Measuring Governance Performance through E-Service Delivery: Development and Validation of a Composite Index for Rural India

The expansion of e-governance initiatives in India has significantly altered the landscape of public service delivery, particularly in rural areas through Common Service Centres (CSCs). While prior studies have largely focused on access, adoption, and digital inclusion, empirical assessment of governance performance outcomes remains limited. This study addresses this gap by developing and validating a Composite Governance Performance Index (CGPI) to quantitatively measure governance effectiveness resulting from e-service delivery in rural India. Using primary data collected from CSC users and Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) in rural districts of Madhya Pradesh, the study evaluates governance performance across four dimensions—efficiency, responsiveness, transparency, and citizen satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis confirms that all four dimensions significantly and positively influence governance performance, with citizen satisfaction emerging as the strongest predictor. The study offers a robust, replicable measurement framework for policymakers and contributes to outcome-oriented evaluation of rural e-governance systems. Keywords: E-Governance, Governance Performance, Composite Index, Common Service Centres, Rural India