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Freitag, 29.03.2024
eGovernment Forschung seit 2001 | eGovernment Research since 2001
It’s not often a subject that sets the heart racing, but digitalising the way countries are governed is becoming a growing issue across the world. This week, over a thousand representatives from more than 70 countries are gathering in the Kazakhstan capital of Astana for the annual Global e-Government Forum. VoR's Tim Walklate is in Astana to see what it’s all about.

Topics up for discussion will range from improving government transparency such as the relationship between the authorities and its citizens using social media to environmental issues, abandoning hardcopies in favour of tablets and computers to save paper.

Politics is everywhere, affecting all of our everyday lives. And many of the ways we engage with politics and the way we are governed are increasingly reliant on the digital world. People living in Moscow or London check their emails, keep up-to-date on Facebook or use Google for research.

This week, more than 1300 people from 79 countries have come to the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, to explore how politics and technology can come together to improve the governance of societies. That's what 'e-government' is all about. It's how our governments interact with their citizens, employees, government agencies and businesses.

At the 2014 Global e-Government Forum, government officials, scientists and leading ICT experts are all involved. This is the third year running that the forum has taken place – the first time outside of South Korea, which is seen as the leading country in the development of e-government.

Alexei Kozyrev, deputy minister of communications and mass media of the Russian Federation, explained that “the development of e-government in Russia is our priority. Russia has a special committee, chaired by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, which promotes the use of new technology and improves living standards, while helping to improve business.

“More than 30 percent of the population now use e-government services. Unfortunately not all citizens can use broadband all over Russia but very soon we hope to enable quality telecommunication for each person in our country.”

Since Estonia gained independence in 1991, the country has taken major steps in developing its e-Government activity. One key moment was the introduction of compulsory ID cards in 2001. It is now one of the leading nations in this sphere, as Epp Maaten, advisor to the Estonian president, explains.

“Estonia is a small and new state. We started in the 1990s from nothing and, since we were not too rich to buy expensive IT systems, we created our own systems [instead]. But somehow we also taught and involved people and now we see that people like our own systems and use them a lot. We are actually a very unique country [because] we allow people to vote in political elections over the internet. I know that the only other country doing this is Switzerland, so it’s rare.”

In Britain, e-Government is gradually being adopted more and more, both in Westminster and at local level. Take for example, e-petitions. These are used daily by tens of thousands of people across the country.

Back in 2012, 6.4 million British citizens signed petitions. If a petition gets more than 100,000 signatures, it can then be considered by MPs for a debate in Parliament. This is very much e-Government in action. However, in the UK, the strongest emphasis on electronic technology is directed towards cost-saving and efficiency.

But how do ordinary citizens engage in e-Government in everyday life? Will a seventy year old lady, who has lived in north London all of her life, really be signing e-petitions or streaming the latest Public Accounts Committee session in Parliament?

Luciano Baresi, associate professor at Milan Polytechnic University, said: "Instead of wasting hours, just waiting for your service at your preferred bank or the post office, nowadays you can do many things at home. So, from my point of view at least, you can do these things the way you want, when you want and without huge [queues].

“So I understand that if you think of [computer illiterate] old ladies, they must be educated, but these services are simple and so, for example, one important aspect is that besides providing these services, the different institutions or municipalities should organise classes [to help these people understand].”

However, the more the public is involved and engaged with government digitally, the greater the risk from hackers or of the authorities having access to personal details. The recent revelations brought to light by the former American intelligence officer, Edward Snowden that the US National Security Agency was collecting the internet and telephone records of tens of millions of its citizens shocked the world.

The USA was also accused of spying on the German Chancellor Angela Merkel back in October 2013.

Dr Richard Harvey, senior lecturer in computer science at the University of East Anglia, explains this is a major issue that needs to be addressed more at future forums.

“I am quite concerned that this almost child-like obsession with doing a good job is missing big-picture concerns which are real. The concern that the NSA in the US can effectively read your data, wherever it is held, is a real one, and it needs to be addressed very smartly and quickly by implementers of e-Government systems, otherwise we’re going to have trouble on our hands.

“If you want to hear concerns at large go to Germany, where Angela Merkel’s phone was hacked by the NSA. But where Germany is today, Britain will be there next year and the developing economies will be there later, but they will get there. What is being designed are systems that have a 20-30 year life, so we’re designing systems now that are possibly not fit for the future.”

It’s clear that e-Government is far from a perfect concept. The continued threat posed by computer hackers, as well as Mr Snowden’s leaks show that the internet can be a fragile place at times.

Whether it’s about helping avoid corruption; or just helping someone to claim their pension online, e-Government aims at its best to make dealing with the government easier, faster and more efficient.

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Autor(en)/Author(s): Tim Walklate

Quelle/Source: The Voice of Russia, 09.10.2014

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