next generation e-governance: from vision to reality

Taiwan e-Governance Research Center

2008/8/27

Next Generation E-Governance:

From Vision to Reality

Gregory G. Curtin, Ph.D., JD

Director, E-Governance LabBedrosian Center for Governance and the Public Enterprise

University of Southern California

Organized by : Taiwan e-Governance Research Center (TEG) Supported by : The Research, Development & Evaluation Commission, Executive Yuan.


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The Vision of E-Governance

E-Participation/E-Democracy

E-Administration E-Services

E-Governance:

Governing in the Digital Age


External Drivers--Next Generation E-Gov

• Changing Political, Social and Consumer Expectations based on Rise of the Internet

• Generational Change in Government Leadership• Massive Generational/Demographic Change in Citizen User

Base• Continued Globalization: Commerce, Communications,

Culture


Governmental Drivers--Next Generation E-Gov

• Governments Across the Globe Have Implemented Some E-Government• Nations, states, international and regional

organizations, municipalities, etc.• Virtually all governments have some form/level of e-

government implementation• E-Government Entering its Second Decade—

Adolescence!• Early Adopters/Leaders have Completed Initial

Phases of Strategic Plans & Initiatives • The Search for “What’s Next?”


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• Education Supportive of Technology (NOT Necessarily Tech Education)– Incorporating Technology in Education at All Levels

– Undergraduate and Graduate Programs that Incorporate Technology

– E-Governance Integrated into Schools of Government/Public Administration

• Tech “Savvy” Leadership and Management: Training and Professional Development

• Legal and Regulatory Frameworks in Support of E-government

• Continued Opening of Access to Public Information/Data/Records

• Open Standards in E-Gov Technologies

• Widespread Acceptance and Penetration of New Technologies

Preparing for the Next Generation ofE-Governance


Evaluating E-Gov—A Key Step• Imperatives:

• Required—Regulatory, Fiduciary Responsibility• Required for Continued Funding• Political Pressure• Business Pressure

• Backward Looking: • How Have We Done• What Have We Accomplished• Did We Meet Stated Goals

• Forward Looking:• Where Are We Going—Are We On the Right Track?• What Should We be Doing• What Resources Do We Need


Current State of E-Gov Evaluation?

• Often Nothing!• Whatever can be Measured (Ad Hocism)

• Available data and statistics (whether good or not)• Feedback, input, opinions

• E-Gov Technology Evaluation:• Infrastructure• Readiness• Web Presence, Availability• Performance, Reliability • Penetration, Access• Direct Costs of Technology


• Financial Approaches to Evaluation • Cost Savings, Cost Avoidance• Revenue Generation, Revenue Enhancement• Current Costs, Future Costs• Budget Impacts • Return on Investment (ROI)

• People/Processes• Usage: Number, Uptake, Frequency• User Feedback: Awareness, Perceptions, Opinions• Civil Servants: Number, Productivity, Customer Service• Activity: Transactions, Touch Points, Increase/Decrease

Current State of E-Gov Evaluation?


What SHOULD be Evaluated?• Public Value of E-governance

• Public Trust• Social Inclusion• Community Well Being• Sustainability

• Impacts of E-gov • Efficiency• Good Government: Transparency, Accountability• Equity• Economic Development• Change: Changed Circumstances, New Processes, New

Services, Changed Perceptions/Expectations• Innovation?


Innovation in Government

• The focus of Evaluation should be on Innovation in GOVERNMENT, not simply innovation in E-Government• What innovations will lead to a positive change in the

government-citizen relationship• What institutional innovations will lead to better

government and governance• What innovations will lead to expanded democratic

values, processes, institutions…and greater participation• What innovations will lead to a better overall quality of

life for citizens• What should government and governance look like in

the 21st Century and beyond!


Evaluation/Innovation MatrixEvaluation Approach/

Factors

Social/Human Processes Governance

Public Value Well-being indicatorsCommunity and economic developmentSatisfaction in information levels

ParticipationDirect support, involvementCustomer service

TransparencyAccountabilityPublic TrustPublic Assets

Change Enhanced health, education, welfareIncrease in economic factorsIncreased levels of satisfaction

Direct, transparent processesUser controlled processes

Enhanced Trust in GovernmentIncreased Legitimacy

Innovation De-emphasis on public-private divide“New” public sphereCitizen as public shareholder

On-demand processesProfile/preference generatedPublic-private partnershipsPersonalized services

De-institutionalizationFlexible, as-neededRegionalism, cross-national collaborationOpen, fluid, agile


Evaluation Challenges

• Poor Data Quality/Data Collection• No Culture of Evaluation, Measurement,

Introspection• Lack of Openness, Transparency• Lack of Evaluation Expertise (Internal, External,

Public/Private/ Academia)


Evaluation Challenges

• No/Poorly Identified Objectives, Goals, Targets to Evaluate

• Lack of Evaluation Tools, Frameworks, Methodologies

• Costs—Most Important Areas to Evaluate are often the Hardest/Costliest

• No Agreed Upon Policy, Vision, Guidance for Evaluation


Evaluation Approaches

• Application/Service Oriented• Web Census/Surveys• Data Collection/Analysis (e.g., transactions, activities, rates,

frequencies)• Cost/Benefit Analysis• Automated Analyses (e.g., web crawling, systems testing)

• User Oriented• Focus Groups• Opinion Survey• Observation: Ethnographic Studies, User Sessions, Laboratories

• Outcomes Oriented• Case Studies• Good Practices• Impacts Analysis• Comparative Analyses• Peer Reviews


Value/Cost of Evaluation

•Change/Transformation •Public Value •Societal Impacts

•Service Objectives•Operational Performance•Cost/Benefits

•Readiness•Awareness•Opinions

Increase in E-Government Value

Incr

ease

in

Co

st,

Eff

ort

, C

om

ple

xity

Increase

in In

novatio

n


Evaluating the Complex “Stuff”• Citizen Empowerment• Government Transformation• Development of the Knowledge Society/Economy• E-Inclusion• Closing the Digital Divide• Public Trust, Government Credibility• Good Government/Governance• Increased Economic and Social Mobility• Government-Citizen Dialogue• Citizen Satisfaction• Etc., Etc.

Taiwan e-Governance Research CenterFrequency of Stated Outcomes in EU

E-Gov Strategies (OECD)

E-government Strategy Outcomes

0 5 10 15 20

Number of Countries

Accountabilty

Culture

Education / ICT Literacy

Employment

Quality of Life

Cost Savings

Digital Economy/Demo Effect

Administrative Burden Reduction

Infrastructure

Security

Citizen Participation / Info-democracy

Competitiveness

Customer Orientation/ Responsiveness

Information Society

Transparency / Openess

Efficient Government

Effective Government / Quality of Service

Transform/Reform /Modernize Government

Access


Innovation Challenges

• Lack of Formal Evaluations• Lack of Policy, Vision, Guidance• No Culture of Innovation• No Incentives, Rewards for Innovation• Lack of Good Information, Knowledge (Created

from Good Data)• Efforts Too Decentralized or Too Centralized• Costs, Budgets


The Innovation Imperative

•Transform•Empower•Connect•Whole of Government•All of Civic Society

Initiate

EvaluateInnovate

•Financial, Data•Non-financial•Real Impacts•Public Value•Innovation

•Integrate Evaluation and Innovation•Project, Program, Government and Societal Goals•Data, Information, Good Practices


Research & Innovation for Next Generation E-Gov

• E-Government Research & Evaluation should Lead to Applied Leadership, Training and Innovation Programs

• Such Programs will Lead to the Next Generation of E-Governance

• Evaluation Should Incorporate More Complex Approaches That Include both “Soft” and “Hard” Indicators

• A Global Framework: Evaluation for Innovation• Evaluation and Innovation Should Be Framed within a

National/Cultural Context• Cross-National, Regional and International Standards

and Models Should be Developed• Information and Good Practices should be Shared and

Knowledge Transferred Among Nations, States, Governments


Thank You!

Gregory G. Curtin, Ph.D., JD

[email protected]

E-Governance Lab

Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise

School of Policy, Planning and Development

University of Southern California

www.usc.edu/sppd/bedrosian

next generation e-governance: from vision to reality

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