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United Nations Launches Its E-Government Survey 2012 |
| Source: |
MojNews Agency,, http://www.mojnews.com/en/Miscellaneous/ViewContents.aspx?Contract=cms_Contents_I_News&r=962346 |
| Source Date: |
Tuesday, April 03, 2012 |
| Focus: |
ICT for MDGs
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| Country: |
Republic of Korea |
| Created: |
Apr 03, 2012 |
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The United Nations E-Government Survey 2012: E-Government for the People was recently released in New York. The Survey assesses Member States’ government web portals with a focus on the provision of e-information and e-services; these services include interactive, transactional, and e-participation features that connect governments and citizens.
Member States are ranked in accordance with the E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a composite indicator measuring the willingness and capacity of national administrations to use information and communication technologies to deliver public services. The EGDI is a weighted average of three normalized scores on the most important dimensions of e-government, namely: scope and quality of online services, development status of telecommunication infrastructure, and inherent human capital. Each of these sets of indexes is itself a composite measure that can be extracted and analyzed independently.
The Government of the Republic of Korea maintained its first rank position in e-government, which it earned in 2010. The Netherlands is now ranked in second place, three positions higher than in 2010. The United Kingdom advanced by one position to become the third most advanced e-government in the world. Denmark, the United States, France and Sweden follow closely behind, taking their place among the global leaders of e-government.
There are three new countries in the top 20 for the first time, Israel, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, which have invested considerable resources in e-government in the last few years. All of these countries are among the vanguards of e-government development.
Several developing countries also ranked among the top 50 – the Russian Federation (0.7345), the United Arab Emirates (0.7344), Lithuania (0.7333), Bahrain (0.6946), Kazakhstan (0.6844), Chile (0.6769), Malaysia (0.6703), Saudi Arabia (0.6658), Latvia (0.6604), Colombia (0.6572), Barbados (0.6566), Qatar (0.6405), Antigua and Barbuda (0.6345), and Uruguay (0.6315).
Findings:
Overall, the 2012 Survey finds that countries have moved from a decentralized single-purpose model of e-government to a unified whole-of-government model for the people. While most European countries follow the approach of separate portals for their information, service and participation offerings, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Israel, Australia, Norway, Denmark, and New Zealand are among the few that come close to pure one-stop-shop portals with information, services and participation services integrated on a single site.
According to the findings of the 2012 Survey, there are two main models of e-government integration adopted by the 193 Member States. While some countries adhere to the integrated portal model, which consists in having one national portal that consolidates functions, others pursue integration through several portals based on thematic or functional services, hence adhering to the integrated services model.
The 2012 Survey emphasizes that there is no single superior model of e-government. Countries at different stages of e-government development, namely emerging, enhanced, transactional, and connected, can adopt different models of e-government in line with the specific needs and wants of their respective constituencies. Indeed, the variety of approaches adopted by the top 20 countries in the 2012 Survey's EGDI serves as proof of the versatility of e-government.
“The increasing role of e-government in promoting inclusive and participatory development has gone hand-in-hand with the growing demands for transparency and accountability in all regions of the world”, says the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Sha Zukang. This increasing role makes it all the more necessary to strengthen development cooperation aimed at bridging the digital divide, stresses Mr. Sha.
The 2012 Survey argues that the power of e-government in ensuring long-term and equitable development for the people now transpires at levels that are beyond service delivery. It recommends that governments put greater emphasis on e-government to develop and solidify institutional cohesion, and integrate administration and service delivery. The ultimate goal is for legitimate and effective public governance to result in smart, inclusive and equitable growth for today's and tomorrow's generations.
The United Nations E-Government Survey is a product of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, a leading agency in e-government development and the only organization of its kind with global reach. The Department, through its Division for Public Administration and Development Management, has published this world report on e-government since 2003 and is regularly called upon to advise national administrations on ways to expand public sector use of ICT to advance on internationally agreed development agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals.
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