Transforming Public Service through e-governance: Insights from the United Nations Experiences
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- 23 Jun 2023
In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly began to observe 23rd June every year as the United Nations Public Service Day. As we move forward in the era of e-governance, ICT and a world that is now digital, it would be beneficial to look at the transformations in public service that have been possible through "Electronic Governance".
E-governance:
A good way to understand any issue or a topic is to start with the basics. It would be then right for me to lay down some simplest definitions of e-governance. E-governance, also referred to as Digital governance is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) of the modern-day, that allows to improve and transform the delivery of public services.
Significance:
The importance of e-governance in the transformation of public services resides in its ability to completely alter how governments engage with the people they serve. Governments can use technology to automate repetitive work, streamline administrative procedures, and deliver services through online avenues, increasing productivity, lowering costs, and improving citizen happiness.
Principles and objectives of e-governance:
The United Nations encourages the governments to adopt new e-governance techniques through its numerous projects and programmes. It facilitates capacity building as well as exchange of vital knowledge that helps the countries to create e-governance frameworks and to put into practice the cutting-edge solutions that are in harmony with the regional requirements and local challenges. A key objective of e-governance is to enable citizens to contribute in development of policies or at the least, express their concerns. This also facilitates a democratic governance by ensuring the inclusive needs of one and all.
Benefits and Challenges:
Bidyut Chakrabarty and Prakash Chand in their book "Public Administration in a Globalising World" points out certain benefits and challenges that have been a result of e-governance. Some of these are noted below:
1- Reduces Red Tapism: E-governance helps in reducing excessive red tapism, further reducing the delay in the delivery of services.
2- Reduces the cost of government: With provision of goods and services possible through one touch, the cost of government has been fairly reduced.
3- Allows citizen's inputs: The new modes of communication and technology allows for citizens to provide inputs and feedback on various services they receive.
4- Increases transparency: Good governance and e-governance can go hand-in-hand in their objective of increasing transparency of the service providers.
5- Improves decision-making: With continuous feedback that is possible as a result of e-governance tools, the decision-making can be improved and made better.
However, it is true that while there are various improvements and advancement to make sure that governance can be met through ICT, the application is still limited. As noted by the mentioned authors, it also threatens the mass retrenchment of workers. The public sector cannot completely outbid the old systems in place. The old and the new systems have to be in sync with each other.
United Nations and its role in e-governance:
The United Nations has been involved in promoting e-governance, by promoting digital transformation in the public administration. A key number of agencies have been involved with specialised initiatives that have a noteworthy impact on the development of e-governance. Some of these agencies are:
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Through a number of projects, UNDP helps nations develop their e-governance capacities. It offers technical support, financial assistance, and policy recommendations to help governments use ICTs for better public administration. UNDP encourages inclusive e-governance methods that strengthen citizen participation and give voice to marginalised populations.
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA): UN DESA is crucial in advancing digital transformation and e-governance. It aids member states in developing and putting into practise e-governance strategies by offering advice, knowledge, and technical assistance. In order to track and evaluate international e-governance trends and best practices, UN DESA also sponsors international forums including the UN E-Government Survey and the UN E-Government Development Database.
- United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN): UNPAN is an online information centre that offers access to materials, case studies, and best practices in public administration, including e-governance. It acts as a forum for knowledge exchange, facilitating conversation, and encouraging cooperation between governments, academics, and practitioners.
- UN Global Pulse: The mission of UN Global Pulse is to promote sustainable development by utilising data innovation. It looks at how big data, data analytics, and new technologies can be used to improve public service delivery and influence policymaking. The UN Global Pulse encourages data-driven decision-making and works with states to develop cutting-edge e-governance solutions.
- International Telecommunication Union: ITU, one of the oldest specialised agencies of the UN, plays a role in the advancement of e-governance. It builds standards and formulates various guidelines for ICT infrastructure and cybersecurity. Based on the World Summit of Information Society, ITU builds security in the use of ICT.
Case Studies and Best Practices from the UN experiences:
E-governance has taken over all fields. In a stated example on the official website of the UN has been the case of an e-health application designed by the Egyptian government. The application offers free breast cancer screening to Egyptian women above 45 years of age. This e-service helps in early-stage treatment of breast cancer. Another case is of the Government of Nigeria, launching an e-agriculture application. This application allows the provision of strategic knowledge and promotes new helpful ICT skills among farmers.
Models of e-governance:
Government to citizen (consumer), government to employee, government to government, and government to business are the four most common models.
1. Government to Citizen (G2C)
G2C aims to improve the interaction between the government and the citizens by leveraging the technology to provide a range of services to citizens in a cost-effective manner. Various methods are available for G2C e-governance, ranging from two-way communication between citizens and public officials to online transactions such as payment of services.
2. Government to Business (G2B)
G2B aims to facilitate interaction between the governments and commercial business sector in order to inform firms about "best practices" for conducting business. Its emphasis is to reduce the difficulties for business, give quick information and to allow for digital contact between the government and business sector.
3. Government to Government (G2G)
In an effort to meet the growing expectations, several governments all around the world have steadily embraced IT. The support and simplification of governance for the government is a strategic goal of e-governance. Different authorities, and departments of government can interact through using ICT.
4. Government to Employee (G2E)
G2E allows interaction between the government and the employees. It allows employees to become paperless and a variety of benefits from payroll to training is made possible via internet services. It's also an effective way to promote knowledge sharing among employees.
A variety of tools and platforms are used to access the benefits of e-governance. Digital identity systems are one of the most common management systems used by National governments. Biometric systems including recognition through face or fingerprint are often used. The UN has supported such digital identification systems. Its initiative known as ID4D (Identification for Development) aims to promote digital identification systems in order to promote development. Online service delivery and data analysis are also few sectors supported by the UN and its agencies.
Challenges and Concerns
E-governance is a relatively new phenomenon and is fraught with several challenges. Data security and privacy, lack of inclusivity, and digital divide are few among many.
E-governance entails the gathering, storing, and processing of enormous volumes of data, which raises questions regarding privacy and security. Sensitive citizen data must be protected against misuse, unauthorised access, and breaches. Systems used for e-governance are susceptible to cyberthreats like hacking, data leaks. To protect governmental systems, infrastructure, and citizen data, it is crucial to implement strong cybersecurity measures.
Digital infrastructure and dependable internet connectivity are essential for e-governance. However, there are large gaps in digital knowledge and access, resulting in a digital divide that prevents fair access to and participation in e-governance services, especially for marginalised communities. E-governance efforts must be inclusive and accessible to all citizens, especially those with impairments, language challenges, or low technological proficiency. Effective e-governance requires ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all residents.
Few Strategies and Suggestions to address challenges
Implementing robust data protection and privacy regulations that specify precise guidelines for the gathering, storing, and usage of citizen data would boost citizen's trust. To secure e-governance systems and citizen data from cyber threats, strong cybersecurity frameworks, such as firewalls, encryption methods, frequent security audits, and incident response plans, must be developed.
Governments may help close the digital divide by spending money on increasing internet infrastructure, granting inexpensive access, and encouraging digital literacy programmes. To guarantee that services are open to all, including those with disabilities, inclusive design incorporation is a must. Inclusivity can be improved by offering numerous language options and user-friendly interfaces.
Including citizens, civil society organisations, and other pertinent parties in the development, execution, and assessment of e-governance projects would be a way to create collaboration. This promotes inclusivity, addresses issues, and the gathering of many viewpoints. Investing in capacity building initiatives to improve people' and government officials' digital literacy and capabilities would result in people being equipped to interact with e-governance platforms and services.
By working together and exchanging knowledge, nations can more easily learn from one another's experiences, obstacles, and best practices when implementing e-governance. The UN and other international organisations can play this role of cooperation.
Some examples of successful cross border initiatives
- European Single Procurement Document:
The ESPD is a tool that makes it easier for businesses to participate in public procurement. It is a single self-declaration form of suitability, financial status and abilities of a company used as preliminary evidence in all public procurement procedures. The European Union initiated this cross-border e-governance initiative.
- India-Singapore Strategic Partnership in the Digital Economy:
Both the countries have established a strategic partnership, including in areas of e-governance. In February 2023, the two countries witnessed the launch of real time payment linkage between the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and PayNow of Singapore.
- ASEAN Digital Sector:
Earlier known as ASEAN Information and Communications Technology, ASEAN digital sector aims to create cooperation in ICT infrastructure, development policies, and network security. It also focuses on creating cooperation in the areas of e-commerce and digital skills development.
Effective e-governance and the way forward:
The buzzwords of the 21st century are globalisation, digitalization, information, communication, and technology. E-governance is the smart way to harness the newly emerging technologies and make governance better. For that to take place, the policy must be developed in a manner that includes e-governance strategies. These strategies should be in sync with national goals and supportive of the needs of the citizens it serves.
Strong laws and regulations are necessary in order to address the threats of cybersecurity, and data privacy. Governments can collaborate with governments, civil society, business sector and international organisations to bring innovation and for the sake of knowledge sharing. Furthermore, organisations like the UN can serve as a platform to create cooperation among nation states.
The coming age is Artificial Intelligence and is driven by data. The newly emerging technologies can be used to create automation of the mundane administrative work. The success of such initiatives would rely on the ability of governments to create inclusion. Organisations like the UN can further help the governments in making sure that Digital Divide is reduced.
The UN E-Government Development Database (UNeGovDD) is one such initiative of the UN that acts as a benchmark to assess the development of UN nations in the e-government sector. Publications of reports like that of the UN E-Government Survey deliver a comprehensive assessment of its 193 member states in their ability to use ICT tools to enhance public sector efficiency among various other indicators.
The United Nations being the only platform that is truly international in its character can be instrumental for governments to interact and facilitate cooperation in the sectors of e-governance. UN Public Services Day is a good opportunity for us to appreciate what has been done so far, look at the progress of undertaken initiatives and bridge the gap that exists.
Sources
Web Sources:
https://publicadministration.un.org/en/Research/UN-e-Government-Surveys
https://www.undp.org/publications/connectivity-service-delivery-case-studies-e-governance
https://www.unglobalpulse.org/
https://www.itu.int/en/action/internet/Pages/default.aspx
https://ec.europa.eu/isa2/solutions/european-single-procurement-document-espd_en/
https://asean.org/our-communities/economic-community/asean-digital-sector/
https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/role-e-governance-bridging-digital-divide
https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/
Books:
Introduction to Public Administration Introduction to Public Administration: Edited by Goldfrey Edwards
Public Administration in a Globalizing World Theories and Practices: Bidyut Chakrabarty and Prakash Chand
Annie Pruthi
Annie Pruthi is pursuing her masters in Pol. Science from JMI, New Delhi and is a 1st division Arts graduate from Gargi College, DU. She is an avid reader and an award-winning author.
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