Increasing Efficiency and Accountability through

e-Government

The Project Implementation Perspective

Sarah J. Tisch, Ph.D. and Mary W. Muiruri, ABDInternews Network, Inc. www.internews.org

23 January 2006

Why we are here:

Transparent, effective, and efficient e-Government applications can change the

way governments work and expand citizen access to communication and

information for everyone.

efficienteffectivetransparent

e-Government is an important bridge to a freer flow of information, open media,

development of the public interest, allowing for an accountable democratic

society.

Internews and e-Government• We work to improve access to information for people around the world by fostering

independent media and promoting open communications policies.

• We build programs to provide people with access to vibrant, diverse news and information so they are empowered to make their voices heard and participate in their communities.

• Since 2001, we’ve worked on ICT policy reform and e-Government issues through the USAID-funded dot-GOV Cooperative Agreement and the Global Internet Policy Initiative (the latter with the Center for Democracy and Technology).

• This donor-funded work involves advocating through NGOs and media for the required legal framework needed to support e-Government, planning e-Government approaches and implementing e-Government activities.

Advocacy: Why Non-Profit Organizations Care About

e-Government • Lighten the regulatory burden: on businesses and NGOs increasing their efficiency

and delivery of services.

• Stimulate the business environment: advancing the concept of “the information society” for use of ICT tools in other economic and social sectors.

• Demand more accountability: from government and strengthen civil society through greater access to information and transparency.

• Practical – time and money savings: these are benefits of e-Government services for citizens.

• Track administrative services: reducing opportunities for corruption.

• Opportunity for continual dialogue: providing citizens and stakeholder groups with vital information on government operations in a particular society.

• e-Government strategy unique to circumstances: lessons can be learned and borrowed from other countries and applied to specific country needs, especially regarding crucial enabling legislation and the first e-Government applications.

Advocacy: e-ReadinessCitizen Participation Critical to Success

• Low e-Readiness is widespread.

• The “chicken and egg” problem – policy or services?

• Outreach and awareness: who is responsible?

NO CITIZEN, NO E-GOVERNMENT!

ADVOCACY Fundamentals:

• Informed stakeholders can help government see what services are needed and how to make them cost-effective.

• Making training relevant: involving private companies, NGOs, consumer groups, and academia to guide what e-Government solutions are needed.

• Creating champions by raising awareness to build shared interests: many stakeholders don’t know about each other.

• Knowledge sharing: Regional organizations encourage competition and cooperation among countries.

PLANNING Fundamentals:

Gaining from Work with Stakeholders:

• How: creating dialogue with government and stakeholders to identify the first targets for implementation.

• Goal: improving and expanding citizen services to reduce poverty and eliminate corruption.

• Required: a strategy with strong e-Leadership.

• Challenges: overcoming limited experience with technology and barriers to public access.

Implementation: It’s Worth the Effort!

• Government to Government: streamlining communications between Ministries and offices.

• Government to Citizen: making government services accessible to all through the right applications.

• Government to Business: improving economic opportunities and opening competition through transparent processes.

• Build awareness: sharing lessons learned within the region to build regional collaboration and expand economic improvements for all.

Planning: Laying the Foundation in Madagascar

• A two year window of opportunity: GOM wants concrete results despite low e-readiness and low telecom and Internet penetration.

• A rapid results approach: engaging the private sector is key for success.

• First choice G2G: the government is the main player; bringing the government on board first sets the stage for G2B and G2C.

• Donor support: USAID is funding three pilot regional government sites to enhance G2G with the national government.

• Expected outcomes:

• Streamlining voter registration to address citizen concerns for voting irregularities.

• Providing birth certificates and identity cards to over two million unaccounted Malagasy citizens.

• Lesson for the region: using COMESA as a forum.

Planning: e-Leadership in Madagascar

• Strong E- Leadership: the President is the champion, unlike many African countries where e-Governance is lead by the private sector,

• The President’s leadership has led Ministries to buy into the e-Governance strategy.

• Leading by example: A model Ministry network exists to facilitate communications within the Ministry responsible for coordinating e-Government applications.

• Even though Internet access and bandwidth is low, the commitmentto move forward from the top makes all the difference.

• The next step: recognizing the need to reach out to stakeholders (private sectors and NGOs).

Planning to Implementation: a Citizen-Centered Kenyan Government

• e-Government Strategy developed in March 2004.

• Overall Goal: be more citizen-centered, result oriented, and efficient.

• An e-Government Directorate based in the Office of the President is in place and an e-Readiness assessment has been undertaken.

• Extensive consultations with GOK’s Director of e-Government has resulted in funding commitments from USAID.

• Foundation G2G: A USAID funded project to promote communication for top level officials.

• e-Government Directorate received Cabinet approval to build an e-procurement system for the Ministries of Finance and Health to address citizen allegations of high level procurement corruption.

• GOK is keen to curb corruption, gain citizen trust, and attract investment through e-procurement systems.

• Achievements: a Procurement Bill addressing digital communication has passed.

• Funding Challenge: convincing the donor community to fund implementation of the e-procurement system.

Planning to Implementation: Donor Opportunities in Kenya

Implementation: Changing the way the Macedonian

Public Sector Works

• Five year USAID-funded project in Macedonia to develop and implement e-Government applications for government offices in partnership with the Macedonian private sector.

• Engagement: with the National Information Society Plan is key to interesting government agencies in trying new applications.

• Evaluation of the policy environment is essential: a small omission in the digital signatures law delayed legal implementation an e-procurement system.

• Successes: implementation of an e-taxation system and an on-line government job application system, in the Albanian and Macedonian languages.

• Building the case: the project uses a webpage, www.impact.org.mk for openness and transparency in the tendering and procurement processes.

Implementation:Identifying the Right Applications for Macedonia

• Involving relevant institutions from the beginning.

• The applications are tailored to the agency’s needs and developed at the right size.

• Informed and trained end-users are essential.

• Transparent tendering processes.

• Applications that clearly demonstrate benefits and a return on invested capital builds the case.

Implementation:Telecommunication Liberalization’s Role in

Romanian e-Government Development

• USAID funded Romanian Information Technology Initiative - Policy (RITI): focused on work with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and the Regulatory Agency to liberalize the telecommunications market.

• Project encouraged policies to stimulate a competitive market, and meet universal access obligations and build independence of the regulator.

• Project helped government officials understand and remove policy barriers that prevent implementation of e-government solutions with a special focus on cyber crime training and information security.

• In September 2005, the MCTI and RITI showcased the region’s progress in e-Government. Participants shared concepts, best practices, and implementation techniques for effective e-Government and public-private funding at the municipal level.

• The competitive ICT market in Romania (facilitated in part by RITI’s policy recommendations) stimulated a greater emphasis on e-Government projects at the central and local levels of government.

• National strategies to cover all three phases: publish, interact, transact.

• e-Government strategy needs to be part of the national ICT strategy, addressing affordability and accessibility.

• e-Government initiatives should be monitored and measured by all stakeholders to replicate successes and achieve citizen trust.

• Partnerships and collaboration among public institutions, the business sector, and non-governmental organizations.

• Eastern Europe has sufficient talent and experience to make e-Government a broad reality. Public administrators do not need to re-invent the wheel.

• e-Government projects must be related to broader goals of transforming public administration; e-Government is not separate from other fundamentals of government.

• The e-Government vision has to be connected to local culture and localadministration.

Implementation: Local solutions in

Eastern Europe

Implementation:Nepal Digital Signatures

• Creating a more enabling policy environment for electronic transactions.

• Bringing key stakeholders together to build a common understanding.

• Capacity building and cross-training.

• Follow-up potential and the donor role.

Key Challenges:Funding e-Government Strategies

• Developing countries lack funds to implement vital policy reforms that create the enabling environment.

This is where development partners such as the World Bank and USAID can have a real impact through linking assistance to transparency and anti-corruption benchmarks.

• Governments respond well to sharing of lessons and regional cooperation.

• Getting stakeholders and government together in a neutral environment to agree on best practices for implementation.

Key Challenges:Human Resource Development

• Increasing exposure and expertise of civil servants and citizens to the Internet and use of computers helps create users.

• Creating public awareness for ICT training to build a critical mass of users is crucial for success.

• Helping funders and national governments become aware of investing ICT training for underserved: rural populations, ethnic minorities, women and girls.

Lessons Learned:

• A policy and legal framework for digital communications is needed that supports innovation, expands access, and generates trust in an online system.

• Privacy, information security, and freedom of expression must be addressed directly.

• e-Leadership is necessary from the highest level of government and the private sector.

• Training on use of technology and accepting feedback to gain support of civil servants.

• Cheaper access to the Internet is critical to fostering an information society.

• NGOs bring stakeholders and government together to ensure dialogue in neutral territory.

• Involving media is critical for creating public awareness.

• Ordinary citizens need to see what’s in it for them!

Internews gratefully thanks the donors that since 2001 have made work on e-Government-related policies possible through the dot-GOV and GIPI Programs, some of which include:

• U.S. Agency for International Development

• U.S. State Department• AOL Time Warner• The Markle Foundation• The Open Society Institute (and affiliated

national foundations)• Carnegie Corporation of New York• The John S. and James L. Knight

Foundation• The GE Foundation• Microsoft Corporation• RealNetworks Foundation• VeriSign Inc.• The Swedish Development Agency• The Armenia Chapter of the Internet

Society

For more information contact: Sarah J. Tisch,sjtisch@internews.orgMary Muiruri,mmuiruri@internews.org