Forgot your password?
New user?
Document Actions
Chapter 2: Impact of e-Government
In this chapter:
- Improving Efficiency in the Delivery of Public Services
- Enhancing Transparency and Strengthening Democracy
- Generating Broader Economic and Societal Effects
- Resources on the Impact of e-Government
As the information revolution gradually permeates developing countries, more and more governments are embracing e-Government as a tool for enhancing interaction with citizens, increasing productivity in the delivery of government services, and improving transparency and accountability. Well-planned projects can have a dramatic impact. For example, in 2002, Romania developed an electronic system for public sector procurements. The project “re-engineered” the process for government tenders. As of March 2004, the system had been used by more than 1,000 public institutions, and more than 10,000 suppliers had requested registration in the system. The system had handled more than 230,000 public bids, and the resulting contracts had saved the government an estimated 70 millions Euros.
The benefits to be expected from e-Government can be categorized into three major categories: (a) improved delivery of public services, in terms of availability, ease of use, and cost savings to the government, to businesses and to individuals, (b) improved transparency, accountability and democracy and reduced opportunities for corruption, (c) broader economic and societal gains.
Identifying the benefits of e-Government is important both for purposes of making budgetary decisions based on a sound cost-benefit analysis (see Chapter 5 and for purposes of setting benchmarks to measure whether a project is yielding the expected benefits (see Chapter 10 on monitoring and evaluation).
Experience shows that e-Government in isolation cannot achieve efficiency or other reform goals. E-Government is better understood as a tool for carrying out reforms that are supported by government leadership and beneficial to citizens. Accordingly, e-Government initiatives are likely to have the widest impact when pursued within the context of broader strategies for governmental reform, improved access to ICT, and human and economic development.
Next: Improving Efficiency in the Delivery of Public Services>>
Resources - Compilations of E-Government Models and Case Studies:
- UNDESA, “Compendium of Innovative E-Government Practices, Vol. I” (2005)
- UNDESA, “Compendium of Innovative E-Government Practices, Vol. II” (2006)
- EU, e-Government Good Practice Framework
- United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN), “e-Government Library” - websites and documents.