InternetPolicy.net

Attitudes to e-government increasingly different in France, Germany and the UK

A survey performed by TNS Sofres for Capgemini France and providing comparative data for France, Germany and the UK, reveals that attitudes of European citizens towards e-government seem to vary significantly between countries.
Although the study is primarily aimed at measuring French attitudes to electronic public services, it features data for Germany and the UK, thus providing insight into the respective attitudes and expectations of French, German and British citizens. http://europa.eu.int/ida/en/document/3246/194

Ideology and policy: notes on the shaping of the Internet

This paper considers some of the ideologies that are shaping Internet policies. It addresses the priorities of international policy initiatives and identifies their discursive constructions. It takes stock of some of the most characteristic policy directions that seek to define the Internet and its uses within an agenda of predominant privatisation. http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_8/sarikakis/index.html

Management skills key to e-government

Softer management skills are more important than technical skills in senior e-government roles, such as e-champion and head of ICT, according to the Delivering Local E-government report from Socitm.
The study warns that a lack of clarity about how e-government should be managed, and the roles at the heart of e-government, will add to the risks of failure for e-government programmes.
The role of e-champion is to promote service transformation and to set the strategic direction.
http://www.vnunet.com/news/1157817

Government Open Source Policies

The efforts include measures to investigate open-source software or give it preference in purchasing decisions, according to a draft study published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The tally indicates some success by open-source advocates promoting the programming philosophy in favor of the prevailing proprietary products. http://www.csis.org/tech/OpenSource/0408_ospolicies.pdf

E-Indonesia strategy to get Korean help

Korea Telecom has linked up with a local consortium to develop a broadband e-government infrastructure for Indonesia.
http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=297

Global e-government

E-government services are popping up in various places around the globe. Amongst the initiatives includes, UK government which is considering the establishment of an online marketplace that would facilitate trade in services and goods. South Korea has opted to adopt open source software for a scheme to connect schools to government offices via the internet. And now South China's Guangdong Province are now equipped to issue certificates, such as birth permits to its citizens, over the internet. http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9548944.html

CIO 2.0: The changing role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in government - From technology steward to business leader

Online book aimed at providing a conceptual framework for government leaders on the importance of the role of the Chief Information Officer. The book stresses that the CIO’s primary role is evolving and its main challenge is "to help other government leaders see what’s possible, then driving that vision of transformation through an organization where bureaucracy and culture make it difficult to change." It seeks to assist government leaders to use information and technology to "create more value—for their agencies and for the constituents those agencies serve." It also describes the top IT challenges that governments currently face and identifies key competencies required to address them. http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/dtt_public_CIObook_041004.pdf

Start an Online Public Commons

Despite thousands of political online discussions across the Internet, an active "online public commons" e-mail list probably does not -yet- exist for your town, region, or nation. Most online discussions are based on a specific topic, cause, or hosted by someone with an ax to grind or secret agenda. What we need are geography/democracy-based multi-topic online public spaces sponsored in a non-partisan way (by a group of individuals through a club, non-profit, or community partnership, etc.) where citizens from across the political spectrum gather for online discussion and deliberation on real public issues. http://www.e-democracy.org/do/commons.html

Estonia - the state of the e-state

Seven years ago, the then Estonian president Lennart Meri, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Fund, launched the Tiger Leap initiative, an ambitious plan to bring Estonia into the information age. The idea was to put computers into every school, to create public Internet access and to publish government documents online. A report published last month showed that 52 percent of the Estonian population aged between 6 and 74 is now using the Internet. http://www.baltictimes.com/art.php?art_id=10522

Singaporean e-government & engaged citizenry

As Singapore celebrates its 39th National Day, it is worth taking a closer look at the achievements one of the region's e-government leaders writes James Smith. Amidst the flags and fly pasts, and other very visible signs of four decades of Singaporean nation building, a profound civic achievement deserves the attention of anyone interested in Asian IT-enabled governance. Put simply, Singapore has succeeded in leveraging the web to create one of Asia's most engaged citizenries. According to market information group Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), its annual Government Online Study found that Singapore was the regional e-government leader with more than half of the population using e-government services.
http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=281