I.

DEFINITION
What is e-government?

Definitions of e-government range from “the use of information technology to freemovement of

information to overcome the physical bounds of traditional paperand physical based systems” to “the
use of technology to enhance the access toand delivery of government services to benefit citizens,
business partners andemployees.”

The common theme behind these definitions is that e-government involves the automation or
computerization of existing paper-based procedures that will prompt new styles of leadership, new
ways of debating and deciding strategies, new ways of transacting business, new ways of listening to
citizensand communities, and new ways of organizing and delivering information.

Ultimately, e-government aims to enhance access to and delivery of government services to benefit
citizens. More important, it aims to help strengthen government’sdrive toward effective governance and
increased transparency to better managea country’s social and economic resources for development.

What advantage does e-government pose?

The key to e-government is the establishment of a long-term, organization-widestrategy to constantly

improve operations with the end in view of fulfilling citizen needs by transforming internal operations
such as staffing, technology, processesand work flow management.Thus, e-government should result in
the efficient and swift delivery of goods andservices to citizens, businesses, government employees and
agencies. To citizensand businesses, e-government would mean the simplification of procedures
andstreamlining of the approval process. To government employees and agencies, itwould mean the
facilitation of cross-agency coordination and collaboration toensure appropriate and timely decision-
making.

What are the types of e-government transactions?

e-Government services focus on four main customers: citizens, the businesscommunity, government
employees, and government agencies. e-Government aimsto make interaction with citizens, businesses,
government employees, governmentagencies and other governments more convenient, friendly,
transparent,inexpensive and effective.In an e-government system, individuals are able to initiate a
request for a particulargovernment service and then receive that government service through the
Internet orsome computerized mechanism. In some cases, the government service is deliveredthrough
one government office, instead of many. In other cases, a governmenttransaction is completed without
direct in-person contact with a government employee.

What are the specific types of services delivered through e-government?

The four types of e-government services are Government-to-Citizen (G2C),Government-to-Business

(G2B), Government-to-Employee (G2E), andGovernment-to-Government (G2G).
G2C

includes information dissemination to the public, basic citizen services suchas license renewals, ordering
of birth/death/marriage certificates and filing ofincome taxes, as well as citizen assistance for such basic
services as education,health care, hospital information, libraries, and the like.

G2B

transactions include various services exchanged between government and thebusiness community,
including dissemination of policies, memos, rules and regulations.Business services offered include
obtaining current business information, downloadingapplication forms, renewing licenses, registering
businesses, obtaining permits,and payment of taxes. The services offered through G2B transactions also
assistin business development, specifically the development of small and mediumenterprises.
Simplifying application procedures that would facilitate the approvalprocess for SME requests would
encourage business development.On a higher level, G2B services include e-procurement, an online
government-supplier exchange for the purchase of goods and services by government. Typically,e-
procurement Web sites allow qualified and registered users to look for buyersor sellers of goods and
services. Depending on the approach, buyers or sellersmay specify prices or invite bids. e-Procurement
makes the bidding processtransparent and enables smaller businesses to bid for big government
procurementprojects. The system also helps government generate bigger savings, as costsfrom
middlemen are shaved off and purchasing agents’ overhead is reduced.

G2E

services encompass G2C services as well as specialized services that coveronly government employees,
such as the provision of human resource trainingand development that improve the bureaucracy’s day-
to-day functions and dealingswith citizens.

G2G

services take place at two levels: at the local or domestic level and at theinternational level. G2G
services are transactions between the central/nationaland local governments, and between
department-level and attached agenciesand bureaus. At the same time, G2G services are transactions
betweengovernments, and can be used as an instrument of international relations anddiplomacy.

Is the Internet the only medium for accomplishing e-government?

The Internet is indeed the most powerful means for delivering e-government.However, it is not the only,
or the most appropriate, means. Developing countries in particular need to take some constraints—
from the infrastructural to the financial—into account when considering the best strategy for adopting
e-government. Existingelectronic service delivery channels must be put to use to provide the
broadestaccess possible.

According to Dr. Richard Heeks, Director of the Institute for Development Policyand Management at the
University of Manchester, developing countries aimingto use ICTs for good governance should opt for
“intelligent intermediaries”in the early phases of e-government. “Intelligent intermediaries” are e-
government models that incorporate human beings as intermediaries betweencitizens and the
information infrastructure in order to provide the public withthe widest possible points of access to
government services. Realistic e-government projects will use such intermediaries at the onset, given
limitationsin the physical infrastructure of developing countries and the lack of accesspoints for the
general public to acquire government services. Theseintermediaries may come in the form of existing
professionals (e.g., accountantsfor online tax systems, notaries for online registration systems), public
servants(e.g., call centers or one-stop shop government offices), and NGOs orcommunity-based
organizations (e.g., staffed community telecenters) bringingtogether a combination of these various ICT
channels to effectively deliver e-government.

II. THE GOALS OF E-GOVERNMENT

What are the goals of e-government?

The Working Group on e-Government in the Developing World has identified fivebroad categories of
goals commonly pursued for e-government.

e-Governmentis a means to accomplish these broader social goals, goals that move beyondmere
efficiency of government processes to that of overall reform and development.The goals are not listed in
any particular order of importance, as each countrymust determine its priorities in e-government.

a. Creating a better business environment:

Technology is a proven catalystin increasing productivity and economic growth, especially in rural
andunderserved communities.

The use of ICT in government and theestablishment of an e-government infrastructure help create a
business-friendlyenvironment by streamlining the interaction and improving the interfacebetween
government and business, especially SMEs. By cutting outredundancies in procedures and emphasizing
immediate and efficient deliveryof services, e-government creates the conditions that attract
investors/investment.

This goal is highly dependent on the country, its industry strengths and itsglobal competitive advantage.
Once identified, these should be incorporatedin the country’s e-government strategy, with agencies, the
bureaucracy andpublic services aligned towards promoting these sectors. E-procurement, forexample,
can open new markets to local businesses by opening up thegovernment procurement process, making
it more competitive and fair.

b. Customers online, not in line:

This refers to the effective delivery of publicgoods and services to citizens accompanied by quick
response governmentwith minimal direct intervention by a public official.

c. Strengthening good governance and broadening public participation:

Promoting transparency and accountability in government through theproliferation of ICT in

management and operations also opens opportunitiesfor citizens to be more actively involved in the
policy- and decision-makingprocesses of government.As a major tool in building a tradition of
transparency and good governance,e-government can advance the fight against corruption. However, e-
government by itself will not put an end to corruption. It must be accompaniedby other mechanisms to
be fully effective.At the same time, e-government facilitates the swift delivery of completeinformation.
The broad dissemination of information helps empower citizensand facilitate informed decision-making.
The transparency of information willnot only further democracy but also instill a sense of accountability
amonggovernment leaders and compel effective governance.

d. Improving the productivity and efficiency of government agencies:

Re-engineering processes and procedures to cut red tape, facilitate delivery ofservices, increase
productivity of the bureaucracy, and increase savings arebenefits inherent in e-government. More
specifically, e-government can help:

● Increase government staff productivity, reduce overhead from fewer officesand less paper
management, improve capacity for planning managementby government (using better tools and
improving access to criticalinformation, for example, in city planning through the use of a GIS),
andincrease revenue as businesses and citizens actually apply for morelicenses, due to the fact that the
process is much easier and less corrupt.

● Induce cost savings in the medium to the long term. In the short term,however, staffing and costs
tend to increase as government must offermultiple delivery platforms (both the traditional and e-
government) duringthe initial transition.

● Streamline the operations of government. Most government processeshave evolved over many years,
and usually involve many steps, tasks,and activities. Streamlining government processes through ICT
eliminatesredundant procedures and helps to reduce red tape.

e. Improving the quality of life for disadvantaged communities:

ICT makesit possible for government to reach marginalized groups/communities andimprove their
quality of life. This means empowering them through theirparticipation in the political process, as well
as delivering much-needed publicgoods and services.Ultimately, the goal of e-government is to enhance
the interaction betweenthree main actors in society—government, citizens and business—in order
tostimulate political, social and economic progress in the country.

How does government become more responsive and accessible with ICT use?
With its emphasis on the use of information technology in the delivery of services,e-government
presents a government agency with the opportunity to re-think howit delivers services. Specifically, e-
government offers the agency the opportunityto: examine its current operations and procedures,
identify business processesand practices that can be streamlined, implement those streamlined
businessprocesses, and implement new technologies that enhance those improvements.In the process
of streamlining business operations, a properly implemented e-government solution provides the
agency with the opportunity to focus its resourceson service delivery efforts that are most efficiently
provided through direct contactversus other means.ICT will ultimately re-engineer government
processes and transform governance.It is not enough to deliver services efficiently and effectively by
compressing thesteps required to accomplish certain procedural requirements. What is moreimportant
is to simplify government processes altogether, change the concept of governance, and thereby
transform the relationship between government andcitizens.Moreover, increased information access
and transparency in governmentprocesses leads to greater accountability and transparency, as online
orcomputerized processes remove discretion from government officials and providewatchdog groups
and senior government officials with a mechanism to monitorpotential corruption abuses by lower level
government officials.

III. E-GOVERNMENT AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

How do ICTs facilitate good governance?

ICT is an enabler of efficient and effective functioning of government. In turn, amore efficient
functioning of government allows for improved and better governance.

What are the implications of equality of access to government information and services?

The implementation of e-government facilitates citizen participation in governanceby increasing access

channels to government. It broadens opportunities for citizenparticipation, opening new channels of
communication between constituents andtheir representatives and bringing marginal groups (i.e.,
women, physicallychallenged, indigenous peoples) into mainstream participatory channels.But just as e-
government initiatives have the potential to democratize the deliveryof basic services and “level” the
effects of development, these same initiativescan also further distance citizens from government and
even deepen existingdisenfranchisement. Policy-makers, in trying to achieve development goals
throughe-government, should consider projects that would deliver the most benefits tothe broadest
number of people.

What is digital democracy?

Digital democracy is a term used when the use of information and communicationstechnology enhances
citizen participation in the democratic process. It is thecomputerization of political discourse, policy-
making and the political process withthe end in view of increasing, enhancing, and deepening citizen
participation inthe policy- and decision-making processes of government through a spectrum ofactivities
—electoral campaigns, voting, consultation and participation in the policyprocess, public opinion polling,
and communication exchange between electedofficials and constituents.While opportunities are
increasing for citizens to be more actively involved in thepolicy-making and decision-making process,
much of government decision-makingis still hidden from the wider public. ICT integration in government
processesfacilitates greater openness, transparency, and accountability. As more information is given to
the public, greater citizen engagement in the overall policy process isconsidered as necessary as greater
accountability for public officials.

In what ways can e-government enhance digital democracy?

Improving access to public information and services. Government carries the burdenand responsibility of
ensuring that citizens, communities, businesses, and civilsociety are equipped with complete
information so that they can make timely andappropriate life decisions.Through ICTs—broadly defined
to include television, radio and telephones—thepublic can more easily access information and services.
By providing the publicwith details of government activities and providing them with venues to
activelyparticipate in these activities, e-government compels officials to be moretransparent and
accountable for their actions and decisions, as well as to improvenot only the delivery of services but
also the quality of these services.

Enhancing political participation. ICTs have made it possible for citizens aroundthe world to be included
in the policy process, to have their voices heard, to participate in the policy development process, and
ultimately, to influence decision-making. ICTs have opened numerous channels of participation not
usually open oravailable to the broader public. Many instances around the world today have shownthe
potential of ICTs to change society through the participation of a wide variety ofpeople from various
social and cultural backgrounds, social strata, and religiousbeliefs.

Engendering women empowerment. Governments must pay special attention toproviding women not
only with access to information technology (IT), but also with ITtraining and education. ICTs are
particularly useful for giving voice to women indeveloping countries who traditionally are isolated,
invisible and silent. It presentsnew opportunities for women to improve their lives, economically,
politically and socially.e-Government can provide marketing and promotion services for
women’sbusinesses such as handicrafts, garments and traditional arts. Female farmerscan increase their
productivity and profits with access to information on improvedagricultural inputs, weather, markets,
new production techniques and farmingtechnologies. In addition, policies that increase women’s access
to creditcontribute significantly to poverty alleviation.

e-Government can also be used to strengthen women’s participation in the politicalprocess, help
women exercise their fundamental rights, improve the performanceof elected women officials,
strengthen advocacy of women’s issues, anddisseminate knowledge. Providing channels for
participation in policy-makingthat targets women’s concerns is a critical component of e-
government.Finally, women in developing countries want to rise above poverty,disenfranchisement and
marginalization. While ICTs may not be a panacea, variouse-government projects, such as health and
agricultural portals, give women achance to improve their lives.

IV. THE CHALLENGES OF E-GOVERNMENT

Who pays for e-government?

Like any government infrastructure project, e-government can be done in phasesand the costs of
implementation will depend on current infrastructure availability,supplier and user capabilities, and
mode of service delivery (whether through theInternet or through telephone hotlines and one-stop
shops). The more complicatedand sophisticated the kind of services the government wants to offer, the
moreexpensive it is.Governments should focus on small, self-financing or outsourced projects.
Becausee-government projects must be financially sustainable, there must be a revenue/cost-reduction
model in place from the beginning. Smaller projects with a clearrevenue-generation strategy and
minimal initial investment are the most likely tobe sustainable over the long term. For instance, Web
sites are one of the easiestand cheapest ways to achieve high impact e-government with a minimum of
investment.

e-Government projects are, more often than not, long-term endeavors, requiringlarge capital infusion in
software, hardware, infrastructure and training. A viable financing plan should not only pay for the
immediate needs to jumpstart e-government; it must also consider its long-term financing options for
thesustainability of the project.There are various business models for funding e-government projects,
and theprivate sector plays a critical role in these. Under partnership arrangements, theprivate sector
builds, finances and operates public infrastructure such as roadsand airports, recovering costs through
user charges. Various financing schemesexist—from soft and development assistance loans from
donor/multilateral aidagencies to partnerships and outsourcing deals with private third party
vendorsunder special financing schemes (e.g., the Build-Operate-Transfer or BOT scheme)that can
minimize the initial cost to government.BOT and its variants are usually the favored financing
models/arrangementsfor government projects that require large and immediate financing from
theprivate sector. Under BOT, the private sector designs, finances, builds, andoperates the facility over
the life of the contract. At the end of this period,ownership reverts to the government. A variation of
this is the Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) model, under which title transfers to the government
whenconstruction is completed. Finally, with Build-Own-Operate (BOO)arrangements, the private sector
retains permanent ownership and operatesthe facility on contract.

Cooperation, rather than competition, with the private sector can facilitate effectivee-government.
Government can encourage private sector investment bycomplementing and supporting private sector
efforts rather than duplicating them.The key to e-government is to improve citizen access to service
delivery, notfurther expand the role of government. Government should not attempt to createproducts
and services where public-private partnerships or private service providerscan adequately provide these
products and services more efficiently and effectively.

How do you get the wider public to actually use e-government services?
Any sound e-government policy must consider a citizen-centered approach. Thismeans that e-
government should be an end-user or demand-driven service.However, many citizens do not use e-
government for several reasons, amongthese unfamiliarity with ICT, lack of access, lack of training, and
concerns aboutprivacy and security of information.While e-government may provide ease and
convenience in the delivery of publicservices, and offer innovative government services, none of these
will promptcitizen use unless the concerns mentioned above are first addressed.

Why are security and protection of privacy important?

Security generally refers to the protection of information system assets and controlof access to
information. Security policies and strategies are context- andinformation-specific.Privacy refers to the
right for information attributed to an individual (also called“nominal information”) to be treated with an
appropriate level of protection.Information privacy protection laws are often put in place to regulate
this.Protecting the privacy of citizens and assuring them that their personal informationwill not be
compromised is critical in e-government because this is the key to usertrust. Without this assurance, no
one will be prompted to use e-government services

V. THE IMPORTANCE OF A NATIONAL STRATEGICFRAMEWORK FOR E-

GOVERNMENT
The implementation of e-government requires strong leadership and vision. It also requires a
comprehensive strategy that is not only benchmarked on global bestpractices, but also sensitive to
existing political and economic conditions/realities.For e-government to become a reality, governments,
in consultation withstakeholders, are advised to develop a National Strategic Framework,
whicharticulates the government’s vision, targets and milestones, technical approachand standards for
e-government systems. Such a framework must addressinformation privacy, security, maintenance, and
interface standards.However, it must be said at the outset that a national framework is not a
prerequisiteto any e-government project. To put this more precisely, critical e-government projectsat
the department/agency or local government levels should not be held up simply forlack of a national
framework. Too many governments spend years and valuableresources on the process of developing a
national strategy, when they could be movingforward on a few critical projects. What governments
should realize is that a nationalstrategic framework is an ongoing process and not a static document.

What are the two approaches to e-government?

There are two approaches to e-government. The first is the top-down approach.Characterized by a high
degree of control by the central government, it usuallyincludes the development of a strategy. The
second is the bottom-up approach, inwhich individual departments and local governments
independently move forwardwith their own projects, common standards are flexible, and overall
national strategyis not so important. Singapore and China embody the top-down approach, whilethe US
and the Philippines are closer to the bottom-up approach.There are advantages and disadvantages to
each method. The top-down approachfacilitates integration. However, developing a national strategy,
which the approachemphasizes, often takes years of bickering and the technology decisions tend tobe
poor (and therefore, costly and difficult to reverse). The bottom-up approach isless orderly and tends to
some redundancy, but it also inspires innovation, resultingin a many grassroots projects.

In the end, the best approach to e-government depends on the individual country,on how its political
system works, and on the level of technology competence ineach individual government unit.

Moreover, public awareness and support for e-government is critical for its successand its sustainability.
Hence the need for stakeholder consultation in the process.Stakeholders include citizens, NGOs,
businesses, various industries and specialsectors, and the bureaucracy.

It is likewise important to understand global trends and to study global best practicesof e-government
projects and strategies. Only from studying other countries’successes and failures is a country able to
effectively design its e-governmentstrategy and avoid pitfalls that cost time, money and resources.
Studying othercountries’ experiences will allow governments that are about to embark ondeveloping
their e-government strategies to define their priority areas based ontheir specific cultural contexts.

How do you build an appropriate e-government infrastructure?

A Government Information Infrastructure (GII), which is a network that connectsall government

agencies, is needed to ensure that citizens enjoy the full benefitsof e-government. Building a GII is a very
expensive undertaking that requirescross-agency, cross-government planning. The following must be
considered whenbuilding such a government backbone:

The cost implications. A financial feasibility study is necessary for such anendeavor. This cost-benefit
analysis can help government decide either to openportions of the government backbone and charge
access fees totelecommunications carriers or operators to sustain operations, or to altogetherride on an
existing private network due to cost constraints.

The infrastructure issues. These include the country’s existing infrastructure,current level of Internet
penetration, telephone density, existing speed of technologychange, allowances for convergence, and
investment in broadband.

The benefits and risks. Having one’s own backbone ensures that governmentcommunications are open
and secure and operating 24 hours a day, 7 days aweek and 365 days a year. However, this may mean
regular funding for upgradesand maintenance of the network, and for hiring a team to support the
network fulltime.

Some governments may decide that building their own backbone is too costly andtoo time-consuming.
Building a backbone may take years and billions of dollars tocomplete, and if governments want to
immediately engage in e-government, theremay not be enough time or money to do so.

An alternative is to ride on an existing private telecommunications backbone, usuallyone run by a large

telecommunications carrier. This means that government will beentrusting the security of the network
to the operator, who will also be assumingthe costs of regular network maintenance and technical
support and the risks ofpossible network sabotage.
In order to minimize the threat of security risks, governments who are riding on aprivate backbone will
have to set up the following types of security measures:firewalls, intrusion detection software,
encryption, and secure networks (such asVirtual Private Networks, Wide Area Networks or Local Area
Networks) forgovernment agencies that require high levels of security, such as the armed forces.

What is software architecture and why is it important in e-government development?

Software architecture refers to the high-level organizational structure of a softwaresystem. A well

planned, secure and flexible e-government platform is necessaryfor governments to meet the growing
demands for services delivered via the Internetand future delivery channels. Building a common
architecture for e-governmentrequires secure and trusted interoperable systems that will adopt existing
Internetand World Wide Web standards for all government agencies, at all levels. This isa pragmatic
approach that reduces the costs and risks of operating informationtechnology systems while keeping the
public sector in step with the global Internetrevolution. The idea of an interoperable system within one
government meansthat agencies can easily “talk to one another”—whether by sending email or
exchanging information—without any technical problems that hinder the smoothoperation of
government.

What are the risks and benefits of having an “open source” framework for e-government?

“Open source” software, such as the Linux operating system, is typically developedby programmers
distributing source code modifications freely over the Internet.Two critical characteristics define open
source software. One, users are givenaccess to the source code, which allows them to modify, study or
augment thesoftware’s functionality. Second, any licensing agreement allows distribution ofthe initial
software and redistribution of that software in a modified form. If usersmake changes to the software,
they may submit these to the community ofdevelopers for possible inclusion in future versions.

For a more comprehensive discussion of an “open source framework”, refer to the primer, Nets, Webs
and Information Infrastructures.

Open source software poses several advantages for e-government systems. First,the capabilities of open
source software are comparable, and in some casessuperior, to their more expensive commercial
counterparts. Reduced licensingfees and lower hardware costs make open source software highly
attractive bycomparison.

Second, open source solutions ensure interoperability and access to all users,regardless of whether they
are using propriety platforms or open source software,allowing for smooth interdepartmental
integration. Indeed, proprietary softwarethat wants to attract and retain customers will support
integration with outsideproducts and support global standards.
Third, properly configured open source software is as secure as proprietarysystems. In fact, some users
argue that systems built on software coming from asingle vendor are more vulnerable to attack than
systems integrating softwarefrom different sources, such as Linux. Many attribute this to the fact that
opensource software is the work of programmers worldwide, both paid and voluntary,who collaborate
through the Internet, contributing working software code which isreviewed by their peers. This diversity
makes it largely impervious to viruses incontrast to closed source software. Its openness also guarantees
that open sourcesoftware has been thoroughly scrutinized for security vulnerabilities.

Fourth, moving to open source software can be part of a government’s strategy tocut down on piracy.
Under most of the recognized open source software licenses,it is perfectly acceptable to purchase a
single copy of software and install it onany number of machines, or simply download it for free off the
Internet.

However, there are also risks in the use of open source software. The first riskis that a preference for
open source software could lead to installation of products not suitable for user needs. The cost of not
meeting essential needsfor e-government and other applications could be greater than the actual
savingsfrom using open source. Second, when government factors in the cost of findingsupport
technicians and developing additional functionality in softwareapplications, open source may actually
cost more than proprietary software.Other risks associated with the use of open source software are
concerns withcopyright and patents, liability, security and quality. Commercial or proprietarysoftware
create a sense of safety by assigning specific rights, defining legallimits, and providing a named
commercial entity that theoretically stands behindthe code.

Reference:
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