Every year, volunteers across the globe gather together (virtually) to assess all governmental portals and burden themselves with the arduous task of putting them in order, from best to worst.
These bright volunteers can speak the most primary languages of the 193 UN Member States. In 2018, 197 volunteers with knowledge of 66 languages from 92 countries participated. Over the course of four months, volunteers completed 393 research surveys.
Source: Christina Morillo
This exercise takes months of planning, preparation, and organisation, with volunteers skyping one another in different countries to ensure that their assessments of portals match. At the end of all this, the United Nations E-Government Survey is published.
The survey was first published in 2001 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). It is the only global report that assesses the e-government development status of all Member States of the United Nations. The assessment rates the e-government performance of countries relative to one another, as opposed to being an absolute measurement.
With hours dedicated to the survey, it begs the question – why is this so important?
To understand the impact of the survey, it is important to understand what exactly e-government is. E-government is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the activities of public sector organisations. For governments, this often means bringing services and information online.
The Survey measures e-government effectiveness in the delivery of public services and identifies patterns in e-government development and performance as well as countries and areas where the potential of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and e-government has not yet been fully exploited and where capacity development support might be helpful.
Therefore, for the countries near the top, the survey demonstrates how well they are serving their citizens from personalised services in health and safer care for the elderly at home, to tailored learning in education and access to culture. The sophisticated tools, techniques, technology and approaches of the internet age has given citizens access to services that are trusted and responsive to user needs. These government portals offer more choice, control and information on how and when public services are accessed.
On the Australian government’s website, who were ranked second for e-government development index in 2018, one can apply for benefits, learn about Indigenous arts and languages, and find assistance for starting a business. Not only are there multiple services on australia.gov.au, the language used is clear and accessible, which makes the website easy to navigate for almost anyone.
Source: australia.gov.au
However, it is not all about being the most high-performing government online. The index represents an indication of government transparency and commitment to development.
It is important that governments are open to its citizens to ensure a healthy and informed society. The extent of engagement and the methodology varies from country to country, but what works for all is the adoption of a holistic approach for a more inclusive. For lower-performing countries, the survey results can identify where they can make changes to boost their rankings and better support its citizens.
This is especially important in countries where accessing physical services is difficult due to lack of infrastructure or because large portions of the population live in rural areas, a government website can support sustainable and resilient societies.
To ensure resilience of societies and development sustainability, the Survey suggests that public services should be made available to everyone, leaving no one behind. New and existing technologies are essential for broader access as well as the provision of significant benefits to service users at a reduced cost.
Moreover, the survey serves as a development tool for countries to learn from each other, identify areas of strength and challenges in e-government and shape their policies and strategies in this area.
The world is changing. Governments need to adapt to the changing needs and expectations of its citizens online. Regardless of whether a government has a high and low performing website against the survey, basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation, as well as sound infrastructure and utilities, are essential to sustaining development and improving the quality of life in all societies.
Despite the technological advances in e-government, an increasingly digitised world carries risks, including growing threats to social cohesion and economic prosperity, as well as planetary challenges related to climate change and environmental stress. The survey assesses the readiness of governments to confront these threats and challenges and most importantly, be used as a tool for improvement.
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