A Behaviorally-Driven Software Architecture for E-Government Adoption in Pakistan

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21015/vtse.v13i2.2135

Abstract

E-Government services were launched in Pakistan in October 2002, marking a significant step toward digital governance. While policy initiatives and infrastructure development have continued, the successful adoption of these services remains constrained by several socio-technical and behavioral challenges. This study presents a user-driven software framework for e-government adoption in Pakistan, aimed at bridging the gap between user behavior and system design. By integrating behavioral insights into system architecture, the framework emphasizes the importance of user acceptance, trust, and perceived ease of use in shaping e-government adoption. A theoretical model was developed based on an enhanced combination of three established models—Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and the Information System Success Model—to explore the critical success factors influencing e-government implementation. The model was validated through empirical data collected from computer professionals working in Pakistan’s government sector, particularly in education and health departments. A structured questionnaire comprising 42 items across 10 constructs was distributed to 650 respondents, yielding 508 valid responses. The results revealed strong support for all proposed hypotheses and confirmed the role of behavioral intention as a key driver of adoption. This study not only confirms the relevance of behavioral factors in e-government adoption but also proposes a modular and scalable software framework that can inform the design of more user-centric, secure, and behaviorally-aligned e-government platforms. The findings offer practical implications for policy makers, developers, and system designers seeking to improve e-government engagement and digital service delivery in developing countries like Pakistan.

References

OECD, *OECD E-Government Flagship Report: The E-Government Imperative*. Paris, France: Public Management Committee, OECD, 2003.

I. C. Altino, R. N. Sudarto, D. I. Sensuse, S. Lusa, P. A. W. Putro, S. Indriasari, and B. Brillianto, "Measuring factors of trust in the use of e-government: A multi-factor analysis of the e-government in Indonesia," *J. RESTI (Rekayasa Sistem dan Teknologi Informasi)*, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 314–326, 2025.

A. Dumitrescu and M. Zakriya, "Governance, information flow, and stock returns," *J. Corp. Finance*, vol. 72, p. 102168, 2022.

M. I. Arfeen and M. M. Kamal, "E-governance implementation model: Case study of the federal government agencies of Pakistan," presented at the *Eur., Mediterr., Middle East Conf. Inf. Syst.*, 2013.

S. R. Chohan and Z. H. Akhter, "Electronic government services value creation from artificial intelligence: AI-based e-government services for Pakistan," *Electron. Government Int. J.*, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 374–390, 2021.

F. Hameed, H. Abbas, M. Pasha et al., "Feasibility analysis for deploying a centralized information exchange infrastructure in Pakistan," in *Proc. SIG Globdev 5th Annu. Conf.*, 2012.

Z. Haider, C. Shuwen, and M. B. Burdey, "E-Government project obstacles in Pakistan," *Int. J. Comput. Theory Eng.*, vol. 8, no. 5, p. 362, 2016.

J. Debbarma and Y. Choi, "A taxonomy of green governance: A qualitative and quantitative analysis towards sustainable development," *Sustainable Cities Soc.*, vol. 79, p. 103693, 2022.

S. Khan, R. Umer, S. Umer, and S. Naqvi, "Antecedents of trust in using social media for e-government services: An empirical study in Pakistan," *Technol. Soc.*, vol. 64, p. 101400, 2021.

D. MacLean and R. Titah, "A systematic literature review of empirical research on the impacts of e-government: A public value perspective," *Public Admin. Rev.*, vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 23–38, 2022.

I. K. Mensah, C. Luo, and E. Abu-Shanab, "Citizen use of e-government services websites: A proposed e-government adoption recommendation model (EGARM)," *Int. J. Electron. Government Res.*, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 19–42, 2021.

M. Khalid and M. Nasir, "Tax structure in Pakistan," *Pak. Dev. Rev.*, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 461–468, 2020.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, *Annual Report*. Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, 2011.

Y.-L. Hsu and L. Tang, "Effects of investor sentiment and country governance on unexpected conditional volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from global stock markets," *Int. Rev. Financ. Anal.*, vol. 82, p. 102186, 2022.

L. Carrubbo, S. Cosimato, and A. R. Gagliardi, "Towards dynamic decision-making in government as service organization: Insights from systems thinking," *Transform. Government: People, Process Policy*, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 108–129, 2025.

V. Venkatesh, M. G. Morris, G. B. Davis, and F. D. Davis, "User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view," *MIS Q.*, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 425–478, 2003.

S. Md, I. Md Saiful, and F. Jannatul, "Harnessing AI adoption in the workforce: A pathway to sustainable competitive advantage through intelligent decision-making and skill transformation," *Am. J. Econ. Bus. Manage.*, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 954–976, 2025.

A. Jain, P. Verma, V. Khedkar, P. William, A. Badholia, and G. S. Chhabra, "Modelling on e-service quality and green logistics consumer satisfaction," in *Advancing Social Equity Through Accessible Green Innovation*. Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global, 2025, pp. 461–476.

M. S. Abdel-Rasheed et al., "Cost-effective operation strategies to secure drinking water accompanied by low emissions by water safety plans," *Int. J. Environ. Stud.*, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 918–939, 2025.

L. Y. Rock, F. P. Tajudeen, and Y. W. Chung, "Usage and impact of the internet-of-things-based smart home technology: A quality-of-life perspective," *Universal Access Inf. Soc.*, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 345–364, 2024.

J. D. Kammeyer-Mueller, A. L. Rubenstein, and T. S. Barnes, "The role of attitudes in work behavior," *Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav.*, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 221–250, 2024.

I. Ajzen, "The theory of planned behavior," *Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process.*, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 179–211, 1991.

R. Fischer and J. A. Karl, "What predicts intentions and behavior? A cultural exploration of attitude, belief, and norm effects across 55 countries," *Cross-Cult. Res.*, p. 10693971251338204, 2024.

J. Bartholomaeus and P. Strelan, "A fair go? How belief in a just world shaped attitudes, intentions, and behaviors before and after the Australian referendum on a First Nations voice to parliament," *Political Psychol.*, 2024.

A. K. AbdulKareem and K. A. Oladimeji, "Cultivating the digital citizen: Trust, digital literacy and e-government adoption," *Transform. Government: People, Process Policy*, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 270–286, 2024.

D. Sarran and M. Cox, "Investigating factors influencing passengers’ intention to use self-service kiosks: A study of the immigration clearance process in Guyana," *Int. J. Inf. Technol. Res. Appl.*, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2025.

S. Taylor and P. A. Todd, "Understanding information technology usage: A test of competing models," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 144–176, 1995.

A. Bandura, *Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control*. New York, NY, USA: Worth Publishers, 1997.

R. Yadav, S. K. Sharma, and A. Tarhini, "A multi-analytical approach to understand and predict the adoption of mobile commerce," *J. Enterprise Inf. Manage.*, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 222–237, 2016.

G. Anjum and M. Aziz, "Advancing equity in cross-cultural psychology: Embracing diverse epistemologies and fostering collaborative practices," *Front. Psychol.*, vol. 15, p. 1368663, 2024.

M. Hasan et al., "Family financial education and financial management behavior among Generation Z: Integrating the theory of planned behavior and technology acceptance model to explore the importance of financial literacy and locus of control," *Cogent Educ.*, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 2510067, 2025.

C. Phal, S. On, T. Kheang, and S. Srim, "Students’ perceptions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on academic performance: A survey study at a Cambodian provincial university," *Cambodian J. Educ. Soc. Sci.*, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 67–90, 2025.

H. Aldabbas, A. Pinnington, A. Lahrech, and L. Blaique, "Extrinsic rewards for employee creativity? The role of perceived organisational support, work engagement and intrinsic motivation," *Int. J. Innov. Sci.*, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 237–260, 2025.

V. Venkatesh, "Determinants of perceived ease of use: Integrating control, intrinsic motivation, and emotion into the technology acceptance model," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 342–365, 2000.

M. A. Shareef, V. Kumar, U. Kumar, and Y. K. Dwivedi, "E-Government adoption model (GAM): Differing service maturity levels," *Government Inf. Q.*, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 17–35, 2011.

F. D. Davis, "Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology," *MIS Q.*, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 319–340, 1989.

U. Sekaran, *Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach*, 3rd ed. New York, NY, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2000.

W. H. DeLone and E. R. McLean, "Information systems success: The quest for the dependent variable," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 60–95, 1992.

V. Weerakkody, R. El-Haddadeh, F. Al-Sobhi, M. A. Shareef, and Y. K. Dwivedi, "Examining the influence of intermediaries in facilitating e-government adoption: An empirical investigation," *Int. J. Inf. Manage.*, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 716–725, 2013.

K. Balaji, "E-Government and E-Governance: Driving Digital Transformation in Public Administration," in *Public Governance Practices in the Age of AI*, 2025, pp. 23–44.

W. H. DeLone and E. R. McLean, "The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: A ten-year update," *J. Manage. Inf. Syst.*, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 9–30, 2003.

S. Smithson and R. Hirschheim, "Analysing information system evaluation: Another look at an old problem," *Eur. J. Inf. Syst.*, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 158–174, 1998.

S. Hartono, Y. Ramli, R. Astini, C. C. Widayati, and A. J. Ali, "The clinical information system that affects the patients’ satisfaction of the healthcare services," *J. Manajemen*, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1–22, 2024.

K. Ghalandari, "The effect of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions on acceptance of e-banking services in Iran: The moderating role of age and gender," *Middle-East J. Sci. Res.*, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 801–807, 2012.

E. M. Rogers, *Diffusion of Innovations*, 5th ed. New York, NY, USA: Simon & Schuster, 2010.

U. P. Albuquerque et al., "How do local medical systems work? An overview of the evidence," *Econ. Bot.*, vol. 78, no. 1, pp. 52–67, 2024.

N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln, *Handbook of Qualitative Research*, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage, 2000.

H. Haghaninejad, N. Ardian, S. S. Mazloomy Mahmoudabad, R. Sefidkar, and M. Jokar, "Effect of educational intervention on awareness, attitude, and practices of mothers regarding the prevention of rheumatic fever: A quasi-experimental study," *INQUIRY*, vol. 61, p. 00469580241292161, 2024.

J. M. C. Hernandez and J. A. Mazzon, "Adoption of internet banking: Proposition and implementation of an integrated methodology approach," *Int. J. Bank Mark.*, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 72–88, 2007.

G. Walsham, "The emergence of interpretivism in IS research," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 376–394, 1995.

K. Ghalandari, "The effect of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions on acceptance of e-banking services in Iran: The moderating role of age and gender," *Middle-East J. Sci. Res.*, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 801–807, 2012.

D. H. McKnight, V. Choudhury, and C. Kacmar, "Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce: An integrative typology," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 334–359, 2002.

R. K. Yin, *Case Study Research: Design and Methods*, 2nd ed. London, U.K.: Sage, 1994.

J. Collis and R. Hussey, *Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students*, 2nd ed. New York, NY, USA: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

J. A. G. M. Van Dijk, "The digital divide in Europe," in *The Handbook of Internet Politics*, 2008.

E. Karahanna and D. W. Straub, "The psychological origins of perceived usefulness and ease-of-use," *Inf. Manage.*, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 237–250, 1999.

M. A. Shareef, V. Kumar, U. Kumar, and Y. K. Dwivedi, "E-Government adoption model (GAM): Differing service maturity levels," *Government Inf. Q.*, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 17–35, 2011.

M. Crotty, *The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process*. St Leonards, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 1998.

K. Mathieson, "Predicting user intentions: Comparing the technology acceptance model with the theory of planned behavior," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 173–191, 1991.

R. G. Brooks and N. Menachemi, "Physicians’ use of email with patients: Factors influencing electronic communication and adherence to best practices," *J. Med. Internet Res.*, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. e88–e98, 2006.

F. D. Davis and V. Venkatesh, "A critical assessment of potential measurement biases in the technology acceptance model: Three experiments," *Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Stud.*, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 19–45, 1996.

S. Taylor and P. A. Todd, "Understanding information technology usage: A test of competing models," *Inf. Syst. Res.*, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 144–176, 1995.

M. Igbaria, S. Parasuraman, and J. J. Baroudi, "A motivational model of microcomputer usage," *J. Manage. Inf. Syst.*, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 127–143, 1996.

E. M. Van Raaij and J. J. Schepers, "The acceptance and use of a virtual learning environment in China," *Comput. Educ.*, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 838–854, 2008.

Y. Sun, N. Wang, X. Guo, and Z. Peng, "Understanding the acceptance of mobile health services: A comparison and integration of alternative models," *J. Electron. Commer. Res.*, vol. 14, no. 2, 2013.

A. Bryman and E. Bell, *Business Research Methods*. New York, NY, USA: Oxford Univ. Press, 2007.

R. Likert, "A technique for the measurement of attitudes," *Arch. Psychol.*, vol. 22, no. 140, pp. 1–55, 1932.

M. Viswanathan, S. Sudman, and M. Johnson, "Maximum versus meaningful discrimination in scale response: Implications for validity of measurement of consumer perceptions about products," *J. Bus. Res.*, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 108–124, 2004.

E. Pertigkiozoglou, “Governing collaboration: Data and work relationships in UK software for building design, 1970–80,” IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 2025.

A. Arshad, A. Ghaffar, M. U. Siddique, S. A. Sultan, and A. Manzoor, “Leveraging software engineering principles: An IT-enabled component-based knowledge management model for healthcare information systems in developing countries,” VFAST Trans. Softw. Eng., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 99–120, 2025.

D. N. Hakro, J. R. Hamilton, S. Tee, and M. Underdown, “I-Fintech adoption readiness,” in Proc. Int. Conf. on Electronic Business (ICEB), vol. 22, Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 13–17, 2022, pp. 226–234.

M. B. Shaikh, D. N. Hakro, and S. Mansoor, “Personal software quality assurance: A novel approach for process improvement,” in Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on Emerging Trends in Engineering, Management and Sciences (ICETEMS), Peshawar, Pakistan, Dec. 28–30, 2016.

D. N. Hakro and J. R. Hamilton, “Research framework for iFintech adoption,” in Proc. 24th Int. Conf. on ISO & TQM (24-ICIT), Shatin, HKSAR, China, Feb. 6–8, 2025.

D. N. Hakro and J. R. Hamilton, “Components negatively impacting iFintech adoption readiness in Pakistan,” Int. J. Adv. Res. Manag. (IJARM), vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 54–69, 2025.

S. Abrahão, J. Grundy, M. Pezzè, M. A. Storey, and D. A. Tamburri, “Software engineering by and for humans in an AI era,” ACM Trans. Softw. Eng. Methodol., vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 1–46, 2025.

M. Portaz, A. Manjarrés, and O. C. Santos, “Human-centered recommender systems,” in Human-Centered AI: An Illustrated Scientific Quest, Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature, 2025, pp. 593–617.

M. Younus, E. P. Purnomo, A. Nurmandi, D. Mutiarin, H. A. Manaf, F. Mumtaz, and T. Khairunnisa, “Analyzing the trend of government support for cloud computing usage in e-government architecture,” J. Cloud Comput., vol. 14, no. 1, p. 14, 2025.

G. C. Nabibayova, “Development of an architectural and technological model of a distributed smart OLAP system on the e-government platform,” J. Electr. Syst. Inf. Technol., vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1–16, 2025.

D. N. Hakro, T. H. Hakro, and G. M. Solangi, “Relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance: A study of University of Sindh,” Res. J. Soc. Sci. Econ. Rev., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 153–160, Jan.–Mar. 2023.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Memon, B., Hakro, D. N., Ujjan, I., & Abbasi, shazia. (2025). A Behaviorally-Driven Software Architecture for E-Government Adoption in Pakistan. VFAST Transactions on Software Engineering, 13(2), 292–307. https://doi.org/10.21015/vtse.v13i2.2135

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025): April-June

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

                                      

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution  License CC BY