e-GOVERNMENT IN FINLAND - ePractice.eu

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ASSESSMENT AND PROPOSALS FOR ACTION..................................................................................... 8
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 21
1 E-GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE AND CONTEXT.......................................................................... 23
1.1 The e-government administrative structure and key players.......................................................... 23
2 THE CASE FOR E-GOVERNMENT................................................................................................... 28
2.1 Public reform imperatives .............................................................................................................. 28
2.2 Spillover from the information society ..........................................................................................31
2.2.1 Promotion of the information society ....................................................................................... 31
2.2.2 Online transactions ................................................................................................................... 33
2.3 Demand for e-government.............................................................................................................. 34
3 BARRIERS TO E-GOVERNMENT..................................................................................................... 38
3.1 Legislative and regulatory barriers................................................................................................. 38
3.1.1 Regulatory framework .............................................................................................................. 38
3.1.2 Privacy protection..................................................................................................................... 40
3.2 Budgetary barriers.......................................................................................................................... 41
3.2.1 Budgetary environment............................................................................................................. 42
3.2.2 Funding at national level........................................................................................................... 43
3.2.3 Funding at ministry and central agency level ........................................................................... 45
3.3 Technological barriers.................................................................................................................... 49
3.3.1 Relative importance of IT challenges ....................................................................................... 49
3.3.2 Types of barriers....................................................................................................................... 54
3.4 The “digital divide”........................................................................................................................ 58
3.4.1 Actions to reduce the digital divide .......................................................................................... 59
3.4.2 Alternative Internet access channels......................................................................................... 60
4 IMPLEMENTING E-GOVERNMENT................................................................................................ 63
4.1 Vision and planning ....................................................................................................................... 63
4.1.1 Developing a common vision ................................................................................................... 64
4.1.2 Planning at the ministry and agency level ................................................................................ 67
4.1.3 E-government goals and targets................................................................................................ 69
4.1.4 E-Europe goals.......................................................................................................................... 71
4.2 Electronic services.......................................................................................................................... 73
4.2.1 Stage 1 online services: information......................................................................................... 76
4.2.2 Stage 2 online services: Interactive information....................................................................... 78
4.2.3 Stage 3 electronic services: transactions................................................................................... 80
4.2.4 Stage 4 electronic services: data sharing .................................................................................. 84
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