e-GOVERNMENT IN FINLAND - ePractice.eu

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“backbone” of the government network infrastructure. The unit is looking at overall inter-ministerial network needs, that is, the “kernel processes” needed by all ministries and agencies. In the future, it hopes to add workflow and document management to current services such as e-mail. To do so, it is working on interoperability standards. While the agencies are independent, an official in the unit noted, “Things are so complicated and they cost so much that it is more reasonable to co-operate.” (On improving the internal efficiency of government, see Part 4.5, “Back-office changes”.) In addition, the Government’s Information Management Unit is also working on providing assistance to ministries to ensure interoperability standards between different levels of government. 134. Guidance need not all be top-down. The JUNA project, which ended in 2001, focused its attention on the need to increase co-operation between different levels of authorities providing public services. The project played a special role in monitoring the advancement of electronic information and service delivery and in setting guidelines for electronic services. (On JUNA, see Appendix 3, Part 8.3.6) The MoF is also launching an eGIF-type operation, as in the United Kingdom, with development of and agreement on government-wide standards. Key Points - 22 x There is continued need for assistance in developing common standards – this seems to be an area where co-ordination initiated by the centre might help. Standards are important for improving interoperability, as they facilitate the elimination of technical barriers to services integration and can bring major efficiency gains by realising economies of scale in common government back-office processes. x By proposing to license the electronic certificate for other smart cards, Finland is broadening the potential user base for the F<strong>IN</strong>EID card and increasing the attractiveness of this authentication standard for both public and private service providers. 3.4 The “digital divide” 135. Access to ICT and, in particular, the Internet remains a major barrier to e-government. Finland has a high level of Internet and telecommunications connectivity, however ICT access is not the same across the country. Statistics Finland has made several reports on the access to and use of ICT in Finnish society as part of the project, The Finns and Information Society, which was based on panel surveys from 1996 to 2001. 21 The results suggest that there are large generational, family-type and regional differences with regard to access to and possession of information technology (Figure 9). In addition, the Information Society Statistics, a yearly publication of the statistical institute of the Nordic countries, has recently provided comprehensive data on ICT penetration in Finland. Internet access still differs along a number of variables: x Age: In 2002, 63% of the population had access to a computer at home. While this figure is about 59% for those below 30 years old, it is as low as 25% for those over 60. With regard to use of the Internet, 62% of the population can access the Internet somewhere, but this figure is as low as 19% for those over 60. 22 21 Statistics Finland (2000), Environmental Attitudes. 22 Nordic Information Society Statistics (2002). 58
x Region: The possession of a network connection is high around the large towns (Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, etc.), while rural areas “are still largely inaccessible via computer networks”. x Broadband access: The number of xDSL connections has increased by 83%, while the number of cable modem subscriptions reached 25 000 in 2001. x Household size: Small households (1-2 persons) fall well behind larger households with regard to possession of ICTs such as mobile phones, home computers and Internet connections. Figure 3.7. Households and individuals with access to Internet in Finland 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Source: OECD, ITO, 2002 and national statistical survey in Finland. 0% 3.4.1 Actions to reduce the digital divide Percentage of households with Internet access 1999 2000 2001 2002 136. The OECD’s The E-government Imperative (2003) points out that those least likely to have access to electronic services may, in fact, stand to benefit the most from e-government. Bridging the digital divide therefore becomes not only an information society concern, but also an important consideration in an overall policy strategy for service delivery and citizen engagement. In Finland, there is political awareness of the differences in access to and use of ICT. The 2000 Information Society report notes, “The social effects of the advance of the information society are divergent and partially paradoxical.” It draws the following conclusion: “The use of new information and communication services in Finland does not indicate increasing alienation even though there are differences in the use of these services between population groups and in different regions. In spite of this, the Information Society Advisory Board considers it necessary to monitor the eventual development of alienation.” 137. Improving access and take-up of electronic services has been a central priority in the Finnish government’s information society strategy. Many recent government projects have been directed towards increasing the number of public access Internet terminals (i.e. the JUNA project), building information infrastructure and regional networks to connect rural areas and improving options for distance learning and teleworking. These efforts tie in with the policy goal to extend broadband access throughout Finland. 138. A shared attribute of many regional ICT projects is the need to meet the challenge of improving rural connectivity and increasing access to online services. In most of these projects, the role of local or 59
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OECD e-GOVERNMENT STUDIES e-GOVERNM
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Secretariat wo
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4.2.5 Managing multiple service cha
Page 8 and 9: This report provides a first compre
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Page 18 and 19: OVERALL ASSESSMENT The first phase
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Page 22 and 23: 6. As the first OECD report of its
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Page 96 and 97: Themes portal (e.g. environmental,
Page 98 and 99: partnerships”). The most signific
Page 100 and 101: job satisfaction enquiry and models
Page 102 and 103: Key Points - 42 x Structural impact
Page 104 and 105: Key Points - 43 x Change management
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297. Interviews with ministries and
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x Horizontal co-ordination: lack of
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Figure 4.22. Government-wide leader
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catalyst as well as formal or infor
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operation of the Ministry of Social
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development of Internet service del
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Box 4.7. Adapting E-Procurement for
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strategies but also the ability to
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361. Moreover, the lack of opportun
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372. The OECD report on the Finnish
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x E-government plans are important
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5 NEXT STEPS 385. In May 2003, the
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completely new architecture for gat
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399. Brokers receive revenue from t
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409. In 1998, the government agreed
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Figure 6.3. Finnish electronic citi
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430. For both municipalities and KE
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6.3 Case study 3: The citizen porta
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tourism, immigration and emigration
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Key Points - 60 x The citizen citiz
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7.2 Appendix 2: Reports, strategies
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x Public Management in Finland (200
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ought together government, civil so
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freedom of choice and availability,
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499. The Ministry of the Interior c
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decision requires it to provide net
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522. Contrary to former reports by
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x By comparison, the term Web site
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7.4.2 List of acronyms AFLRA: The A
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7.5 Appendix 5: Methodology 7.5.1 D
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2. Responses are not included in ov
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8 BIBLIOGRAPHY ACCENTURE (2001),
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JUSSILAINEN, M. (2003), “Knowledg
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OECD (1992), “ICCP Reviews of Inf
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“GOVERNMENT RESOLUTION ON HIGH-QU
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VISTI, S. (1998), “Electronic Ide
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