According to a survey of 1,935 government Web sites in 198 countries conducted by the Center for Public Policy at Brown University in the summer, Taiwan ranked No. 1 for its e-government performance and on-line services. The center's e-government index runs along a scale from zero to 100. For this year Taiwan tops list of 198 countries with a score of 44.3, moving up from 41.3 for 2003.
Other countries that scored well this year include Singapore (43.8), the United States (42.9), Canada (40.3), Monaco (39), China (37.3), Australia (36.7), Togo (36), and Germany (35).
Darrell M. West, director of the center's e-government project, who has been conducting this kind of surveys over the past four years, said he found that progress had been made in electronic government from 2001 to 2004.
West attributed Taiwan's outstanding performance to its success in creating a specific e-government Web site called MyEgov, which acts as a general portal for the country. It provides visitors with links to all government agencies and departments.
Although all of Taiwan's sites have a distinct format, each one was clear and easy to navigate. All sites have English translation links which consistently directed the user to an English page identical to the Chinese version, he said.
Moreover, West added, many sites make online subscriptions available, as well as offer a variety of online services including application processes and online product purchases.
From a global point of view, almost all governments around the world have created Web sites that facilitate tourism, citizen complaints, and business investments. On several key indicators, e-government performance is edging up, he said.
Quelle: eTaiwan News, 17.09.2004
