e-GOVERNMENT IN FINLAND - ePractice.eu

This report provides a first
comprehensive analysis of egovernment
implementation
within the Finnish central
administration.
Finland has clarified central
co-ordination responsibilities
for e-government...
ASSESSMENT AND PROPOSALS FOR ACTION
INTRODUCTION
Since the 1990s, Finland has been a leader in exploiting information
and communication technology (ICT) to renew its economy and to
reform its public administration. Its reputation for successfully
providing proactive electronic government services and information
has brought officials from around the world to learn from its
experience.
The Finnish central government plays a leading role in developing,
planning, implementing and co-ordinating e-government initiatives.
With backing from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the OECD E-
Government Project has carried out a study of e-government in the
central administration, taking an in-depth look at e-government
structures and processes and examining their strengths and
weaknesses. This report analyses the various aspects of egovernment
policies, implementation and impact, and provides a
first comprehensive analysis of e-government implementation
within the Finnish central administration.
E-GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE AND CONTEXT
As in the case of other OECD countries that began e-government
early, e-government in Finland was first launched in many different
ministries and agencies and levels of government in response to
broader societal and policy changes rather than resulting from topdown
planning.
The organisational model for e-government in Finland today is
based on central guidance and decentralised responsibilities and
implementation. The development of e-government is marked by
the relation between the central administration’s role in promoting egovernment
and the local and regional governments’ role as the
primary service providers. A third set of actors, independent central
agencies under parliamentary authority, also provide important
services. Input from the private and non-profit sectors, in the form of
the Information Society Advisory Board (ISAB) has further helped
define Finland’s e-government strategy.
Finland has clarified central co-ordination responsibilities for egovernment
in response to the perception within the central
administration that the current level of co-ordination is insufficient.
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