2.1 The ICT agency in search of a corporate identity Annex 2.2 The ICT policy framework & the organizational structure of the ICT agency Annex 2.3 Internal and external risks facing the ICT agency at inception Managing results Objectives of monitoring and evaluation for eSri Lanka Framework for monitoring and evaluation Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation Emerging lessons Annex 3.1 Results framework for monitoring and evaluation Outcome indicator ICT human resource development and industry promotion Transforming government Best practices and options for planning and implementing e government Approaches to planning e government Implementation of e government: four phases Leadership partnership and change management Providing leadership building partnerships Conclusions and implications Readiness for e government: a historical perspective History of e government in Sri Lanka Analysis of the situation Findings and recommendations A vision of e government Motivations and aspirations Challenges to realizing the vision Lessons learned: a postscript A strategy for e government: initial priorities and lessons Planning for e services Building e governance Implementation agenda Early experience and lessons Annex 7.1 Criteria for determining impact & feasibility of offering services online Determining impact Determining feasibility Empowering communities Innovation in ICT use for poverty reduction Bottom up planning and participatory development Serving the bottom of the pyramid The user innovation revolution Demand driven ICT enabled development Financing ICT innovation: lessons from InfoDev Conditions for ensuring impact by small grants Strategies for soliciting and funding good proposals Evaluating proposals and making funding decisions Good practices in managing a small grant program E society: design and early experience Overview of the fund Practices in soliciting and funding proposals Arrangements for implementation and monitoring Early operation and lessons learned Key lessons of eSri Lanka Designing and implementing a holistic framework for e development Developing e leadership institutions Transforming government Empowering communities Appendix 1 Main program components of eSri Lanka ICT policy leadership and institutional development program Information infrastructure program Reengineering government program ICT human resource capacity building program ICT investment and private sector development program E society program Appendix 2 Selected indicators for Sri Lanka and comparators Bibliography About the author