eGovernance

This chapter explores how to formulate an ICT-enabled eGovernance action plan, including the necessary components of (a) a knowledge management (KM) strategy, and (b) the adoption of a culture of learning organization (LO) behavior. This strategy is based on lessons learned from a model designed and tested on data from 140 Slovenian public agencies. Slovenia, a small transition economy newly admitted to the European Union, faces both its own demands and the demands of the EU for good governance. Slovenia offers lessons relevant for both developed and developing countries. There are three progressively complex stages when integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) into the operations of government. They start with the elementary process of integrating ICT into previously paper based governmental administrative systems (iGovernment), proceed to the online provision of government services to others (e-government), and finally arrive at online efforts to enhance accountability, consultation and transparency as part of good governance (eGovernance). This chapter concludes with the argument that successful eGovernance works hand-in-hand with e-democracy, whereas failed eGovernance will position eDemocracy as a force in opposition to the behaviour of Government.

Sociocultural Context of E-Government Readiness

E-government is not only an innovative idea but, more and more in a growing number of countries, a practical activity of high priority. It reflects the emergence and development of information societies (IS). Socio-cultural context is a framework of e-government strategies and practices. The context will determine the effects of such efforts. It is important to consider and understand the socio-cultural characteristics and functioning of society while its e-government undertakings are planned and introduced. From this point of view, the presently emerging worldwide information societies can be grouped in classes. It may help to analyze the classes’ needs and possibilities and to formulate proper e-government agenda to be implemented. The real specificities and diversities among classes make the IS development multi-trajectory. In this diversified world, the effects will vary greatly. This chapter has tried to identify and briefly analyze the challenges for e-government strategies and practices from the point of view of socio-cultural context. It is argued that this context should be treated dynamically – as changing and as creating potential for change leading to further advancement of IS. Thus the discourse on the sociocultural context of e-readiness is summarized. Some conclusions and recommendations are formulated, especially with reference to diversities and specificities of IS classes.

The Development of E-Government Capabilities

This chapter aims to explore the capabilities of governments in terms of e-government. A seven core e-government capabilities framework is presented as the framework for exploring and implementing in-house government capabilities needed to facilitate the development of e-government, measured by overall, business-oriented and IT-oriented capabilities and resulting performances. The seven capabilities are as follows: legitimation and relationship building as overall capabilities; IS/IT governance and business systems thinking as business-oriented capabilities; informed buying, contract facilitation and monitoring, and designing technical architecture as IT-oriented capabilities. This chapter attempts to develop an intellectual framework for practitioners and researchers to follow within the area of organizational abilities or personnel management in e-government era. On this point, this research will contribute to the readers’ formulation of IT strategies for their countries which was set up as the first objective of this book.

Enhancing Accessibility to E-Government Processes

Many governmental institutions have started to provide their customers with access to governmental documents by electronic means. This changes the way of interaction between authorities and citizens considerably. Hence, it is worthwhile to look at both the chances and the risks that this process of change implies for disabled citizens. Due to different laws or legal directives governmental authorities have a particular responsibility to consider also the needs of handicapped persons. Therefore, they need to apply appropriate techniques for these groups to avoid an “Accessibility Divide”. This discussion is built on the observation that governmental processes are mostly based on the exchange of forms between authorities and citizens. Authors state that such processes can be distinguished into three scenarios, with the use of paper as means of transport on the one end and complete electronic treatment at the other end. For each scenario there exist tools to improve accessibility for people with certain disabilities. These tools include standard technologies like improved Web access by magnifying characters, assistive technologies like document cameras, and more sophisticated approaches like integrated solutions for handling forms and government processes. This chapter focuses on approaches that provide access to governmental processes for people with visual impairments, elderly people, illiterates, or immigrants. Additionally, it sees a chance to enable electronic government processes in developing countries where the citizens have less experience in handling IT-based processes. The main part of the chapter describes an approach to combine scanned images of paper-based forms containing textual information and textto- speech synthesis yielding an audio-visual document representation. It exploits standard document formats based on XML and web service technology to achieve independency from software and hardware platforms. This is also helpful for conventional governmental processes because people within the group of interest stated above often also have problems to access non-digitized information, for instance when they have to read announcements within public administration offices.

The Promise and Potential of Streaming Media Technology

Information is a valuable commodity, but only if it is shared. Through diversified technologies, the dissemination of information has been made possible for a number of government organizations around the world, but for some, developing efficient and effective e-government systems poses a variety of unique challenges. Key demographic and economic variables, such as income, education, language, human resources and lack of appropriate products and robust regulatory frameworks for information and communication technologies (ICTs) drive the policy questions surrounding electronic commerce in government operations. These variables are important because they are the most likely to have a differential impact on the consequences of delivering new and progressive ICTs to various segments in developing countries. Described and discussed are the advantages and limitations of streaming media technology, a form of new ICT, and the comparative benefits it has in both developing and developed countries. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) serves as a point of reference, as for the role and impact ICT-specifically streaming media–can play-within a government sector. With limited resources,INAC, a Canadian federal government department, has improved access to information and enhanced communication by successfully executing streaming media technology in-house. The implementation of streaming media technology at INAC has resulted in a fundamental transformation in the nature of information and communication exchange within the organization.

National Culture and E-Government Readiness

Diffusion of information and communication technologies is a global phenomenon. In spite of rapid globalization there are considerable differences between nations in terms of the adoption and usage of new technologies. Several studies exploring causal factors including national cultures of information and communication technology adoption have been carried out. The focus of this chapter is slightly different from other studies in this area. Rather than concentrating on the individual information technology an overall e-Government readiness is the focus. This research conducted an analysis of the impact national culture has on e-Government readiness and its components for 62 countries. E-Government readiness assessment used in this study is based on the UN E-Government Survey 2008, while the national cultural dimensions were identified using Hofstede’s model of cultural differences. The research model and hypotheses were formed and tested using correlation and regression analysis. The findings indicate that worldwide e-Government readiness and its components are related to culture. The result has theoretical and practical implications.

Financial Analysis of the ICT Industry

Analysis of financial issues for the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is an essential element to study the progress of the sector, and especially the analysis should relate to the regulatory perspective of the country, if it would judge the overall e-government scenario of that country. Along this context, this chapter attempts to quantify the technical efficiency of the ICT sector in 45 countries during 2002-03, and in 52 countries during 2006-07 by using DEA method; Malmquist index of productivity growth in the ICT sector in 45 countries between these two periods; the proportions of the productivity growth attributable to efficiency change and technical change; and the effect on total factor productivity (TFP) of catching-up, the export ratio, broadband policy, and technical readiness using a regression analysis. As a result, the chapter finds that the ICT sectors in South Korea and Argentina were relatively efficient in 2002-03, while in 2006-07, the ICT sectors in Bahrain, Brazil, and Sweden showed relative efficiency. Furthermore, the productivity growth in the ICT sector in developing and newly industrialized countries is slightly higher than the growth in developed and transition countries, suggesting the catching-up of developing and newly industrialized countries. This catching-up effect is also confirmed in the regression analysis. Finally, this chapter concludes that, technological readiness, which is a measure of the agility with which an economy adopts existing technologies, has a positive impact on TFP growth.

E-Democracy

This chapter presents a review and analysis of e-democracy conceptual models, terminology, methodologies, case studies, outcomes, future issues, and research opportunities. A critical assessment of credible research studies is provided to support a determination as to why and how information and communication technologies (ICT) can be utilized to expand the role of citizens in providing input to government representatives. The approach envisioned involves deliberation by citizens on issues of concern with subsequent dialogue between citizens, the government, and elected officials. The chapter addresses e-democracy in the context of governments seeking to utilize ICT to support a means of communication with citizens.

Collaborative Learning

Learning is considered as one of the potential tool to empower a community. Over the past three decades, technology mediated learning has been recognized as an alternate channel replacing/ supporting/ strengthening the traditional forms of education in various forms, especially with the advent of interactive and collaborative learning. Open and distance learning (ODL) emerges as a potential means of enhancing educational access. On the other hand, open educational resources (OER) emerge as a potential material of this new paradigm of knowledge acquisition process. However, the organizational learning at the peripheries and capacity development at the grass roots remain almost unattended, despite recognized global efforts under many bottom-up empowerment sequences. Social components at large within the transitional and developing economies remain outside the enclosure of universal access to information and thus access to knowledge has always been constricted to equitably compete with the global knowledge economy. Despite challenges in designing and implementing collaborative learning techniques and technologies, this chapter would like to emphasize on introducing collaborative learning at community level and improve the knowledge capacity at the grass roots for their empowerment. This chapter, further, investigates the relationship of collaborative learning towards improved e-governance. In the main thrust section, the chapter goes through various channels of collaborative learning, methods that could be adopted during the implementation, and technologies that could be availed during the dissemination phases of collaborative learning. Later on a few cases are being included, and before the conclusions, the chapter puts forward a few future research issues in the aspect of collaborative learning for empowerment of communities.

E-Participation

Citizen participation in government decision making through online and other electronic technologies has been termed e-participation, and has the potential to facilitate better decisions, better citizens, and better government. The chapter examines the extent to which progressive e-participation practice interacts with local government decision making and contributes to the espoused benefits of citizen participation. The international case studies indicate that e-participation can inform the intelligence, design, and choice phases of decision making and transform the way future local government decisions are made by formalising new inclusive processes and building community capabilities and motivation. E-participation can positively contribute to community capabilities, political relevance, better problem identification, and more relevant solutions, but the initiatives studied were costly and resource intensive. These e-participation initiatives provide robust examples of utilizing progressive information communication technologies because of the novel ways in which technology is applied, and due to the significant affect on information flows and decision making.