Contents

Abstract                                                2

Introduction                                                2

E-Government Defined                                4

The Benefits of E-Government                        7

Implementing E-Government                          9

Conclusion                                                 21

Bibliography                                                 23


Abstract

        This paper looks at e-government.  E-government is defined as the delivery of government through (mostly) the Internet and how the public is clamouring for increased access to government via modern electronic means.  Following the definition of e-government is a look at the benefits of e-government, including the potential ability of e-government to streamline, personalize, and improve government delivery of services and information to both businesses and the public.  The paper next takes a look at how e-government can and should be implemented.  The section includes a look at what commercial technology is available today for governments to take advantage of in developing their own e-government services.  This also includes some suggestions of specific vendors and consultants of various software products that are currently being utilised by governments in the delivery of e-government services. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of what the limitations for e-government might be and some possible solutions to these problems.

Introduction

        E- government is a reality.  In the United States virtually all departments and agencies in the government have developed or have in the works plans to developed a presence on the World Wide Web.  This range in scope from strictly informational, providing general information to the public, to programs that address the global information economy.  Use of e-government in Britain is increasing, but still lags far behind global average.  The use of e-government in Britain has increased by five percentage points from 13 per cent of adults in 2002 to 18 per cent in 2003.  This compares with worldwide use of online government services of 31 per cent.  (Abramson, Morin 2003)  This being said, the original target of all dealings with government being deliverable electronically by 2008 has now been brought forward to 2005.  Progress nationally has been good, but there is obviously a large amount of work still to be done in the next few years.  (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister e-publication)

        E-government focuses on the citizen.  Approximately 40 percent of e-government endeavours are designed to serve the public.  Service to students, information on food safety, virtual libraries, digital maps and the ability to pay taxes and fees online are some of the ways e-government is being utilised.  E-government provides information with more than half (57 percent) doing just that.  Over 85 percent of implemented e-government services are done through the Web.

Government has become more sophisticated.  Years ago, being "digital" meant having a Website.  Today, as noted above, many governments have moved from the first stage, a mere web presence, to the second stag, the presentation of information.  (Abramson, Morin)  A large number of government agencies have moved on to the third stage-transactional, allowing people to pay fees and taxes online.  There are in fact a small number of government organizations that have reached the fourth and final stage, known as transformation.  They are harbingers of a future digital government where citizens and customers don't need to walk in; they can log in to an e-government located on the information highway, making it easier for citizens, businesses, other levels of government, and employees to relate and interact with their local and federal governments.

        This paper will explore what e-government is, what it can do, the benefits of e-government and suggest strategies for implementing e-government solutions and consider what are the challenges of implementing e-government.

E-Government Defined

A growing constituency wants greater access to government services and information via the Internet and other information technologies.  Information technology has changed the way people work, live, communicate, shop, and play.  This is also becoming more and more true for government.  The result of explosive growth in technology, and specifically personal computers and the internet, has made possible the concept, development and delivery of e-government.  (Griffith, 2002)        

E-Government, also known as “seamless,” “ virtual,” or simply as “Dot.gov,” (Ho, 2002) e-government or e-governance can be defined as the ability to obtain government services through non-traditional electronic means.  E-government enables access to government information and the completion of government transactions on an anywhere, any time basis and in conformance with equal access requirements. The term “government” refers to a body of persons and institutions that makes and enforces law for a particular society, while “governance” refers to the relationship between the government and society; it is on this latter relationship that electronic governance should focus.  As an umbrella concept, e-governance includes:

  • E-Commerce (cash transactions)
  • E-Service (interface and customers)
  • E-Democracy (better informed public interest decisions)
  • E-management (improved management of people)

        E-governance involves using technology to bring government to recipients of services, businesses and other partners and clients in new ways.  Though many of the best-known examples involve internet-based services, e-government is no synonymous with the World Wide Web.  Instead, it involves a host of technologies including email, telephone call centres, broadband and wireless network applications, and other means of delivering services and conducting business.

        Examples of e-government generally fall into four categories, characterised by the entities the government is serving. These include:

  • Citizens.  Government-to-citizen interactions ranging from provision of benefits, i.e. social grants, medical care, voter registration or the issuing of permits or the renewal of vehicle registration.
  • Businesses.  Government’s transactions with businesses both enable and regulate a range of activities from international trade and interstate commerce to agencies’ purchases of goods and services.
  • Employees.  Government departments and other agencies are increasing their electronic interactions with their own employees via intranets, email and enterprise resource planning software, permitting online management of personnel benefits, budgeting, accounting and other functions, (similar to private sector organizations).
  • State, municipal, county, local governments. As central governments increasingly rely on other levels of government to deliver services, electronic interactions between national, provincial, and local authorities, foreign governments and international organisations are becoming more common.  (Ho)
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        The notion of e-government is not new.  E-governance has taken many forms especially over the past decade.  The earliest e-government efforts revolved around electronic data interchange (EDI) and interactive voice response (IVR) or voice mail.  While use of EDI was not widespread in government, electronic tax filing, wire transfers, and automated payments were commonplace (Sprecher, 2000).

        In its simplest form, e-government is the use of technology, largely through the Internet, to provide access to information and service to citizens, business, employees, and other governments. E-government makes government available when citizens want it, or in other words, at anytime day or ...

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