ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development: A ... - un-apcict

ICTs for Better Government
e-Government, electronic government and government online are various expressions of
e-business in government and the public sector. What are the development objectives of e-
government? One objective is the modernization of the government and its transformation
into a service-oriented public enterprise that works for the public good. These and related
development benefits and outcomes are listed in the following box.
A planned and stepwise introduction and use of ICTs in government can lead to the
transformation of the public sector into an open, accessible, informative, helpful and userfriendly
service for the people. This means going beyond the usual office productivity
Box 3: Benefits and Outcomes of e-Government
Key benefits
. More accessible government information and services;
. Faster, smoother transactions with government agencies;
. Increased access to government decision-makers and parliamentarians;
. More local (distributed) access, greater ubiquity;
. Increased participation in government;
. Increased efficiency in government operations; and
. Enhanced opportunities for smart partnerships with civil society and
the private sector.
Principal outcomes
. Increase in service expectations by the public and increasing satisfaction
of these expectations;
. Increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of government;
. Greater access to and availability of public information: less need to
travel and queue;
. Automation of most government services and transactions;
. Increased participation in government;
. Increased public satisfaction with government;
. Increased trust in government;
. Decentralization and strengthening of local government; and
. A stronger national identity.
applications. Collaborative software combined with awareness promotion, training and
mentoring, as well as a strong commitment to openness and transparency, are the cornerstones
of e-government. Government leaders must show the way and encourage this transformation.
The full benefits of e-government require policy-makers and planners to assess the state of
government readiness for transformation into a service-based and client-focused enterprise
for public good. There is a tendency in planning for e-government to assume that the
introduction of ICTs will lead automatically to changes in behaviour.
ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development
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