Finding Ways to Re-define Efficiency in E-government Services

It is important to also realise that even in a digitally-driven world there are still many considerations to be made prior to the adoption of e-government.  People expect that the interaction must be open, transparent and integrated with information more readily available. They also expect that their related information must align withthe relevant privacylaws and held securely so that it is fully protected.

With technology and its usage over the last decade soaring, a significant amount of research has been done into the barriers for e-government adoption. These can be classified into several areas which affect both the resident and the agency. The barriers are defined as:

Resistance: Focussed mainly on the agencies themselves where a lack of co-ordination between agencies/departments exists, risk-averse cultures are prevalent, learning from good practice fails to be adopted and an overall resistance to change by officials may exist.

Privacy: One of the key areas for residents’ concerns relates to the perception of inadequate security and privacy safeguards which can undermine confidence in e-government.

Technical: The inability of agencies to transition old ‘back office’ systems into a digital customer interaction channel, the lack of interoperability between IT systems, lack of secure electronic identification and authentication.

Adoption: For residents the technology infrastructure may not be available, particularly in rural or lower socio-economic groups and a lack of computing skills limits their ability for computer use.

Design: Badly-designed user interfaces can seriously hinder the uptake and ongoing usage of systems. 

Cost: The costs of developing, implementing and maintaining digitally-enabled systems are a fundamental factor in the successful implementation of e-government projects.  E-government initiatives require long-term financial commitment in order to reap the benefits.

Usability: Those who are visually impaired or have accessibility barriers are often left behind in the development of such services.

Legal: Laws and regulations relating to interactions with residents unnecessarily complicate these services,which are feasible and logical from a technical, organisational, and resident’s point of view. Further, the legal restrictions on data-sharing pose difficulties for data integration between entities.  

As with any e-commerce adoption,the delivery of e-services may not work as equally well everywhere. The ability to address the impact of culture, risk and control is fundamental to the overall adoption process.

Successful implementation of e-government, in all its forms,is an important channel in order to engage residents and to assist agencies to cut costs, improve services, and become more responsive in real time. The key requirement for the successful delivery of e-government is the establishment of trust in the online services agencies are to provide or will be providing.  Over recent times, due to the rise of hacking events and data leakage through loss of devices and services, the trust of residents has been eroded. 

Meeting residents’ expectations of e-government encourages their participation in their city’s future. Understanding and taking these expectations into account when designing e-government services is important inclosing any gap between those expectations and reality.