E-Government - The Emerging Paradigm
<<PreviousThe Key Challenges
Most of the problems in delivering
e-government services are organizational and political rather than technical. An
IT department will only automate existing government processes. It is not a
technical person's job to transform the government. The government needs
tech-savvy visionaries.
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Several challenges
lie ahead for e-governments: The greatest being how best to invest to achieve
optimum results from their IT initiatives. Senior government executives must
consider not only the extent of funding required for transforming their
traditional enterprise to an e-government portal but also the potential
changes with regard to physical, technical and human resource infrastructures.
Privacy and security are the issues that have been of major concern since the
inception of the Internet. The virtually unregulated environment of the
Internet has prompted citizens and businesses to question the security and
privacy of disclosing personal information on websites. |
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Security, though a technical problem
in nature, also has a significant degree of trust involved. Governments would
have to demonstrate significant improvements in online security to make citizens
and businesses more willing participants in any e-government initiative. There
are also widespread concerns about the privacy of information published and
transmitted through the Internet. Thus, security and privacy warnings or
protection devices are considered important for government websites.
Unfortunately, very few government sites have such capabilities.
Disability access is also an important issue. If a site is not equipped to
provide access to individuals with disabilities, the site fails in its attempt
to reach out to as many people as possible. Only 15% of government websites in
the world have some form of disability access. To be accessible to the disabled,
the site must have either a Text Telephone or Telephonic Device for Deaf, which
allows hearing-impaired individuals to contact the agency by phone.
Conclusion
The e-government revolution will
continue to evolve. Government officials need to incorporate advanced technology
into their websites in order to take advantage of the full potential of
Internet. New government services and features must be regularly made online
that would in turn make the government more responsive and more accessible.
About the Author
Vivek Gupta is a Faculty Member of
ICMR Case Studies and Management Resources, Hyderabad and Consulting Editor of
E-Business magazine.
2004, ICMR Case Studies and Management Resources. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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This case study is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather
than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management
situation. This case was compiled from published sources.
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