E-GOVERNMENT
Global e-government 17 November
17-11-2004
by Ralph Averbuch
Local UK e-government on course but late | Korea plans e-government portal for foreign residents
Survey shows UK local e-government on course but may arrive late: A recent survey of the UK's local councils suggests over half believe they will be unable to meet national government targets despite recent claims by UK e-government minister Phil Hope that local government is on target to achieve e-government goals by 2005. The survey indicates that 56 percent believe UK councils will fail to hit the e-government target deadline of December 2005, although 76 percent believe that local authorities are "generally on track" to putting local services on the web. Overall, respondents appear confident about the funding of new electronic services. Most local government personnel expect 24 hour services to be offered via the internet (40 percent) and telephone payments (34 percent). The evidence also suggests that citizens are becoming more familiar with new methods of payment such as digital television, kiosk and SMS text messaging. Over two-thirds of respondents stated that, if they had the capability, they would introduce e-mail tax billing while a third believe that they will be using smartcard technology by 2006. The survey took place among attendees at the public sector Institute of Revenue, Ratings and Valuation (IRRV) conference.
Korea plans e-government portals for foreign residents: In Korea the number of short, mid and long-term foreign residents has reached 656,380. With this in mind the authorities now plan to extend their original e-government initiatives to embrace this community. The system, called e-government for foreigners (G4F), is expected to be in place by 2007. The Korea Times reports that the G4F project will develop an online support service for foreign businesses and online administration services for foreign residents. The government will inject WON9.9 billion into the project by 2007 and expects it to bring benefits in such areas as attracting foreign direct investment and entry-departure management.
World Bank: Majority of e-government projects fail: According to the World Bank, some 85 percent of e-government projects in the developing world partly or wholly fail. Robert Schware, World Bank lead informatics specialist, told AFP, "It is estimated approximately 35 percent of e-government projects in developing countries are total failures and approximately 50 percent are partial failures." The World Bank provides funding for a variety of e-government projects worldwide. As Schware concluded to delegates at an e-government seminar, "Only some 15 percent can be fully seen as a success. There are equal numbers of very sad statistics about the number of failed implementations in the US and Europe. By failure I mean the inability to deliver government services that provide benefit to citizens or business. Failure is when there is a lack of political will and leadership."
Viet Nam plans 2010 deadline to handle most services online: The plan to build e-government in Viet Nam, developed by the Ministry of Post and Telematics (MPT), will use the internet as a platform to provide services to citizens from all state agencies and streamline traditional administrative processes. Once approved by the Prime Minister, all government agencies are expected to have a website providing information and administrative services to the public by 2010. MPT deputy minister Mai Liem Truc announced the plans at a recent conference, acknowledging that Viet Nam has a long way to go to achieve its goals. In Viet Nam limitations in PC skills, low incomes and insufficient human resources in information technology remain the big hurdle for e-government developments. Viet Nam is ranked 60th in the list of 64 e-readiness countries, according to a report published by the Economist in April. Internet usage and subscribers remains small with 1.54 million Internet subscribers and 5.49 million users by October, according to the Viet Nam Network Information Centre. Meanwhile 50 percent of ministries and industries and 10 percent of businesses have launched their own websites but information is not updated.
Digital Government Achievement Award Winners Announced: More than 300 US public sector websites participated in the Center for Digital Government's 2004 Digital Government Achievement Awards (DGAA). The awards recognise outstanding agency and department websites and applications that enhance interactions, transaction and/or services -- in four categories: government-to-government, government-to-citizen, government-to-business, and government internal. The DGAA is produced in conjunction with the Center's annual Best of the Web (BOW) contest. The category winners were:
- Government-to-government: NC E-Procurment@YourService, North Carolina (secure site)
- Government-to-business: WorkInTexas.com, Texas Workforce Commission
- Government-to-citizen: Contract, Vendor and Payment Search Web Site, Chicago, Ill.
- Government internal: CSPD Connections, Colorado Springs Police Department
Northern Ireland modernises birth, marriage and death registration: Accenture has been appointed by the General Register Office (GRO) in Northern Ireland to implement its new Registration and Certificate Modernisation System. Under the five year, STG2 million contract, Accenture will design and implement the new system and provide associated support services such as training and user support. The new system is scheduled to go live in 2005, by which time every registration and request for copy certificates should be managed electronically. The system is planned to connect GRO's headquarters to its 26 district offices.
Bristol City Council launches new online rates service: The UK's Bristol City Council is offering a new e-government service allowing local residents and businesses to access detailed e-statements for council tax and business rates. Citizen data is refreshed daily to offer an up-to-date view of all current balances and the breakdown of their charges. Citizens can also see a multi-year history of payment information, check that payments have been received and print statements from the site. The Council is also running a feasibility study into the viability of moving an additional 34 applications online -- including commercial rents, benefit overpayments and sundry debts -- and has also approved the implementation of e-billing.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 