E-government is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Within a short period of time,most industrialised countries have embarked upon a programme of making public services and information about the public sector available via the Internet and other Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Considerable progress has been made in the online provision of government information to citizens electronically, and it is becoming more common for this information to be organised around citizens’ needs and life situations, rather than around administrative structures.
In the area of online service provision, however, less progress has been made.
Although it is in many countries possible to view, print and submit some application forms and other documents online, full online service transactions (such as applying for a permit/licence and receiving a decision electronically) are still something of a rarity.
E-government is clearly an important area of policy development and indeed has the potential to change the way in which the public sector operates, both internally and in relation to its customers. In Ireland, e-government has been the focus of significant attention as its importance for the public service modernisation programme as a whole has been recognised. This study sets out to provide a clearer understanding of both what e-government is, and where its limits lie; to paint a picture of the developmental stage that Ireland has reached to date; to compare Ireland to other countries with advanced e-government; and to point out ways in which the e-government agenda can be further shaped and advanced.
The terms of reference for this study were to:
1. review and evaluate national/international evidence on relevant e-government
initiatives to improve the quality of, and access to, public services with
particular reference to the decentralisation of delivery;
2. undertake a number of in-depth case studies at national and local levels in
order to explore the management issues and challenges raised by innovatory
approaches to e-government and service decentralisation;
3. in the light of best practice and the lessons that can be learned from
experiences to date, identify how such key challenges may be most
successfully addressed