The United States can take a lesson from its friends to the north when it comes to executing E-government initiatives. For the fourth straight year, Canada topped an annual list by management consultant and IT outsourcer Accenture of most-mature international E-government offering. But the United States moved up a notch, tying for No. 2 with Singapore. Blame federalism. Getting federal agencies, let alone state and local governments, to offer services jointly through a single Web portal, something Canada and other governments do, is almost unheard of in the United States. Canadians, for instance, can get the information and permits needed from federal, provincial, and local authorities to start a business through a single portal. Still, Canada does something that U.S. officials at all levels can easily emulate: asks citizens what E-services they want. Canada regularly surveys citizens and businesses about their attitudes and needs, more so than any other country.
Quelle: InformationWeek, 10.05.2004
