E-government transforms public sector services, says researcher
E-government transforms public sector services, says researcher
-- September 1, 2004 --The Research, Development and Evaluation Commission is the think tank of the Executive Yuan, and among the RDEC's six departments, the Department of Information Management is responsible for the planning, evaluation and implementation of e-government services.
Ho Chuan-te, director of the RDEC's Department of Information Management, explained that an important function of his department is that of coordination between government agencies. "I have studied the e-government programs of major countries and they point out that the next phase of e-government is integrated service. So, my department is developing a common platform. Through this common platform, different information and different services can be integrated." With such integration, there will be less need for people to physically go to and from a number of agencies to receive services. Instead, through the latest technology they can access our "one-stop service."
Ho explained that, "By the end of this year, we are going to provide online travel service and business start-up service. If you want to start a business, you just log on to the government portal to obtain all of the necessary information about registration, taxation, etc. Then, through a single window obtain all of the necessary services. We would also like to provide sightseeing services through integration of the private and public sectors. Previously, if you wanted to obtain such services, you had to visit lots of Web sites for information, for hotel booking, for transportation. In the near future, we are going to integrate them. This is what we call a one-stop service or cross-boundary service, not only connecting government to government, but also extending government services to the private sector." Also in the works are online medical, household and government employment services.
Ho noted that barrier removal is also critical. For example, Taiwan is strong in IT but weak in application. The government is working to break down that barrier, such as by creating a national tax database for convenient filing of tax returns and downloading of tax information. Ho notes that this year, 20 percent of taxpayers obtained digital certificates and filed their returns online. Another 20 percent used a barcode system. Thus, about 40 percent of taxpayers used online taxation services.
Ho's vision is that through ICT and through e-government he can provide the business community and the general public with innovative and integrated services. He added that progress has been made in achieving that vision. "If you ask me what is one of the success factors for implementing e-government, I will say that leadership is very important. My department has received much support from the premier and even from the president. That is one of the reasons that Taiwan has made so much progress in e-government."
Taiwan's e-government success has been recognized internationally. In surveys of the state of e-government among 198 nations published by Brown University, Taiwan was ranked first in 2002 and fifth in 2003. Meanwhile, in the Global Information Technology Report 2002-2003 published by the World Economic Forum, Taiwan was ranked second in government readiness and fourth in government usage.
In the next phase of e-government implementation, the focus will be on the issues of e-governance and e-participation. "We have to pay more attention to e-citizens, because e-citizens are becoming the majority.
In Taiwan, Internet penetration is quite high, above 50 percent. So, the government is putting much effort into implementing e-government to satisfy its digital citizens." He added that, "Today's young people are growing up with ICT as part of their lives. According to studies, the e-generation is politically active, they want equality, they demand input and they are rights-oriented. They also want choice and empowerment. They demand the expansion and growth of e-services. They expect information access. They expect to control the service experience, they want to be the core decider of services and they demand data privacy."
Ho pointed out that data privacy and security issues are becoming more important in Taiwan and that he would like to create secure and trusted e-services. "Three factors; performance, professionalism and promotion, are necessary for increasing trust and confidence in e-services."
In terms of equality, the Taiwan government is working to provide more convenient e-services to foreigners. Ho notes that, "We want to create a single Web site this year with information in English and services for foreigners. This is very important because Taiwan is part of the global society, so we have to open a window to connect Taiwan with the world."
As part of the effort to create an English-friendly environment in Taiwan, government agencies are required to build up comprehensive bilingual Web sites. In addition, the government has launched themed bilingual Web sites on subjects such as human rights, Taiwan's case for admission to the WHO, tourist information, investment information, NGOs and NPOs. These Web sites help the international community to understand what Taiwan is doing in these areas.
Another goal that Taiwan has is to share its best practices with other countries to market itself as an international expert in e-government
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