Benchmarking Local E-Government

2011 ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Yigitcanlar ◽  
Scott Baum
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Government Project ◽  
Governance Tools ◽  
State And Local

Increasingly, almost everything we do in our daily lives is being influenced by information and communications technologies (ICTs) including the Internet. The task of governance is no exception with an increasing number of national, state, and local governments utilizing ICTs to support government operations, engage citizens, and provide government services. As with other things, the process of governance is now being prefixed with an “e”. E-governance can range from simple Web sites that convey basic information to complex sites that transform the customary ways of delivering all sorts of government services. In this respect local e-government is the form of e-governance that specifically focuses on the online delivery of suitable local services by local authorities. In practice local e-government reflects four dimensions, each one dealing with the functions of government itself. The four are: (a) e-services, the electronic delivery of government information, programs, and services often over the Internet; (b) e-management, the use of information technology to improve the management of government. This might range from streamlining business processes to improving the flow of information within government departments; (c) e-democracy the use of electronic communication vehicles, such as e-mail and the Internet, to increase citizen participation in the public decision-making process; (d) e-commerce, the exchange of money for goods and services over the Internet which might include citizens paying taxes and utility bills, renewing vehicle registrations, and paying for recreation programs, or government buying office supplies and auctioning surplus equipment (Cook, LaVigne, Pagano, Dawes, & Pardo, 2002). Commensurate with the rapid increase in the process of developing e-governance tools, there has been an increased interest in benchmarking the process of local e-governance. This benchmarking, which includes the processes involved in e-governance as well as the extent of e-governance adoption or take-up is important as it allows for improved processes and enables government agencies to move towards world best practice. It is within this context that this article discusses benchmarking local e-government. It brings together a number of discussions regarding the significance of benchmarking, best practices and actions for local e-government, and key elements of a successful local e-government project.

Benchmarking Local E-Government

2011 ◽  
pp. 371-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Yigitcanlar ◽  
Scott Baum
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Government Project ◽  
Governance Tools ◽  
State And Local

Increasingly, almost everything we do in our daily lives is being influenced by information and communications technologies (ICTs) including the Internet. The task of governance is no exception with an increasing number of national, state, and local governments utilizing ICTs to support government operations, engage citizens, and provide government services. As with other things, the process of governance is now being prefixed with an “e”. E-governance can range from simple Web sites that convey basic information to complex sites that transform the customary ways of delivering all sorts of government services. In this respect local e-government is the form of e-governance that specifically focuses on the online delivery of suitable local services by local authorities. In practice local e-government reflects four dimensions, each one dealing with the functions of government itself. The four are: (a) e-services, the electronic delivery of government information, programs, and services often over the Internet; (b) e-management, the use of information technology to improve the management of government. This might range from streamlining business processes to improving the flow of information within government departments; (c) e-democracy the use of electronic communication vehicles, such as e-mail and the Internet, to increase citizen participation in the public decision-making process; (d) e-commerce, the exchange of money for goods and services over the Internet which might include citizens paying taxes and utility bills, renewing vehicle registrations, and paying for recreation programs, or government buying office supplies and auctioning surplus equipment (Cook, LaVigne, Pagano, Dawes, & Pardo, 2002). Commensurate with the rapid increase in the process of developing e-governance tools, there has been an increased interest in benchmarking the process of local e-governance. This benchmarking, which includes the processes involved in e-governance as well as the extent of e-governance adoption or take-up is important as it allows for improved processes and enables government agencies to move towards world best practice. It is within this context that this article discusses benchmarking local e-government. It brings together a number of discussions regarding the significance of benchmarking, best practices and actions for local e-government, and key elements of a successful local e-government project.

Municipal E-Government Services in Emerging Economies

2012 ◽  
pp. 198-226
Author(s):  
Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar ◽  
Maria del Carmen Caba Pérez ◽  
Antonio Manuel López Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Government Reforms ◽  
Great Scope ◽  
Latin American And Caribbean ◽  
The Web

This chapter examines and discusses the approach taken by local governments in developing countries to using the Web as a means of providing e-services. In particular, we focus on the capital cities of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries to discover whether their public administrations are using the Internet to transform how they interact with citizens through the delivery of online public sector services, thus advancing a benchmarking process. An empirical study was carried out of e-government services in these cities, focusing on the content of e-services by applying the CapGemini (2009) methodology, which has been widely used in prior research. Our findings confirm the existence of a wide variety of e-services among the cities examined, with many of these local administrations remaining unaware of the possibility of using Internet to facilitate the delivery of public sector services. Therefore, there is great scope for improvement in the field of e-government. Reforms in public administration are needed in order to make government more participative and open. Likewise, setting effective policies to ensure e-inclusion is the key to the future of LAC’s new empowered societies, with a more visible voice and more chances to express their concerns.

Extending E-Government and Citizen Participation in Australia through the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 812-818
Author(s):  
L. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Current Development ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Digital Democracy ◽  
Participatory Technologies ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Definition Of

This article seeks to provide a brief overview of the current development of digital democracy in Australia, with emphasis on the use of the Internet to extend and enhance citizen participation. Use of the Internet within the definition of digital democracy proposed is categorized into three overlapping groups: (1) e-government services and administration; (2) participatory technologies; and (3) informal modes of participation.

E-Service Provision by New Zealand Local Government

2011 ◽  
pp. 718-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paynter
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Services ◽  
The World ◽  
The Web

Historically, information and services can only be obtained through narrow, one to one, phones, and agency-specific shop fronts (Caffrey, 1998). Information technology, especially the Internet, opens possibilities of using methods to distribute information and deliver services on a much grander scale. The Internet provides a foundation for a variety of communications media. The Web is one of the most important media built upon the Internet. It can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world by means of computers and electronic devices; it is possible to elicit more information, establish platforms for online payment, online consultation and e-voting. Security concerns can be overcome by data-authentication technologies. It can deliver government services and encourage greater democracy and engagement from citizens. Governments around the world are exploring the use of Web-based information technology (Grönlund, 2002). Attention has focused on the design and delivery of portals as a major component of government electronic service infrastructures. The N.Z. government portal site (http://www.govt.nz/en/home/) or the Local Government Online Ltd (LGOL) Web site, (www.localgovt.co.nz/AboutCouncils/Councils/ByRegion/) are examples. Since the mid-1990s governments have been tapping the potential of the Internet to improve and governance and service provision. “In 2001, it was estimated that globally there were well over 50,000 official government Web sites with more coming online daily. In 1996 less than 50 official government homepages could be found on the world-wide-Web” (Ronaghan, 2002). Local governments are faced with growing demands of delivering information and services more efficiently and effectively and at low cost. Along with the rapid growth of technological developments, people demand high quality services that reflect their lifestyles and are accessible after normal office hours from home or work. Thus, the goals of delivering electronic government services are to simplify procedures and documentation; eliminate interactions that fail to yield outcomes; extend contact opportunities (i.e., access) beyond office hours and improve relationships with the public (Grönlund, 2002). Having an effective Web presence is critical to the success of local governments moving to adopt new technologies. Of equal importance is the evaluation of Web sites using different manual and automated methodologies and tools. In this study an evaluation of local authority Web sites was conducted to gain a practical understanding of the impact of the Internet on local governments in New Zealand using a tailor-made model specific to local governments. Issues studied focused on the information and services provided by the local authority Web sites. What is more important is whether the local government operations can or are able to support the expectations for speed, service, convenience, and delivery that the Web creates. Through identification of best practice Web sites and a set of evaluation methods and tools, this paper will provide a set of design guidelines to local authorities that would benefit and better meet the needs of their local communities.

The Accessibility, Usability, Quality and Readability of Turkish State and Local Government Websites an Exploratory Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-81
Author(s):  
Yakup Akgül
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Turkish Republic ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Turkish Government ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The Government ◽  
Turkish State

With significant development in Internet technology contributing to daily lives in nearly every aspect, it is important that government websites and e-government services offered through them are used effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily. Achieving accessible, usable, qualified, and readable e-government services that enable citizens to fulfill different users' requirements by everyone involved in the target group, implying a lack of equality between disabled and non-disabled people in benefiting from online governmental services regardless of time and location constraints, has become a global aim. This study investigated whether the websites of the state and local level e-government in the Turkish Republic comply with prevailing standards of accessibility, heuristic usability, mobile readiness, performance and, the readability of website content with six different indices and whether these qualities depend on the type of the government websites. After examining 77 state and 247 local e-government sites, the results indicate that the Turkish government websites have made many of the accessibility, usability, quality, and readability mistakes as predicted. In light of the study findings, this paper will present some recommendations for improving Turkish government websites, as well as discuss future implications.

E-Service Provision by New Zealand Local Government

2011 ◽  
pp. 1064-1073
Author(s):  
John Paynter ◽  
Maria Yin Ling Fung
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Services ◽  
The World ◽  
The Web

Historically, information and services can only be obtained through narrow, one to one, phones, and agency-specific shop fronts (Caffrey, 1998). Information technology, especially the Internet, opens possibilities of using methods to distribute information and deliver services on a much grander scale. The Internet provides a foundation for a variety of communications media. The Web is one of the most important media built upon the Internet. It can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world by means of computers and electronic devices; it is possible to elicit more information, establish platforms for online payment, online consultation and e-voting. Security concerns can be overcome by data-authentication technologies. It can deliver government services and encourage greater democracy and engagement from citizens. Governments around the world are exploring the use of Web-based information technology (Grönlund, 2002). Attention has focused on the design and delivery of portals as a major component of government electronic service infrastructures. The N.Z. government portal site (http://www.govt.nz/en/home/) or the Local Government Online Ltd (LGOL) Web site, (www.localgovt.co.nz/AboutCouncils/Councils/ByRegion/) are examples. Since the mid-1990s governments have been tapping the potential of the Internet to improve and governance and service provision. “In 2001, it was estimated that globally there were well over 50,000 official government Web sites with more coming online daily. In 1996 less than 50 official government homepages could be found on the world-wide-Web” (Ronaghan, 2002). Local governments are faced with growing demands of delivering information and services more efficiently and effectively and at low cost. Along with the rapid growth of technological developments, people demand high quality services that reflect their lifestyles and are accessible after normal office hours from home or work. Thus, the goals of delivering electronic government services are to simplify procedures and documentation; eliminate interactions that fail to yield outcomes; extend contact opportunities (i.e., access) beyond office hours and improve relationships with the public (Grönlund, 2002). Having an effective Web presence is critical to the success of local governments moving to adopt new technologies. Of equal importance is the evaluation of Web sites using different manual and automated methodologies and tools. In this study an evaluation of local authority Web sites was conducted to gain a practical understanding of the impact of the Internet on local governments in New Zealand using a tailor-made model specific to local governments. Issues studied focused on the information and services provided by the local authority Web sites. What is more important is whether the local government operations can or are able to support the expectations for speed, service, convenience, and delivery that the Web creates. Through identification of best practice Web sites and a set of evaluation methods and tools, this paper will provide a set of design guidelines to local authorities that would benefit and better meet the needs of their local communities.

Fairness and the Internet Sales Tax

2010 ◽  
pp. 188-199
Author(s):  
James Brian Coleman
Keyword(s):  
John Rawls ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sales Tax ◽  
The Internet ◽  
David Gauthier ◽  
Internet Sales ◽  
Online Business ◽  
State And Local

One of the most noticeable features of online business transactions in the United States is the absence of a sales tax on interstate purchases. Consumers are not expected to pay taxes on Internet purchases across state lines, and businesses are not expected to collect taxes for such purchases. The absence of an interstate Internet sales tax (shortened hereafter to “Internet tax,” except where noted) has been both praised as an incentive to promote business, and condemned as the cause of serious revenue loss by municipalities throughout the nation. In this chapter, I shall present an analysis of current proposals about instituting a sales tax on Internet purchases. Both sides of the debate argue for their position on grounds of fairness to the businesses who, were an internet tax to be levied, would be expected to collect and remit it to the state and local governments. So, I will focus on the concept of fairness in this discussion. I will consider the claims about the fairness or unfairness of the Internet tax from the standpoint of contractarianism: a group of philosophical theories that focus on questions concerning the just distribution of social resources. I will make use specifically of the views of John Rawls and David Gauthier to analyze the positions on the Internet tax. I shall conclude by arguing in favor of the Internet tax on contractarian grounds.

A Model Proposal for Local Governments to Increase Citizen Involvement in the Age of Information Society and E-Government

2022 ◽  
pp. 344-362
Author(s):  
Ceray Aldemir ◽  
Eyüp Şen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Citizen Involvement ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
The Third ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
The World

Crowdsourcing is a form of citizen participation in which an institution has a question submits to citizens via the internet in order to get citizens to think about innovative solutions to the problem. Several municipalities around the world have already used this means, but it has not yet been clear exactly how they can use it and which preconditions play a role in this. Thus, this chapter argued the concept of citizen involvement in the age of ICT by emphasizing the two related terms e-government and e-local government, then secondly the chapter underlined the importance of the necessity of citizen participation in the policymaking process. In the third section of this chapter, it has been argued the crowdsourcing concept as a tool of participation in the age of ICT. Then finally the paper outlined a model for local governments that may use the crowdsourcing approach in the decision-making process.

scholarly journals E-Government: The Implementation Of Effectiv eDigital Technologies To Improve The Delivery Of Government Services To Their Consumers (Citizens)

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-96
Author(s):  
Andrew B. Nyaboga ◽  
Muroki F. Mwaura
Keyword(s):  
Federal State ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Online Portal ◽  
Synergistic Approach ◽  
Customer Services ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies ◽  
Local Levels

In this study, we examine the factors which may influence the implementation of effective government services over the internet (e-Government) at the federal, state and local levels. The authors argue that although the federal, state and local agencies have taken an initiative to integrate their services over the internet, the perpetuity of complex issues and limitations continue to slow down the process of effectively implementing e-Government. The paper broaches, by identifying, some of the factors that continue to influence the implementation of effective e-Government services. We further argue that the implementation of e-Government cannot be solved through simple technological solutions alone, but through a synergistic approach involving other factors, such as approaching the citizen with customer services orientation rigor, culture, training, attitudes and education inter alia. This paper is not the panacea but a soft approach that could be used by government agencies to integrate an online portal that focuses on its customers (citizens).

The Accessibility, Usability, Quality and Readability of Turkish State and Local Government Websites an Exploratory Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 780-802
Author(s):  
Yakup Akgül
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Turkish Republic ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Turkish Government ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The Government ◽  
Turkish State

With significant development in Internet technology contributing to daily lives in nearly every aspect, it is important that government websites and e-government services offered through them are used effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily. Achieving accessible, usable, qualified, and readable e-government services that enable citizens to fulfill different users' requirements by everyone involved in the target group, implying a lack of equality between disabled and non-disabled people in benefiting from online governmental services regardless of time and location constraints, has become a global aim. This study investigated whether the websites of the state and local level e-government in the Turkish Republic comply with prevailing standards of accessibility, heuristic usability, mobile readiness, performance and, the readability of website content with six different indices and whether these qualities depend on the type of the government websites. After examining 77 state and 247 local e-government sites, the results indicate that the Turkish government websites have made many of the accessibility, usability, quality, and readability mistakes as predicted. In light of the study findings, this paper will present some recommendations for improving Turkish government websites, as well as discuss future implications.

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