E-government for Pacific SIDs

maximising the benefits of ICTs

Prof Rowena Cullen

Victoria University of Wellington

Some preliminary comments

• Government the largest business in SIDS

• E-government potentially ‘transformational’

– Similarities/differences with developed countries

• Promise of efficiencies, economic and social

benefits

• E-government in SIDs part of larger ICT policies

at national and regional level

Talk will focus on

1. Overview of e-government – definitions, dimensions and stages

2. Essential frameworks for e-government

3. E-democracy, e-participation

4. Benefits of e-government (and risks and concerns)

5. Globalisation and development

6. E-government rankings

7. Moving forward - issues and challenges

1. Overview: What is e-government?

“The use and application information technologies in public

administration to streamline and integrate workflows and

processes, to effectively manage data and information,

enhance public service delivery, as well as expand

communication channels for engagement and

empowerment of people” (UN, E-government survey,

2014)

• Not just the Internet - other technologies are also essential to e-government

• Seen as a critical success factor in achieving MDGs

E-government vs e-governance

• E-governance a broader concept that includes the use of

ICT by government and civil society to promote greater

participation of citizens in the governance of political

institutions

• Kettl (2002), "Governance" is a way of describing the

links between government and its broader environment -

political, social, and administrative.”

– e.g.the use of the Internet by politicians and political

parties to elicit views from their constituents; the

publicizing of views by civil society which are in

conflict with government

Basic dimensions of e-government

• G2G (G2E) : improving government processes

– Efficiency, improved record keeping, data, multi-user

access to systems, economies in HR/payroll etc.

– Initially within agency, moving to between agencies,

data sharing etc.

• G2B: improving links with business

– Efficiency and effectiveness – faster, more reliable,

accountable, reduces costs to govt and business

• G2C: better information and services for citizens

Some forms of e-government

• E-procurement, e-commerce

• E-compliance

• EDRMS, e-records and e-archiving

• E-democracy: e-participation, e-voting

• Disaster management, emergency response

• E-health

• E-education

• E-justice

5. E-democracy: e-participation, e-voting

• E-voting has immediate benefits for Pacific SIDS

as long as problems can be resolved

– ‘Travelling’ iPad avoids connectivity issues, can be

made fraud-proof

– Dependant on robust ID system

• E-participation, e-consultation

– New form of communication between representatives,

citizens, and ‘civil society’

– Broadens the discussion but may create new digital

divide

Governance

(citizen engagement and participation)

Procurement Emergency Response

Service Delivery E-GOVERNMENT E-commerce

Information Access

(inform and educate)

Results Oriented

(Management and

Oversight)

Productivity

Privacy

Effectiveness

Efficiency (Cost/benefit)

Satisfaction

Security

Authentication &

Integrity Management

Etc.

Government to …

Government

Business

Citizens and other individuals

Local to national government,

and international organizations

Hernon: Model of E-government

E-Compliance

Stages of e-government (Layne and Lee, 2001)

• Catalogue

– Online presence, catalogue, govt information online, downloadable printable forms

• Transaction

– Services and forms completed online

– Working database supporting online transactions

• Vertical integration

– local systems linked to higher level systems within similar functionalities

• Horizontal integration

– systems integrated across different functions/agencies, real ‘one-stop-shop’ for citizens

UN model of stages of e-government for

developing countries

• Emerging presence - independent govt web sites with

basic and static information only

• Enhanced presence – dynamic, specialised information,

regularly updated

• Interactive presence - publications, and forms

downloadable in pdf format, users can email officials

• Transactional presence - users can complete

transactions and pay online, e.g. renew visa, obtain

passport, register birth

• Seamless or fully integrated presence - one stop shop-

services integrated across administrative boundaries

Seamless or Connected stage

• Governments transform themselves into a connected

entity that responds to the needs of its citizens by

developing an integrated back office infrastructure.

• Characterized by:

– Horizontal connections (among government agencies)

– Vertical connections (central and local government agencies)

– Infrastructure connections (interoperability issues)

– Connections between governments and citizens

– Connections among stakeholders (government, private sector,

academic institutions, NGOs and civil society)

Lessons of these models?

• Models heavily focused on web presence, understate

need for highly developed electronic systems within

agencies, shared information architecture, data sharing,

authentication and authorisation procedures etc

• Other models (e.g. World Bank) include e-participation –

the involvement of citizens and civil society in policy

processes (often using social media)

• What are the priorities for SIDs? Where are the

efficiency gains? What are the local needs?

2. Essential frameworks for successful

e-government implementation

Strong political and policy leadership

•A ‘champion’ at the highest level

•Commitment of resources (financial and personal)

•Government CIO

•National policy with clear goals and timeframes

– coordinated approach to development, shared learning and

understanding

•Legislative framework • IP, security, privacy, digital signatures, online banking

•Training/education programmes for staff and citizens

Technology requirements (Unesco, Asia-Pacific Bureau)

• Hardware

– availability of high end computing infrastructure

– national data centre

– community information/Internet access centres

• Network

– national network backbone

– fibre optic/satellite/wireless/wired networks

– Internet gateway

– security infrastructure

– service and payment gateways etc

– last mile/rural area connectivity

Applications requirements

• Websites/portals

• Back-end automation

• Application software

• Electronic delivery of services

• Localisation of standard commercial software

• Technology standards

• Data/Metadata standards

• Interoperability framework (technical and semantic)

• Identity/authentication applications

The role of portals

• Effective, centralised portal seen as one of key elements

of citizen-centred e-government, and ‘one stop-shop’

concept

• ‘Gateway’ to government information and services

• Proprietary or open source software

• Critical role of metadata (standardisation, regulation, e.g.

SONZ, FONZ)

• Technical standardisation throughout agencies,

integration with backend system

The New Zealand model

4. Benefits of e-government – government agencies

• Increased efficiency (cost reductions), better use

of resources, reduce duplication

• More accurate data and more detailed records

• Increased revenue through greater compliance

• Potential for data sharing for horizontal

integration

• Customer satisfaction

• Enhanced reputation/internal morale

Benefits to business

• Better access to up-to-date information about

requirements, procedures, forecasts

• Lower transaction/compliance costs

• Speed and convenience (opportunity costs)

• Improved quality of service, customer-focus

• Better record of transactions

• Transparency in tendering and e-procurement

processes

Benefits to citizens

• Access to information for democracy

– e.g. about government policies, plans

• Better access to up-to-date information about

obligations//procedures/licenses etc

• Lower transaction/compliance costs

• Speed and convenience (opportunity costs)

• Improved quality of service, citizen-centric

services

• Greater equity (fairness) in transactions

• Better record of transactions

Economic and social benefits

to whole country

• Government revenue and cost reduction

• International participation: UN, regional organisations,

global NGOs, the “emerging global information network”

• Accountability and transparency, reducing corruption,

complaints, increasing trust

• Increased capacity of government and citizens

• Contribution to MDGs

• Cost/benefit analysis slowly showing gains over time –

depends on social benefits as well as efficiency, greater

in less-developed countries

Opportunity costs

• Economics: the cost of a choice in terms of what was or

could be chosen compared with what was not chosen, or

was given up (the lost opportunity)

• E.g. quit your job for further training. Short term loss,

long term better prospects

• A cost/benefit comparison, based on value to you, or the

organisation

• Opportunity costs in e-government context apply to both

government and business/citizen

• Places value on time and convenience – ‘time is money’

Concerns of business and citizens

• Usability, navigation of web sites

– organisational vs user focus

• Risks

– Inaccurate, out-of-date information

– Privacy, security of personal/business information

– System availability, reliability

– Equity of access (digital divide)

– Data quality

• All create considerable barriers to uptake

• Marketing e-government (Metcalfe’s law)

5. Globalisation and development

• IT and Globalisation – IT catalyst for global integration through creation of channels for

sharing and processing of information

– Fosters interconnectedness of economies

– IT itself “reshaping economies and social infrastructure of many countries”

– Assists countries in dealing with globalization issues

– Enhances north-south information sharing (e.g. Technoology and procedures through aid projects, INASP and HINARI initiatives, science and technology research)

• “Improved governance and public administration” seen as necessary pre-conditions for sustainable development (UN’s Fifth Global Forum on Reinventing Government)

International aid agencies

focus on e-government

• E.g. World Bank’s focus is on

– Reducing costs and promoting economic

development

– Enhancing transparency and accountability

– Improving public administration and service delivery

– Vital role of CIO at national level and in agencies to

champion e-government, outsourcing of IT

– Tendency towards neo-liberal economic approach,

market economy, one-size fits all –> high rate of

failure.

Are there alternatives?

Public Private Partnerships

• Rec by UNDP, UNESCO, WB, as contributing to MDGs

• Offer access to capital and expertise not otherwise

available, including ability to manage risk

• In SIDS usually around infrastructure rather than service

delivery

• Often sidestep established procurement processes, and

can lock out local suppliers/contractors

• Require: carefully designed governance structures, legal

and regulatory frameworks, and careful monitoring

• Must fit with national priorities already established

• Emphasis on resource-sharing, but not on risk-sharing

and revenue distribution

6. E-government rankings for PICs

• UN E-Government Survey (2 yearly)

– E-Govt Dev Index - based on online services, telecom

infrastructure, and human capital.

– 193 countries surveyed, results grouped by region and income,

largely impacted by GDP

– Korea, Australia, Singapore, France, Netherlands, Japan, USA,

UK . . .

– PICs in Middle EGDI group, (2 in Low EGDI)

– Fiji leading (85/193), followed by Tonga (98), Samoa (111);

PNG lowest at 188

• Income (GNP) and literacy levels main predictors

• Telecom infrastructure includes mobile (figures

unreliable) but m-government not yet a focus in SIDS

7. Moving forward: Issues and challenges

• Need for central leadership, collaboration, management

and project management skills, communication

• Change management process, developing a new

customer-centric culture:

• Building open trustworthy government – government

information is a ‘public asset’ for social and economic

benefits

• Interoperability: technical and human factors

• Mobile technology among users opens opportunities for

m-government, and m-commerce in government

Issues and challenges cont’d

• Importance of setting local priorities, rather than external

agencies setting the agenda: AusAid, NZAid compared

with WB and ADB

• Sustainable development (Heeks ICT4D 2.0):

sustainability, scalability, evaluation

• Developing rules/frameworks around PPPs

• Role of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)

applications, e.g. HISP

• Data management -> open access, archiving

• Constant change/legacy systems (paper and electronic)

Current international focus on

• E-participation, rather than e-voting

• Multi-channel service delivery

• Social media and collaborative governance

• Open government, open data, and maximising big data

But, many problems remain in basic service delivery,

accountability, equity, in developed countries

In SIDS the priorities may be quite different . . .

Final thoughts

• Government, business and citizens must communicate,

work together to secure benefits of e-government

• Drive development through local context, priorities,

ownership, local initiatives, content and identity

• Focus on projects that bring clear returns:

– Core government functions, information and services

– Projects that address specific needs: Disaster Risk Reduction,

GIS for land management, border control

– Mobile technology for m-agriculture, m-fisheries, m-health, m-

education and engagement of rural communities

• Make your own future, make your own choices, for

sustainable, equitable, relevant e-government