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Similar
to the dramatic changes in e-commerce, countries in the Regions
have begun to recognize the emergence of e-government -"the
ability to obtain government services through nontraditional electronic
means, enabling access to government information and to completion
of government transaction on an anywhere, any time basis and in
conformance with equal access requirement."- offers potential
to reshape the public sector and build relationships between citizens
and the government.
At the same
time, concerns have already been expressed about the gap between
the technology haves and have-nots, and more popularly known as
"the digital divide." In order to ensure that countries avoid
creating a digital divide and create conditions to ensure that
growth of the knowledge economy contributes to carrying out a
democratic process of efficient, equitable and sustainable development,
expanded dialogue and new patterns of cooperation among public,
private ad civil society organizations are needed.
The multiple
roles of government, at all levels, must be recognized and understood
by all if it is to play an effective role in this partnership
involving access to information and the role of information and
communication technology.
Roles of
Government:
- Uses information
and information/communication technology provided by the private
sector for public administration,
- Produces
public information to which citizens must have access,
- Has the
authority to establish marketplace rules and establish regulatory
structures that ensure that everyone participates and benefits
form growth of the knowledge economy.
There is an
inextricable relationship between government's role as a user
of information and communication technology and its capacity to
formulated public policy for the knowledge economy. Governments
that learn how to use these technologies to operate more efficiently
and improve public services are more likely to effectively stimulate
and contribute to the knowledge economy public policy debate.
Online delivery
of services benefits both government and its constituents, as
it lowers costs and make services more accessible.
Possible
roles for Inter-American Development Bank cooperation in promoting
best practices in and e-government
Latin American
and Caribbean countries have already begun to improve public administration
through the implementation of e-government capabilities, processes
and techniques. The Inter-American Development Bank has been expanding
its institutional capacity and knowledge by working with an increasing
number of these countries to understand how e-government can be
deployed in a manner that is responsive to the special conditions
of each country. The Information Technology for Development Division
- through our "Digital Democracy" program is facilitating appropriate
marches in e-government between the increasing and changing needs
of each country and the resources of the Bank.
- Creating
alliances with other institutions and governments
- Promoting
regional dialogue among institutions including different aspects
of e-government.
- Promoting
interamerican cooperation to strengthen democracy through expansion
of the e-government capabilities.
Potential
clients in an e-Government system
In an e-government
system we should consider four different possible clients: the
government itself (G2G), the employees (G2E), the private sector
(G2B), and the citizenship (G2C).
One of the
most promising aspects of e-government is its ability to bring
citizens closer to their governments. While the technology to
facilitate this connection is widely available, many government
sites have not taken full advantage of its benefits in Latin American
and Caribbean Countries.
Enabling conversation
between citizens and government is not the only way to bring citizens
and government closer together. Making government more easily
accessible is another component of this endeavor. There are few
features that make this possible. One of them is the ability to
search a particular web site. Another is to offer life broadcast
of important speeches through the web. Another way is by enabling
citizens to cater available information to their particular interest.
Benefits
of e-Government integration
- Lower costs
as well as improved efficiency and quality of service.
- More effective
linkages between citizens and government.
- Improve
efficiency of government workers.
- Facilitate
transparency and accountability
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