OECD Peer Review of E-Government in Denmark - ePractice.eu

Key point 4.1
The Danish e-government strategy identifies and responds to a number of external pressures on the public
sector, challenging government organisations to realise the inherent potential of e-government and the positive
social and technological environment that surrounds it.
Government organisations have responded positively to both the need for e-government and to the e-government
strategy. Most organisations regard e-government as an important priority. A majority of organisations view the
e-government strategy and some of its key initiatives as major drivers of their own e-government efforts.
While the goals of the strategy reflect the policy issues that make up the business case for e-government, the
design of the goals of the strategy show some bias towards public sector modernisation and efficiency issues.
This is reflected in the way that government organisations are responding to the strategy. While this focus on
efficiency is positive, it is important that other goals of e-government are also acknowledged as major drivers of
e-government.
Political leadership of e-government
In itself, e-government has never been a top-level priority or “headline” policy for the Danish
Government. Instead, e-government has always been positioned as an enabler of other major policies –
particularly those related to development of the Danish information society and public sector
modernisation (see Chapter 2). In line with both this positioning of e-government within the wider
context of government policies and business, and the relatively informal Danish approach to
management of the executive, there has never been a special committee of ministers established to
play an e-government leadership, co-ordination or oversight role.
Instead, leadership and co-ordination of e-government across all levels of government is the
responsibility of the senior government officials who make up the Joint Board of e-Government.
E-government matters requiring ministerial involvement are put to the Government Finance
Committee, which is chaired by the Minister of Finance and meets weekly to focus on co-ordination
of economic policy and government expenditure issues. Occasionally, the Government Co-ordination
Committee, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, may also become involved.
Box 4.2 Top-level co-ordination of e-government by Government Committees
The Government Finance Committee plays an important role in co-ordinating e-government. E-government
matters that must be dealt with by ministers are usually put to the Committee, due to the fact that responsibility for
the Danish e-government strategy is held by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. Occasionally,
matters will be put before both the Finance and the Government Co-ordination committees, two recent examples
being ratification of the e-government strategy and approval of plans for the eDay initiatives. In this way,
e-government initiatives developed at the administrative level under the oversight of relevant portfolio ministers
can gain top-level ministerial attention and/or endorsement, as necessary.
There is a strong link between the Joint Board of e-Government and the Finance Committee. Along with the
Minister of Finance, the Ministers of Interior and Health, and Economic and Business Affairs are members of the
Committee. The Joint Board of e-Government is chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance
and includes among its members the permanent secretaries of the ministries of Interior and Health, and Economic
and Business Affairs. Aside from the direct relationship that the permanent secretaries have with their respective
ministers, which allows for discussion of e-government as required, the permanent secretaries are also involved
in preparation of the Finance Committee agenda. This enables the Joint Board to both put e-government matters
on the Finance Committee agenda and/or identify agenda items that have e-government implications.
Besides ministerial backing for e-government via these two committees, the bulk of political
leadership of e-government is exercised by individual ministers acting in relation to their own
portfolio responsibilities. No convention of collective ministerial responsibility exists in Danish
government, and there has been no move to establish a specific e-government portfolio. Ministers’
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