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eGov Document repository

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Website

Author: World Wide Web Consortium Organization: World Wide Web Consortium Publication Date: Website, current as of March 2006 Summary: W3C is an international consortium that develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, standards and tools) for the Web. W3C’s Accessibility page provides access to guidelines, tools and other resources about making the Web accessible to people with disabilities Audience Technical community, some policy-makers with interest in accessibility Focus: To develop strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. Strengths: Clear organization; Links to training and learning materials and technical resources Weaknesses: Accessibility Some knowledge of the Internet and web tools

License fees and GDP per capita: The case for open source in developing countries

Author Rishab Aiyer Ghosh Organization First Monday Publication Date December 2003 (revised May 2004) Summary Presents a case for open source deployment in developing countries. Cites three reasons: 1) free software is a skills enabling platform, 2) it is cheaper than proprietary software, and 3) it is more adaptable to local needs. Audience e-Government managers, policy-makers Focus To provide additional support for the use of open source in developing countries. Strengths Articulate arguments for the use of open source in developing countries Review of results of EU FLOSS (Free, Libre, Open Source Software) survey Analysis of license fees relative to GDP cost per capita Weaknesses No analysis of potential downsides of OSS in a developing country context Accessibility Basic knowledge of development issues

Evaluating the Development Impact of E-Governance Initiatives: An Exploratory Framework

Author Shirin Madon Organization Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries Publication Date 2004 Summary Applies Amartya Sen’s notion of capabilities to try to determine the development impact of e-Government in India. Examines two case studies in the South Indian State of Kerala. Audience Policy-makers Focus To create an alternative framework for understanding the impact of e-Government Strengths Applies existing theories on capabilities to ICT and e-Government Uses two interesting cases from India Offers a new framework for evaluating impact Weaknesses Academic No guidelines on how to use framework to create benchmarks and evaluation tools Accessibility Advanced knowledge of economic and social development theories, basic knowledge of e-Government

Implementing E-Government: Report of the Regional Workshop

Organization UNESCAP/Asia Development Bank Institute (ADBI) Publication Date June 2004 Summary Summarizes presentations and discussions from UNESCAP/ADBI workshop on implementing e-Government. Includes summaries of e-Government project proposals from Asian countries, some with basic budgets and other cost information. Audience Policy-makers, e-Government managers Focus To more widely disseminate analysis and lessons learned from a workshop conducted by UNESCAP and ADBI Strengths Detailed project proposals for e-Government related activities, including cost estimates Comprehensive range of issues, and applications covered Abundance of analytical frameworks Weaknesses Dry, academic tone Too many frameworks and little differentiation between quality Frameworks not presented in readily-usable form No rigorous analysis of costs Workshop proceedings and summary narrative lengthy Accessibility Advanced knowledge of e-Government and development issues

Road Map for e-Government in the Developing World

 

e-Government for Better Government

 

The Transformational Potential of e-Government: The Role of Political Leadership

 

Special Report: Public Sector Transparency and e-Government

Author Development Gateway Organization Development Gateway Publication Date No date Summary Explores the relationship between e-Government and public sector transparency through interviews with experts on e-Government. Related materials on transparency at http://topics.developmentgateway.org/special/transparency Audience Policy-makers Use To address the question “How do online government tools promote transparency?” and raise issues ranging from the impact of e-Government on transaction costs to citizen familiarity with technology Strengths Candid discussion Range of highly relevant issues explored Weaknesses Few associated resources No conclusions Accessibility Basic knowledge of e-Government and development

Failure, Success and Improvisation of Information Systems Projects in Developing Countries

Author Richard Heeks Organization University of Manchester Publication Date 2002 Summary Examines why most information systems projects in developing countries either partially or totally fail, finding that failure is largely due to a mismatch between user demand and capacity and IS design. Audience Policy-makers, e-Government managers, IT specialists Focus To assist developing countries to plan and design less risky e-Government projects Strengths Essential reading before initiating any e-Government project Excellent analysis and organization of issues, challenges Useful for all audiences involved in e-Government Weaknesses Would be stronger with the addition of more tools, models Accessibility Basic knowledge of e-Government

E-Gov for Development Website

Author Richard Heeks Organization University of Manchester, Institute for Development Policy and Management Publication Date Website, last updated May 2005 (as of March 2006) Summary Examines key e-Government topics through a set of modules. Includes an online e-Government for Development discussion network, project contacts, links to related publications, and other resources. Audience Policy-makers, e-Government managers Focus To provide a range of insights and resources in e-Government Strengths Simple, easy to use website Good organization of content Clear tutorials – very practical Includes training session guidelines Weaknesses Case studies difficult to find No search function Accessibility Basic knowledge of e-Government

Most e-Government for Development Projects Fail: How Can Risks Be Reduced?

Author Richard Heeks Organization University of Manchester Publication Date 2003 Summary Explains the underlying cause of failure of most e-Government projects in developing countries: the oversize gaps between project design and on-the-ground reality. Identifies the dimensions of these gaps, provides a step-by-step guide to identifying and addressing failure risks for e-government projects, and concludes with a real-world case study of using the design-reality gap approach to reduce risks in an e-Government project. Audience Policy-makers, e-Government managers, IT specialists Focus To provide guidance on the major challenges and obstacles to planning and implementing a successful e-Government project in a developing country Strengths Presents scoring tool for assessing project risks Practical recommendations Useful case study format Weaknesses Would have been more useful with additional case studies Accessibility Knowledge of e-Government

Digital Governance.org Website

Author Vikas Nath Organization London School of Economics (LSE) Publication Date Website, current as of March 2006 Summary Website with case studies, links to publications, events and e-Forums focused on e-Government in developing countries. Audience Policy-makers, e-Government managers Focus To provide a portal to e-Government for development resources. Strengths Links to case studies Useful set of links to event listings, publications, e-Forums Weaknesses Not comprehensive Links of varied quality Organizational structure not consistent with standard organizing principles for e-Government (i.e. publish, interact, transact), and (G2C, G2B, G2G) Accessibility Basic knowledge of e-Government and development

Development Gateway e-Government Portal

Author Various Organization Development Gateway Publication Date Website, current as of March 2006 Summary Compiles more than 1,500 e-Government resources, including reports, websites, and event listings Audience Policy-makers, e-Government managers Focus To provide a searchable directory of resources on e-Government Strengths Enormous range of resources Searchable Content organized into a range of sub-categories, including procurement, e-democracy, e-Government strategies Weaknesses Accessibility Basic knowledge of e-Government

Free/Libre and Open Source Software: Survey and Study

Author University of Maastricht Organization European Commission Publication Date June 2002 Summary EC’s FLOSS project included results of a survey on Free/Open Source software usage and development, indicators for measuring value creation within the OS/F software communities, and evaluations of business models and practices. Audience Policy-makers Focus To provide policy-makers with a framework for understanding OS/F software, and indicators that can be used to measure the impact of OS/F on economic development. To determine how governments, institutions and developer communities contribute to the growth of OS/F Strengths First major policy study on OS/F Clearly defines policy implications of OS/F on policy and describes use of OS/F in the public sector Surveys developers across Europe Includes source code survey Weaknesses Outdated Accessibility Advanced knowledge of software and ICT policy