Description (short summary):
The United Nations ‘E-Government Survey 2008: From E-Government to Connected Governance’ presents an assessment of the new role of the government in enhancing public service delivery, while improving the efficiency and productivity of government processes and systems. The eGovernment readiness of the 192 Member States of the UN is measured according to a quantitative composite index of e-readiness based on website assessment, telecommunication infrastructure, and human resource endowment. The report comprises two parts: Part I presents the findings of the survey while the ‘how to’ approach connected governance is the focus of Part II.

The results of the global survey indicate that governments are moving forward in eGovernment development around the world. However, given the high demands placed by eGovernment on a multitude of foundational pillars which include prerequisites of infrastructure, appropriate policies, capacity development, ICT applications, and relevant content that need to be in place to fully implement eGovernment services, progress is slow. Only a few governments have made the necessary investment to move from eGovernment applications per se to a more integrated connected governance stage. In this regard, Europe shows a clear advantage over the other regions.

In an attempt to keep current in examining emerging issues, Part II of the Survey assesses the challenges in moving from eGovernment to connected governance. The Survey postulates that governments are increasingly looking towards eGovernment-as-a-whole concept which focuses on the provision of services at the front end supported by integration, consolidation and innovation in back-end processes and systems to achieve maximum cost savings and improved service delivery.

The evidence indicates that success or failure is less a technological issue and more a people issue - in particular, the ability to change public service cultures and motivate public sector workers to new ways of working, address trade union concerns, and provide adequately skilled and competent management and leadership.

Related article(s):
INT/EU: Europeans top international eGovernment index

Number of pages:
257