Sixteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society

Abstract

The Digital Economy has taken control over almost every aspect of our lives. This is, perhaps, one of the results of globalisation and the rapid changes that this economic process entails, demanding faster adaptation to the states involved. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has revolutionised the way people commute, shop and work. The public sector is taking advantage of ICTs to introduce e-governance, and to comply with the provision of public services using online tools. Scholars (Chen and Hsieh, 2009) argue that this improves the quality and accessibility of the services for the people. However, does e-governance consider the people living on or under the poverty line in countries within an upper middle-income economy? This research intends to answer this question by analysing, from a legal and policy perspective, the case of the Dominican Republic and its programme “Digital Republic.” The project seeks to guarantee access of all Dominicans to ICTs, and to reduce the digital gap. The research is designed as a qualitative study which combines a compilation and analysis of both secondary and primary data. The latter will be collected through semi-structured interviews and surveys. The results provide a wider perspective of the country’s current situation in terms of e-governance, and the use of ICTs for the delivery of public services.