Topic of the thesis: Does government digitalization help reduce administrative corruption? Investigating the impact of digitization on government transparency, accountability, and reduction in corruption in Kazakhstan.
Abstract: E-government, the provision of public services through the use of ICT, arguably reduces corruption in developing countries. Digitalization of public service delivery supposedly curbs administrative corruption by limiting the discretionary power of public officials. However, some scholars have questioned the validity of these studies citing a lack of evidence of a causal relationship between the adoption of e-government and the reduction in corruption. This research project intends to investigate whether the introduction of e-government in Kazakhstan has reduced public sector corruption in a Central Asian country. No empirical research has been conducted to date to assess the impact of e-government on corruption in the post-Soviet country. This project aims to fill that gap, and contribute to empirical research on the relationship between e-government and corruption. The study will also look at how to improve e-government design and implementation taking the cases of Estonia and Mongolia, countries with somewhat similar context. The proposed research project has policy relevance not only in Kazakhstan and Central Asia but also in any developing country that seeks to curb corruption.The findings of this research will specifically benefit policymakers in Kazakhstan and international organizations such as the World Bank and the UNDP that support e-government and anti-corruption related initiatives in developing countries to inform future policy design and implementation.
Research interests: Interested in the intersection of digitization and policy reform in the former Soviet Union.
Graduated from: University of University of Sussex.
Degrees obtained: MA in Governance, Development and Public Policy, Institute of Development Studies.
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