Evaluating Access to E-Government Services in the Republic of Georgia
This case study focuses on monitoring and evaluation research during my time in program management in the international development industry.
Research Overview
Beyond Access aimed to leverage local partnerships and existing public library networks to improve access and benefit from technology for community development. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IREX coordinated partnership development and capacity building for local implementing partners and librarians. As an IREX Program Associate working my responsibilities included monitoring the relationships with local non-profit and government partners implementing the Beyond Access Republic of Georgia program. The objective of the Georgia program was to increase access to e-government services in rural Georgia through technology in libraries and capacity building of librarians in partnership with the Public Service Development Agency, the Presidential Reserve Fund, and the National Library of Georgia.
I reviewed monthly reports, surveys, and held regular check-in calls. As the project prepared to close in 2017, I conducted two on-site visits to Georgia to evaluate program implementation on the ground and inform our sustainability strategy.
TiMeline
February-March 2017
Methods
A public library computer lab and dedicated librarian participant in Beyond Access Georgia
Semi-Structured Interviews | In addition to weekly calls with program managers at the local organizations implementing the program, I conducted semi-structured interviews with program stakeholders and librarians participating in the program during on-site visits to libraries across the country in collaboration with a Georgian translator.
Surveys | I revised a monitoring survey developed by the program management team and reviewed monthly submissions by libraries participating in the program.
Findings
Simplifying Service Offerings | Librarians’ survey responses suggested relatively limited engagement in e-government services at their libraries even following multiple trainings which had positive feedback from librarians and program partners. On-site visits to libraries and interviews in context revealed that librarians were overwhelmed with the number of e-government services presented in the trainings and confused by which resources were required to provide which services. Based on this finding, supplementary training provided a more streamlined, prioritized presentation of which e-government services librarians could most accessibly facilitate for library visitors with their current equipment.
Library display advertising wireless internet access
Engaging the Presidential Reserve Fund | The National Library of Georgia, with the support of the Presidential Reserve Fund, emerged as the most likely source for continued support of the technology resources and librarians. Positive public relations emerging from the project appeared key to solidifying that investment. Based on these findings, we closed the program with a final event and production of some promotional materials, including a series of promotional videos—Atsana, Khurcha, Tserovani), which effectively garnered commitments for sustained support from the Presidential Reserve Fund.
Reflection
As part of the program management team, my research was driven by evaluating and ensuring impact but also by seeking opportunities to attract continued funding. However, the experience was formative in demonstrating the value of in situ observation to uncover critical gaps in training that surveys, reports, and remote interviews did not indicate and to practice cross-cultural research in collaboration with a translator.
