Uncharted Territories: Exploring E-mutation for Sustainable Governance in Land Administration

Historically, land administration in Bangladesh has been characterized by complex procedures and administrative burdens. The integration of technology has led to a paradigm shift, simplifying and digitizing the land mutation process. Winning the public service award, this initiative aligns with the global pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG16, focused on promoting strong and effective institutions. Yet literature reveals concerns over digital government services, including unfair treatment, information asymmetry, and disproportionate disadvantages to certain groups. This study seeks to investigate the role of technology in facilitating SDGs for robust and effective institutions in Bangladesh’s land e-mutation. It aims to analyze how governments are adopting technology, the influence on SDG 16 delivery, and the impact of organizational infrastructure on administrative burdens associated with digital services. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study will look at administrative burden. Through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, the research will explore various stakeholders’ perspectives, including government officials and welfare recipients. The research may find that while digitization has simplified land mutation processes, it is not foolproof. Primarily, several instances indicate unfair treatment and raise alarms over excessive information asymmetry between the government and citizens. The increase in fraudulent behavior, corruption, and lack of digital literacy has inadvertently added additional administrative burdens, excluding those otherwise eligible for benefits and negatively affecting citizens’ overall experience of the state. This study contributes to the growing discourse on digital governance and its implications for achieving the SDGs. It underscores the need for a focus on technology adoption in public services, considering the unintended consequences of administrative burdens.