From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
E-government (short for electronic government) is the use of technological communications devices, such as computers and the Internet,
to provide public services to citizens and other persons in a country
or region. E-government offers new opportunities for more direct and
convenient citizen access to government, and for government provision of
services directly to citizens.
The term consists of the digital interactions between a citizen
and their government (C2G), between governments and other government
agencies (G2G), between government and citizens (G2C), between
government and employees (G2E), and between government and
businesses/commerces (G2B). E-government delivery models can be broken
down into the following categories:
This interaction consists of citizens communicating with all levels of
government (city, state/province, national, and international),
facilitating citizen involvement in governance using information and communication technology (ICT) (such as computers and websites) and business process re-engineering
(BPR). Brabham and Guth (2017) interviewed the third party designers of
e-government tools in North America about the ideals of user
interaction that they build into their technologies, which include
progressive values, ubiquitous participation, geolocation, and education
of the public.
Other definitions stray from the idea that technology is an
object and defines e-government simply as facilitators or instruments
and focus on specific changes in Public Administration issues. The
internal transformation of a government is the definition that
established the specialist technologist Mauro D. Ríos. In his paper "In
Search of a Definition of Electronic Government", he says: "Digital
government is a new way of organization and management of public
affairs, introducing positive transformational processes in management
and the structure itself of the organization chart, adding value to the
procedures and services provided, all through the introduction and
continued appropriation of information and communication technologies as
a facilitator of these transformations."
Terminology
E-government
is also known as e-gov, electronic government, Internet governance,
digital government, online government, connected government. As of 2014
the OECD
still uses the term digital government, and distinguishes it from
e-government in the recommendation produced there for the Network on
E-Government of the Public Governance Committee.
Several governments have started to use the term digital government to a
wide range of services involving contemporary technology, such as big data, automation or predictive analytics.
E-gov strategies (or digital government) is defined
as "The employment of the Internet and the world-wide-web for
delivering government information and services to the citizens." (United
Nations, 2006; AOEMA, 2005). Electronic government (or e-government) essentially refers to "utilization of Information Technology
(IT), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT s), and other
web-based telecommunication technologies to improve and/or enhance on
the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public
sector".
E-government promotes and improves broad stakeholders contribution to
national and community development, as well as deepen the governance
process.
In electronic government systems, government operations are
supported by web-based services. It involves the use of information
technology, specifically the Internet, to facilitate the communication
between the government and its citizens.
Transformational government
Transformational government or also transformational e-government is the use of computer-based information and communications technologies (ICT) to change the way governments work.
The term is commonly used to describe a government reform strategy
which attempts to radically change the way people understand government,
especially those working within government. For example, it is often
associated with a whole-of-government viewpoint, which tries to foster cross-department collaboration and provide one-stop-shop convenience in the delivery of services to citizens.
The term transformational government is usually used aspirationally, as denoting the highest level of what e-government can achieve:
- presence, where ICT, and usually websites, are used to provide information;
- interaction, where government interacts with citizens, and departments interact with each other, online especially by email;
- transaction, where such things as paying taxes or licenses are carried out online;
- transformation, which involves a reinvention of government functions and how they operate.
In relation to developing countries, it is often associated with hopes
of reducing corruption, and in relation to developed countries, with
attempts to increase the involvement of the private and voluntary
sectors in government activity.
Government 2.0
Government 2.0 or Gov 2.0 refers to government policies that aim to harness collaborative technologies and interactive Internet tools to create an open-source computing platform in which government, citizens, and innovative companies can improve transparency and efficiency. Put simply, Gov 2.0 is about "putting government in the hands of citizens". Gov 2.0 combines interactive Web 2.0
fundamentals with e-government and increases citizen participation by
using open-source platforms, which allow development of innovative apps, websites, and widgets. The government's role is to provide open data, web services, and platforms as an infrastructure.
E-governance
E-government should enable anyone visiting a city website to
communicate and interact with city employees via the Internet with
graphical user interfaces (GUI), instant-messaging (IM), learn about
government issues through audio/video presentations, and in any way more
sophisticated than a simple email letter to the address provided at the
site"
The essence of e-governance is "The enhanced value for stakeholders through transformation"
and "the use of technology to enhance the access to and delivery of
government services to benefit citizens, business partners and
employees". The focus should be on:
- The use of information and communication technologies, and particularly the Internet, as a tool to achieve better government.
- The use of information and communication technologies in all facets of the operations of a government organization.
- The continuous optimization of service delivery, constituency
participation, and governance by transforming internal and external
relationships through technology, the Internet and new media.
Whilst e-government has traditionally been understood as being
centered around the operations of government, e-governance is understood
to extend the scope by including citizen engagement and participation
in governance. As such, following in line with the OECD definition of
e-government, e-governance can be defined as the use of ICTs as a tool
to achieve better governance.
Non-internet e-government
While
e-government is often thought of as "online government" or
"Internet-based government," many non-Internet "electronic government"
technologies can be used in this context. Some non-Internet forms
include telephone, fax, PDA, SMS text messaging, MMS, wireless networks and services, Bluetooth, CCTV, tracking systems, RFID, biometric identification, road traffic management and regulatory enforcement, identity cards, smart cards and other near field communication applications; polling station technology (where non-online e-voting is being considered), TV and radio-based delivery of government services (e.g., CSMW), email, online community facilities, newsgroups and electronic mailing lists, online chat, and instant messaging technologies.
History
During the last two decades,
governments around the world have invested in ICT with the aim of
increasing the quality and decreasing the cost of public services. But
over that time, as even the least developed countries have moved to
websites, e-services and e-government strategies, it has become
increasingly clear that e-government has not delivered all the benefits
that were hoped for it.
One study found that 35% of e-government projects in developing
countries resulted in total failures; and that 50% were partial
failures.
In reaction to these poor outcomes, there has been a shift of perspective to transformational government,
aiming beyond purely technical aspects of better enabling e-government
processes towards addressing the cultural and organisational barriers
which have hindered public service benefits realisation. Researchers
have defined the rationale for transformational government as "the
exploitation of e-government such that benefits can be realized".
In 2010 the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) published a report
which identified a wide range of common pitfalls which have hampered
many governments in achieving significant impacts through their
technology investments. However, OASIS also noted that:
- "… an increasing number [of governments] are now getting to
grips with the much broader and complex set of cultural and
organizational changes which are needed for ICT to deliver significant
benefits to the public sector. This new approach is generally referred
to as Transformational Government."
OASIS cites the UK and Australia as two of the leaders in this area:
- "Transformational Government…. encompasses a new "virtual"
business layer within government which allows an integrated,
government-wide, citizen-focused service to be presented to citizens
across all channels, but at no extra cost and without having to
restructure government to do so. Two very good examples of this new
approach are South Australia’s "Ask Just Once" portal and the UK
Government’s DirectGov portal, and the approach is explained in very
good detail in the CS Transform’s white paper entitled "Citizen Service
Transformation – a manifesto for change in the delivery of public
services".
UN e-Government Development Index
EGDI levels by country in 2020
The Division of a Public Administration and Development Management
(DPAPM) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
(UN-DESA) conducts a bi-annual e-government survey which includes a
section titled e-Government Development Index (EGDI). It is a
comparative ranking of 193 countries of the world according to three
primary indicators: i) the OSI - Online Service Index that measures the
online presence of the government in terms of service delivery; ii) the
TII - Telecommunication Infrastructure Index iii) HCI -Human Capital
Index. Constructing a model for the measurement of digitized services,
the Survey assesses the 193 member states of the UN according to a
quantitative composite index of e-government readiness based on website
assessment; telecommunication infrastructure and human resource
endowment.
A diverse group of 100 researchers online volunteers
from across the globe engaged with the United Nations Department of
Economic Affairs (UN DESA) to process 386 research surveys carried out
across 193 UN Member States for the 2016 UN E-Government Survey. The diversity of nationalities and languages of the online volunteers—more
than 65 languages, 15 nationalities, of which half are from developing
countries—mirrors perfectly the mission of the survey.
The survey has been criticized not including an index of digital inclusion levels.
Delivery models and activities of e-government
The primary delivery models of e-government can be divided into:
Within each of these interaction domains, four kinds of activities take place:
- pushing information over the Internet, e.g.: regulatory
services, general holidays, public hearing schedules, issue briefs,
notifications, etc.
- two-way communications between the agency and the citizen, a
business, or another government agency. In this model, users can engage
in dialogue with agencies and post problems, comments, or requests to
the agency.
- conducting transactions, e.g.: lodging tax returns, applying for services and grants.
- governance, e.g.: To enable the citizen transition from passive information access to active citizen participation by:
- Informing the citizen
- Representing the citizen
- Encouraging the citizen to vote
- Consulting the citizen
- Involving the citizen
Examples of online transactional services, employed in e-governments include:
Controversies
Disadvantages
The main disadvantages concerning e-government are the lack of equality in public access to computers and the internet (the "digital divide", a reference to the fact that people who have low incomes, who are homeless
and/or who live in remote regions may have little or no access to the
Internet), reliability of information on the web, and issues that could
influence and bias public opinions. There are many considerations and
potential implications of implementing and designing e-government,
including disintermediation of the government and its citizens, impacts on economic, social, and political factors, vulnerability to cyber attacks, and disturbances to the status quo in these areas.
The political nature of public sector forms are also cited as disadvantages to e-government systems.
Trust
Trust in
e-governance is very highly dependent on its performance and execution,
which can be measured through the effectiveness of current actions. This
is much riskier and prone to fluctuation than a system of trust that is
based on reputation because performance does not consider past actions.
Development
Because
E-government is in the early stages of development in many countries
and jurisdictions, it is hard to be applied to forms of government that
have been institutionalized. Age-old bureaucratic practices being
delivered in new mediums or using new technologies can lead to problems
of miscommunication
Increased
electronic contact and data exchange between government and its
citizens goes both ways. Once e-government technologies become more
sophisticated, citizens will be likely be encouraged to interact
electronically with the government for more transactions, as e-services
are much less costly than brick and mortar service offices (physical buildings) staffed by civil servants.
This could potentially lead to a decrease in privacy for civilians as
the government obtains more and more information about their activities.
Without safeguards, government agencies might share information on
citizens. In a worst-case scenario, with so much information being
passed electronically between government and civilians, a totalitarian-like system could develop. When the government has easy access to countless information on its citizens, personal privacy is lost.
Cost
Although "a prodigious amount of money has been spent" on the development and implementation of e-government, some say
it has yielded only a mediocre result. The outcomes and effects of
trial Internet-based government services are often difficult to gauge or
users seem them unsatisfactory.
According to Gartner, Worldwide IT spending is estimated to total $3.6
trillion in 2011 which is 5.1% increase from the year 2010 ($3.4
trillion).
Inaccessibility
An e-government website that provides government services often does
not offer the "potential to reach many users including those who live in
remote areas [without Internet access], are homebound, have low
literacy levels, exist on poverty line incomes." Homeless people, people in poverty and elderly people may not have access.
False sense of transparency and accountability
Opponents
of e-government argue that online governmental transparency is dubious
because it is maintained by the governments themselves. Information can
be added or removed from the public eye. To this day, very few
organizations monitor and provide accountability for these
modifications. Those that do so, like the United States’ OMBWatch and Government Accountability Project,
are often nonprofit volunteers. Even the governments themselves do not
always keep track of the information they insert and delete.
Advantages
The
ultimate goal of the e-government is to be able to offer an increased
portfolio of public services to citizens in an efficient and
cost-effective manner. E-government allows for government transparency.
Government transparency is important because it allows the public to be
informed about what the government is working on as well as the policies
they are trying to implement.
Simple tasks may be easier to perform through electronic
government access. Many changes, such as marital status or address
changes can be a long process and take a lot of paperwork for citizens.
E-government allows these tasks to be performed efficiently with more
convenience to individuals.
E-government is an easy way for the public to be more involved in
political campaigns. It could increase voter awareness, which could
lead to an increase in citizen participation in elections.
It is convenient and cost-effective for businesses, and the
public benefits by getting easy access to the most current information
available without having to spend time, energy and money to get it.
E-government helps simplify processes and makes government
information more easily accessible for public sector agencies and
citizens. For example, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles simplified the process of certifying driver records to be admitted in county court proceedings. Indiana
became the first state to allow government records to be digitally
signed, legally certified and delivered electronically by using
Electronic Postmark technology. In addition to its simplicity, e-democracy services can reduce costs. Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Wal-Mart and NIC
developed an online hunting and fishing license service utilizing an
existing computer to automate the licensing process. More than 140,000
licenses were purchased at Wal-Mart stores during the first hunting season and the agency estimates it will save $200,000 annually from service.
The anticipated benefits of e-government include efficiency,
improved services, better accessibility of public services, sustainable
community development and more transparency and accountability.
Democratization
One goal of some e-government initiatives is greater citizen participation. Through the Internet's Web 2.0
interactive features, people from all over the country can provide
input to politicians or public servants and make their voices heard. Blogging and interactive surveys allow politicians or public servants to see the views of the people on any issue. Chat rooms
can place citizens in real-time contact with elected officials or their
office staff or provide them with the means to interact directly with
public servants, allowing voters to have a direct impact and influence
in their government. These technologies can create a more transparent
government, allowing voters to immediately see how and why their
representatives in the capital are voting the way they are. This helps
voters decide whom to vote for in the future or how to help the public
servants become more productive.
A government could theoretically move more towards a true democracy with the proper application of e-government. Government transparency
will give insight to the public on how decisions are made and hold
elected officials or public servants accountable for their actions. The
public could become a direct and prominent influence in government
legislature to some degree.
Environmental bonuses
Proponents of e-government argue that online government services would lessen the need for hard copy paper forms. Due to recent pressures from environmentalist
groups, the media, and the public, some governments and organizations
have turned to the Internet to reduce paper use. The United States
government utilizes the website http://www.forms.gov to provide "internal government forms for federal employees" and thus "produce significant savings in paper.
As well, if citizens can apply for government services or permits
online, they may not need to drive into a government office, which could
lead to less air pollution from gas and diesel-fuelled vehicles.
Speed, efficiency, and convenience
E-government
allows citizens to interact with computers to achieve objectives at any
time and any location and eliminates the necessity for physical travel
to government agents sitting behind desks and windows. Many e-government
services are available to citizens with computers and Internet access
24 hours a day and seven days a week, in contrast to brick and mortar government offices, which tend to be only open during business hours (notable exceptions are police stations and hospitals, which are usually open 24 hours a day so that staff can deal with emergencies).
Improved accounting and record keeping can be noted through
computerization, and information and forms can be easily accessed by
citizens with computers and Internet access, which may enable quicker
processing time for applications and find information. On the
administrative side, access to help find or retrieve files and linked
information can now be stored in electronic databases versus hard copies
(paper copies) stored in various locations. Individuals with
disabilities or conditions that affect their mobility no longer have to
be mobile to be active in government and can access public services in
the comfort of their own homes (as long as they have a computer and Internet and any accessibility equipment they may need).
Public approval
Recent trials of e-government have been met with acceptance and eagerness from the public. Citizens participate in online discussions of political issues with
increasing frequency, and young people, who traditionally display
minimal interest in government affairs, are drawn to electronic voting procedures.
Although Internet-based governmental programs have been
criticized for lack of reliable privacy policies, studies have shown
that people value prosecution of offenders over personal
confidentiality. Ninety percent of United States adults approve of
Internet tracking systems of criminals, and 57% are willing to forgo
some of their personal internet privacy if it leads to the prosecution of criminals or terrorists.
Technology-specific e-government
There are also some technology-specific sub-categories of e-government, such as m-government (mobile government), ubiquitous government), and g-government (GIS/GPS applications for e-government).
The previous concern about developments in E-government
concerning technology are due to the limited use of online platforms for
political reasons by citizens in local political participations.
The primary delivery models of e-government are classified
depending on who benefits. In the development of the public sector or
private sector portals and platforms, a system is created that benefits
all constituents. Citizens needing to renew their vehicle registration
have a convenient way to accomplish it while already engaged in meeting
the regulatory inspection requirement. On behalf of a government
partner, the business provides what has traditionally, and solely,
managed by the government and can use this service to generate profit or
attract new customers. Government agencies are relieved of the cost and
complexity of having to process the transactions.
To develop these public sector portals or platforms, governments
have the choice to internally develop and manage, outsource, or sign a
self-funding contract. The self-funding model creates portals that pay
for themselves through convenience fees for certain e-government
transactions, known as self-funding portals.
Social Media Usage
Social networking services
and websites are an emerging area for e-democracy. The social
networking entry point is within the citizens’ environment and the
engagement is on the citizens’ terms. Proponents of e-government
perceive the government's use of social networking as a medium to help
the government act more like the public it serves. Examples can be found
at almost every state government portal through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube widgets.
Government and its agents also have the opportunity to follow
citizens to monitor satisfaction with services they receive. Through
ListServs, RSS feeds, mobile messaging, micro-blogging services and
blogs, government and its agencies can share information to citizens who
share common interests and concerns. Government is also beginning to Twitter. In the state of Rhode Island, Treasurer Frank T. Caprio is offering daily tweets of the state's cash flow. For a full list of state agencies with Twitter feeds, visit NIC. For more information, visit transparent-gov.com.
E-Signature
Several local governments in the United States have allowed online
e-signatures for candidate
nominating petitions and
signature requirements for ballot initiatives. In 2012
Arizona
launched a prototype system called E-qual, which allowed statewide
candidates running for office to collect signatures online and share the
link on other forms on social media. E-qual was expanded in 2016 to cover candidates in local elections within the state, but it was not used at the local level before the 2020 state election. The city of
Boulder,
Colorado has implemented a similar system in 2020 to collect signatures for city ballot questions.