Last week, Tech ’n Biz had looked at how some of the Indian states are realising the power of linking the government and administration with the citizens. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and now Delhi too are on the online map. Even as there are complaints about some of these online initiatives not meeting the expectations of the people, India has made a start.
In this issue, we are exploring governments across the world and how they are networked with their people, their businesses and their employees, offering them the best of services. Even as it was a tough choice, eFE has picked up some of the top IT-inclined countries such as the US, UK, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, to see how the e-initiatives are doing in all these places.
A recent e-government ranking survey conducted by consulting firm Accenture found Canada on top of the list. Singapore, US, Australia, Denmark and UK followed Canada in ranking. The survey tested online services offered by governments in 23 countries. But, despite all the enthusiasm about e-governments, there’s an all-round debate on whether countries should invest so much on putting in place e-governments.
Sample this. According to official estimates, the budget for the UK government’s online initiative is 1 billion pounds over a period of three years. However, the real cost is expected to be higher. Also, the US government is spending billions towards its e-government project.
The Accenture report mentions the cost factor in its e-ranking report. “Expectations that e-government would reduce the cost of service delivery have not been realised,” it says. Reason: The system hasn’t been properly tried and e-government is still in its revolutionary phase. Although e-government was expected to cut the cost of running public services, it hasn’t so far. Says a media report: “Unlike banks or supermarkets, governments can’t shut down their least productive branches.” So, some of the e-governments have started charging a convenience fee.
Another e-readiness survey, this one by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in cooperation with IBM, talks about the relevance of such a study. “E-readiness is shorthand for the extent to which a country’s business environment is conducive to the Internet based opportunities,” EIU says. “It is a concept that that spans a wide range of factors, from telephone penetration to online security to intellectual property protection,” it adds.
In a survey of 60 markets, the EIU-IBM 2002 report has ranked the top countries as the US, Netherlands, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Finland, Singapore, Norway and Hong Kong. This report puts India at the 43rd overall rank and 10th in Asia-Pacific. Neighbour Pakistan is almost at the bottom on 57th overall position and 16th on the Asia-Pacific list.
Even as the US is on top, the study points out that the “rankings place a premium on agility rather than sheer economic might.” It adds that so many smaller economies in Scandinavia and Europe score highly, while less innovative giants like Japan rank relatively low. Another interesting point that it brings out is that Internet business thrives when governments are committed to a clear and consistent strategy to develop IT infrastructure.
Finally, something to gladden the hearts of those who feel they are not good enough. “No one’s perfect,” declares the EIU-IBM study. “Even in wealthy countries where the infrastructure is reliable and secure, there’s tremendous room for improvement. And, no country entirely meets consumer demand for fast, cheap, secure and reliable Internet connectivity,” it says.
Quelle: Financial Express
