GROUP 2: ICT AND GOVERNMENT

a) E-government services

E-government is the application of ICTs to government functions and procedures with the

purpose of increasing efficiency, transparency and citizen participation. E-government uses ICTs

as a support tool in the development of good governance. The correct use of e-Government

allows for higher levels of effectiveness and efficiency in governmental tasks, improvement of

processes and procedures, increases the quality of public services, and improves the use of

information in the decision making processes and allows for better communication among

different governmental offices.

After the summit of the Americas in Quebec in 2001 that introduced the connectivity of

DSMG/SPA, the potential for information and communication technologies(ICTs) has been

recognized to be a crucial factor in the development of a good government in Latin America and

the Caribbean.

For this reason, ICT have and continue to be a common message and tool in all e-

government projects. This focus has gained great relevance from a political standpoint in recent

declarations, and particularly during the OAS general assembly in 2006 in Santo Domingo,

where knowledge-based society was the main theme of the declaration.

The main primary delivery models of e-government can be divided into:

 Government-to-citizen(G2C) This involves the setting up of websites where citizens can

download forms, government information etc.

 Government-to-business(G2B)

 Government-to-government(G2G)
  Government-to-employees(G2E)

The main activities that takes place within each of these domains includes; pushing information

over the internet example regulatory services, general holidays, public hearing schedules, issue

briefs, notifications etc. two-way communications between the agency and the citizen, a

business, or another government agency. Conducting transactions, e.g. lodging tax returns,

applying for services and grants. Governance e.g. to enable the citizens transition from passive

information access to active citizen participation.

b) Policy

Policies is the public provision of goods and services. It is the main output of the

political decision-making process. ICT are used by both public and private companies to

produce goods and services. ICT are applied in the interaction between government

agencies(G2G) as well as between government agencies and citizens(G2C) or

government agencies and businesses(G2B). ICT helps in supplying goods and services in

two major ways; first, information is provided, for example by websites of cities or public

agencies. Secondly, communication enables citizens or businesses to use email or other

communication services for interacting with public bureaucracies. Finally, ICT can be

used for transactions, too that is for complete services delivery.

While implementing ICT to provide public goods and services, the special needs

and restrictions given by public administrations and their tasks have to be taken into

account. Their implementation also has feedback effects on how to carry out the public

policies in the future. By adopting ICT both the technology evolves as well as the way in

which public goods and services are provided.

 According to Charalabidis (et al., p. 2473) policy modeling has emerged as a

generic term that refers to the application of technology with the aim of improving the

complex decision-making. The policy modelling using technologies aimed at making the

development of more effective and efficient policy cycle.,

The current trajectory of ICT application in public administration is characterized by four

stages, with the US being ahead of other countries. These stages include;

1. Billboard stage.

2. Partial service-delivery stage

3. Portal stage with fully executable and integrated service delivery

4. Interactive democracy stage.

The main effects of ICT when applied to the supply of public goods and services

is the resulting strong reduction in information and transaction costs. This also holds in

applying it to public policies. As a consequence, ICT enables the provision of tailor-made

public goods and services which better match the preferences of the citizens. By so doing,

it achieves the main aims of direct democracy that is, to take into account citizens’

individual preferences.

c) Infrastructure development

Computers are used in cars to monitor fluid levels, temperatures and electrical

systems. Computers are also used to help run rapid transit systems, load containerships

and track railroads cars across the country. An important part is the air control traffic

systems, where computers are used to control the flow of traffic between airplanes which

needs a lot of precision and accuracy to be dealt with.

 ICT are also used in disaster risk reduction. Through World Meteorological

Organization, ICT infrastructure can contribute significantly to disaster mitigation and

humanitarian actions and support sustainable development. The World Weather Watch

was launched in 1963 with three key components; the global observing system, the global

telecommunication system and the global data processing system all of which rely

heavily on ICT. For example, the WMO multi-hazard early warning system uses

sophisticated computer model numerical weather prediction products. WMO is working

with ITU on improving access and delivery of weather information, using modern smart

technology. Computers are also used to control traffic in roads and this has an impact in

preventing major road accidents and also improve smooth movement of traffic. ICTs

provide developing countries with an opportunity to increase efficiency in public

administrations on the business arena, enhance industrial productivity and promote

competitiveness in trade and commerce.

d) Governance

ICTs play a major role in a nations politics, economy, social and cultural

development. ICTs offers enormous opportunities to narrow social and economic

inequalities; support sustainable local wealth creation by overcoming obstacles of

geographic isolation, lack of access to information and challenges in communication.

Thus according to article 19 of the universal declaration of human rights, ICTs fuel the

global economy and relate to human rights, helping at best to support freedom of

expansion and right to information. The use of ICT not only brings about effective

production but, at the same time, changes the character of many of the functions using

ICT including the more service-oriented and information intensive parts of society. ICT
is used not only to rationalize production of goods but also to reform administrative

routines both in the private and public sectors. ICT therefore, not only expands the

technological space wherein a certain decision must be taken but influences directly the

pattern of decision-making. ICT enters all parts of the political decision-making. The

political parties and movements have their own web-sites. The public sector uses the

internet to inform citizens and will also use UCT to strengthen the direct communication

with the individual citizen in the long run. Application of ICTs as a tool in the political

decision-making process has been the subject of various studies. ICT creates new

products and services such as digital information that have not been taken into account by

the present regulation. It also influences the overall framework for regulation of existing

products and services which is a challenge connected with ICT. For example, through the

regulation of financial markets, ICT has implied that international financial transactions

can be made faster than ever before and made it much more difficult to control national

monetary markets.

References

Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the city. Routledge. p. 180.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social affairs. “United Nations E-

Government Survey 2014” (PDF). UN. Retrieved 16th September 2014.

Journal of E-Government by Nigel Martin and Shirley Gregor p. 19-49

Brown, J. S., And Duguid, P. (2000). The social life of information. Boston, MA;

Harvard business school.

ICT skills and employment by Wim Veen: Mr. Homo Zappiens by John Connell, 2006.