Use of Information Technology to Address Institutional Failure
The effects of information technology (IT) deployment on efficiency & reduction of corruption in municipal government is illustrated in this case of the Calcutta Municipal Corp in India, 1994/95. The five stages of implementation were setting a strategic agenda, launching the pilot, reconfirming the agenda, rolling out the project, & driving benefits & change. Automation & IT were introduced within a strategy to improve employee morale & gain confidence after institutional failure, to raise revenues, & to control expenditures. Employees & outsiders offered strong resistance to implementation of the new IT system. Besides its positive effects on general operations & management, the new IT system checked corruption in the areas of property tax assessment & collection, expenditures management, & solid waste management. M. Pflum