Proceedings of The 6th International Conference on Research in Management
Year: 2023
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/6th.icrmanagement.2023.08.115
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E-administration and Sustainable Development in the Developing Countries A Case of COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria
Imoh Imoh-Ita
ABSTRACT:
Recent changes in traditional public administration in contexts characterized by Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, lockdown, distance learning, virtual platforms, social distancing, job loss etc have brought e-administration issues to the center of current academic debates. What is e-administration and why is its study important for actualizing sustainable development in the developing countries of the Global South in post pandemic world order? The emergence of e-administration is connected to a rise of interest in electronic based administration for inclusive and efficient administration and in particular, sustainable development. This paper makes a new contribution to the debate, it follows institutional theory of administration and draws on case analysis methodology which provides analyses of on the ground –evidence – to explore the intersecting linkages between COVID-19 and e-administration in Nigeria. Findings show that traditional public administration has been undermined as a result of the pandemic. This has serious implications for sustainable development. In the alternative, the paper suggests more efficient and inclusive use of e-administration that can address more directly the underlying problems of post pandemic administrative challenges and intersecting set of administrative problems that inhibit the sustainable development agenda. Distinctively, the paper proposes a research agenda centered on a transformative approach to e-administration, placing analysis of strategic institutional reforms at the center of its enquiry, by focusing on the social and institutional relations and inequalities arising from the pandemic, which profoundly shape responses to post pandemic recovery.
keywords: E-administration, COVID-19, Sustainable Development Goals, Developing Countries, Nigeria