In this chapter, Bussell argues that using technology can improve the quality of reforms and increase the efficiency of service delivery. She begins by giving a brief history of the rise of the “one-stop, computerized service centers.” Starting in the late 1990s, they were implemented with the goal of making government services more transparent and accessible, with example uses including queuing system, document transfer, and holding databases of citizen information. The general goal of them was to reduce the frequency of government-citizen interaction in helping to combat corruption. The author transitions to looking at the Karnataka case study, by contrasting government offices without computerized services to both traditional and private owned offices with computerized services. In short, Bussell’s data concludes that computerized services reduce bribery and generally, lead to better economic, governance, and service outcomes. In future chapters, Bussell further explores the trade-off between implementing technology-based service reforms and preexisting corruption.
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