E-gov is key to competitiveness, says EU study: E-government can play a key role in boosting the competitiveness of European economies, according to a report issued by the European Commission's eGovernment Observatory. The study, "The impact of e-government on competitiveness, growth and jobs," observes that "competitive government," which can be achieved partly through the adoption of ICT (information and communications technologies) and the rollout of e-government, is a major factor in the overall competitiveness of an economy. E-government can boost the efficiency and quality of public services while lowering their cost, the report says. Savings of time and money for both service providers and end-users has a ripple effect outward to impact on the economy as a whole. "Efficiency and productivity gains in the public sector contribute to boosting economic competitiveness through their impact on productivity growth in the wider economy," notes the eGovernment Observatory. The report is available to download here.
Australian agencies fail to measure ROI: Government agencies in Australia are failing to measure the return on their investment in e-services, according to a study conducted by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). The federal audit report, "Measuring the Efficiency and Effectiveness of E-Government," assessed six agencies and concluded that they used inadequate methods to determine whether their delivery of online services was "efficient and effective." Just one agency had conducted a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether the internet was the most effective means of delivering services, and no agency had calculated an expected return on investment for providing online services, the report said. Agencies were thus unable to report any efficiency savings made through use of the internet because they had not properly evaluated their services, the ANAO concluded. Among its recommendations, the ANAO advised agencies to use cost-benefit analyses before implementing online services and to coordinate the measurement of website performance with the measurement of service delivery. The ANAO report is available here.
E-gov helps India ease paperwork burden: The Indian government has agreed a major e-government deal that will involve the digitisation of thousands of paper documents. The Ministry of Company Affairs (MCA) awarded the six-year contract, thought to be worth about USD78 million, to Indian software firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Under the terms of the agreement, TCS will design and roll out a system that allows local companies to register and file their financial documents online with the ministry. The MCA is launching the e-government programme in response to the increasing volume of paperwork it must process, on account of a massive increase in the number of local companies -- a figure that has more than tripled since 1991 to around 650,000 firms today. The ministry hopes to make the switch to e-registration and e-filing for all businesses within the next three years. "This project will not only provide easy and secure online access to the MCA services related to registration and filing throughout the country, but will also improve the quality of services to various stakeholders concerned with the corporate sector in the country," said Minister for Company Affairs Shri Prem Chand Gupta.
Government execs endorse shared services: Most government executives believe that shared services will help them to achieve strategic goals for their organisations, according to a report by Accenture. The consulting giant defines "shared services" as the consolidation of administrative or support functions (e.g. human resources, IT) across several departments into a single, stand-alone entity. The study, "Driving High Performance in Government: Maximizing the Value of Public Sector Shared Services," found that 85 percent of senior government executives surveyed expressed the view that shared services are playing or will play a role in supporting their organisations' strategic goals. Furthermore, 66 percent of executives said they had already implemented shared services or were in the process of implementing them. The most common processes proposed for shared services in government relate to information technology, finance and human resources, said Accenture. The top three reasons given for moving to shared services were to help meet efficiency targets, facilitate cost reductions, and address citizen demands for improved services.
Slovakia increases e-government activity: The Slovakian government is ramping up its e-government efforts. Since the start of the year, Slovakia has launched a variety of online services for citizens and businesses, reports the European Commission's IDABC. Since January, all companies with more than 20 staff members must submit their social contribution forms electronically to the government's Social Insurance Agency. In addition, both citizens and businesses now have the option to use online tax filing services, without the need for certified electronic signatures. Another recent e-government initiative has seen the Supreme Court involved in the implementation of an electronic filing register that aims to bring more transparency to the judicial system. The electronic system also randomly assigns all cases to judges, except for custody cases. In spite of these initiatives, the rollout of e-government in Slovakia is being hampered by the country's poor level of internet penetration.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 16.02.2005
