BUKIDNON STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

PA101 – Introduction to Public Administration

Instructor: Ana Ninfa B. Caballero
From the notes of Dr. Jutchel L. Nayra

Chapter 12 – E-Government

At the end of the lesson, students are expected:

• Appreciate the use of information and communication technology in government

Towards e-Government
Elsewhere in the world today, public administrators have embraced Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) as part of their governing strategy, aside from using them in their daily lives. Technology has in
fact changed the way we look at things today that lives can be made easier, convenient and very efficient. It appears
that everything we want to know, and everything we need to know can now be responded fastly by the Internet
system.

In truism, the world became smaller and everything seems to be just at the end of our fingertips; a simple
click on your computer will yield the information system you desire and even friends, relatives, and special
someone are just so accessible anytime and anywhere through tele-conferencing and other social networking sites.
Computerization and the application of technology advancement have been used as well in governance, commerce,
and international relations; and governments today have become more accessible to the people. Their programs
and transaction processes re lodged in the Internet where every concerned citizen may avail of them the fastest
and in a more transparent way.

The Emergence of e-Government

Spatial Information Management
- Brillantes et al., stressed that in delivering public goods and services efficiently or effectively, it is very
important that we will be aided with support tools enabling the use of all kinds of spatial data/information
which can be processed immediately and can be transported easily.
- This technology is currently used by many government agencies and corporations, thus the introduction
and popularization of some technology terms in government such e-government, e-commerce, geo-
visualization, e-finance, and among others.
- Other systems are also introduced in system information management like global positioning systems and
remote sensing.

In the practice of public administration, e-Government came, as it always has been, from e-Commerce.
Consumers and producers today transact businesses in an open market through the Internet, which, as we call
it, is the digital communication government, “and things that can’t be bought directly on the web such as real
estate, can be researched so that any eventual purchase is made by a better informed buyer.”

There are two phases of e-Government: the internal and external phase. According to Shafritz (2009) the
internal phase refers to the operations of government itself-for example, using the web for electronic
procurement, electronic forms, and web-based management info systems; while, the external phase refers to
the online services offered to citizens and businesses for example, community calendars, bill payment portals,
and application forms for employment.

While there are two distinct phases of e-Government, they seldom represent independent initiatives. E-
Government then is in essence the overarching terms for all efforts to use the Internet to simplify
governmental information, programs or activities for both the public and the public’s employees (Shafritz,
2009). Overall, e-government is gradually moving away from a technology that primarily provides information
, to “the transaction stage” or the interactive provision of public services to the citizens.

New Government and Governance in the Era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Traditionally, the public sector delivered services by utilizing its government agencies to disperse public
goods and services. But the 21st century governance suggests that the public sector can provide these services
through the employment of technological and communication networking with speed, reliance and reliability,

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 and this is with the adoption of e-Government strategy (electronic government). This is a relatively new
integrated approach for enhancing the value of services offered to the public.

Public administrators nowadays have embraced technology as part of their daily lives to improve their
performance in allocating services to the public, with the “global positioning system” (GPS) in our modern day
gadgets and high speed Internet, it is “hard to escape the wired landscape of the nation.” The onset of
technological tools and innovations in government has yielded positive effects while at the same time they
become expensive to maintain for both citizens and public administrators.

Comparing it to e-government, e-governance is a network of organizations that includes government, non-

profit, and private sector entities in an effort to expedite and make efficient transaction that involves the
delivery of public goods and services, with no distinct boundaries.

Nature and Thrust of e-Government

e-Government as a government “governance framework” refers to the adoption of information and
communication technology and its application to achieve efficiency of government management (United
Nations). The World Bank likewise offers its definition of the terms as referring to the use information
technologies by government agencies that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and
other forms of government. E-Government is also known as e-gov, digital government, online government or
transformational government.

These e-government and e-service partake several kinds of activities upon which services may be delivered
to the public.
a. Pushing information over the Internet, e.g. regulatory services, general holidays, public hearing
schedules, issue briefs, notifications, and the like:
b. Two-way communication between the agencies and the citizen, a business or another government
agency. In this model, users can engage in dialogue with agencies and post-problems, comments, or
requests to the agency;
c. Conducting transactions, e.g. lodging tax returns, applying for services and grants; and,
d. Governance, online polling, voting, and campaigning.

Most governments in the international system are already implementing e-government that has emerged
around the world in the late 1990s, that is government to government transaction or communication via the use of
Internet. Governments have been providing e-government policies, applications and tools to meet the rowing
needs of their citizens for e-information, e-services, and e-tools. Transaction via e-Government is believed to be
very convenient and economical for businesses and outright gains on the part of the public simply by getting easy
access to government websites of information available without the hassle of taking lines to process papers.

In other words, services and information and made available online without spending time, energy, and
money to get it. e-Government helps simplify processes and makes access to government information more easily
for public sector agencies.

e-Government in the Philippines

The e-Government readiness indicators include the availability of national websites, telecommunication
infrastructure provisions and human capital.

The Philippines had laid down its strategic programs and initiatives Government Information System Plan
(GISP), which envision that Filipino citizens and foreign investments anywhere in the world will have electronic
access to government infrastructures and services. In July 2000, the GISP was approved and adopted as a
framework for all computerization programs in government agencies pursuant to Executive Order No. 265. The
GISP aims to create a system of governance that will lead to faster and better delivery of public goods and services,
greater transparency in government operations, increased capabilities of public sector organizations, and to
achieve proactive participation in governance.

In many countries, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is being deployed to make
government more effective, efficient and transparent. ICT is not only helping make better governments but also
providing citizens more information on their governments. Leaders in the e-Government movement are
demonstrating that by combining technology with new ways of operating, governments can be much more
effective and responsive to citizens.

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 In the Philippines, e-Government is a tool by which limitation of time, distance and costs are reduced
thereby enhancing citizens’ access to government services. Citizens will no longer have to wait in line to claim birth
certificates, marriage certificates, licenses or visas. Citizens will have better access to public government such as
application requirements, study and employment opportunities, policies and regulations.

Moreover, e-Government initiatives also contribute to citizen empowerment by making information about
government processes and decisions easily available, and to allow information sharing among people and
organization, and between citizens and the civil service. Well-informed citizens are better able to hold their
governments accountable to them. Hence, governments are compelled to improve the quality of services, expand
accessibility of these services, and increase responsiveness to their constituents.

Private Sector and e-Government

The primarily delivery models of e-Government are classified depending on who benefits (government to
government; government to business; government to citizens; and government to employees). In the development
of public sector or private sector portals and platforms, a system is created that benefits all constituents. Citizens
needing to renew their vehicle registration have a convenient way to accomplish it while already engaged in
meeting the regulatory inspection requirement. On behalf of a government partner, business provides what has
been traditionally and solely managed by government and can use this service to generate profit or attract new
customers. Government agencies are relieved of the costs and complexity of having to process the transaction.

The private sector is recognized as a partner in the country’s ICT development efforts. Having the private
sector participate in e-Government has many advantages. It could mean passing off the costs of design,
development, maintenance, and the risks to the implementing firm. Moreover, by using private partners, the
government can build an e-Government system with greatly reduced costs for start-up and on-going operations. At
the same time, more services from tax-based financing to user fees, where only those who actually use the service
pay for it.

In the final analysis, while governments have been increasingly turning to technology to help them meet
the demands of citizens by introducing various forms of e-Government, public officials have sought to make
government more accessible to the public while simultaneously increasing productivity. Such advancement as one
stop government has helped to simplify the complexities of massive bureaucracies by leveraging the power of
contemporary information technologies such as the Internet (Shafritz, 2009:344).

Reference:
Lazo, R. (2011). Principles and practices of public administration in the Philippines. Spatial Information
Management (e-Government):Towards e-Government. pp.133-136