E-Government Handbook: A must
Welcome to the E-Government Handbook. A project of the Center for Democracy and Technology and infoDev.
We are in the process of refining our search tool to help you find recommendations and case studies.
This Handbook attempts for the first time to catalog and present key resources on e-government in a format readily useful for policymakers in the developing world.
Among the many promises of the digital revolution is its potential to strengthen democracy and make governments more responsive to the needs of their citizens. E-government is the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) to transform government by making it more accessible, effective and accountable. E-government includes:
- providing greater access to government information;
- promoting civic engagement by enabling the public to interact with government officials;
- making government more accountable by making its operations more transparent and thus reducing the opportunities for corruption; and
- providing development opportunities, especially benefiting rural and traditionally underserved communities.
E-government is not a tool limited to the richer countries. Indeed, some of the most innovative uses of the Internet in governance are appearing in the developing world, as ICTs are being used to streamline government and connect it more closely with the people it is supposed to serve.
Our goal in creating this handbook is to offer concrete guidance to government officials and others in the developing world, presenting for the first time a comprehensive index of e-government models and resources, focused on success stories in the developing world. This handbook presents a roadmap - in fact, a compilation of roadmaps - for policymakers considering electronic government as a mechanism for reform. We do not seek to sell
e-government. Other reports and papers have outlined the philosophy, the benefits and the general methodologies of e-government. Here, using specific examples, we show how it can be done, with a healthy respect for the realities and challenges that must be faced.
The handbook is arranged as follows:
- Part I examines the three phases of e-government, which we define as publish, interact and transact, and offers examples of each phase and recommendations for implementing successful e-government projects.
- Part II focuses on the actual process of achieving e-government policy goals, focusing on the transformation of government through ICT. Part II addresses five key determinants of success, again using specific examples from the developing world to illustrate each factor.
- Part III takes a different look at e-government, addressing seventeen challenges and opportunities that arise in developing and implementing e-government projects.
- The Appendix consists of multiple indexes of exemplary sites, case studies, and published papers, categorized by the phases, processes, challenges, and opportunities of e-government.
E-government is not a panacea. Although it can facilitate change and create new, more efficient administrative processes, e-government will not solve all problems of corruption and inefficiency, nor will it overcome all barriers to civic engagement.
Moreover, e-government does not happen just because a government buys more computers and puts up a website. While online service delivery can be more efficient and less costly than other channels, cost savings and service improvements are not automatic. E-government is a process that requires planning, sustained dedication of resources and political will.
But it is now clear around the globe that the utilization of ICT has the potential of revolutionizing the way people interact with government and each other. From the rural farmlands of Gyandoot in India to small villages in Africa, e-government is improving the condition of people in developing countries by improving access to information useful to their daily lives, providing government services, and offering new opportunities to participate in the political process.
Next: The Phases of E-Government
posted by Unknown @ 11:00 AM
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