Abstract

Decision support systems (DSS) emerged in the 1970s and have gradually in different dimensions and through various channels based on emerging information technology affected the decision making process at the individual, organizational and societal levels. Competition, convergence, globalization, business and socioeconomic pressures as well as market needs have all contributed to the deployment of cutting-edge mechanisms for rational and effective decision-making processes for government, private and public sector organizations alike. This paper describes the experience of the government of Egypt in spreading the awareness of information technology and its use in managing socioeconomic development since the mid 1980s through building multiple DSS platforms for governmental decision-making with a variety of lessons learnt in the design and delivery of DSS under complex conditions common to developing nations. The experience offers insights into a variety of problems for IS designers, implementers, users, practitioners and researchers. The paper focuses on the use of DSS for development through the experience of a government think tank, Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), while demonstrating the implementation and institutionalization of decision support platform at the local administration level for delegation, empowerment and development planning.

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