THE IMPACT OF ICT ON GOVERNANCE.

We are living in a world where information is indispensable. Each and everyone is becoming more and more informed about this reality for it involves the very future of the nation.

The information at our disposal could be used for developmental purposes if well exploited. The ICT is an opportunity for government, private enterprises and individuals to improve upon their services and output.

Information that was transmitted through paperwork is replaced by a new and classical method, using adapted and adaptable technologies of the time. The work done through these method produce a more efficient result and is easier to achieve, if the risks involved are taken care of.

e-Government

e-Government (from electronic government, also known as e-gov, digital government, online government or in a certain context transformational government) refers to the use of internet technology as a platform for exchanging information, providing services and transacting with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. e-Government may be applied by the legislature, judiciary, or administration, in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services, or processes of democratic governance. The primary delivery models are Government-to-Citizen or Government-to-Customer (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B), Government-to-Government (G2G) & Government-to-Employees (G2E).
Within each of these interaction domains, four kind of activities take place

1)      pushing information over the Internet, e.g: regulatory services, general holidays, public hearing schedules, issue briefs, notifications, etc.

2)      two-way communications between the agency and the citizen, a business, or another government agency. In this model, users can engage in dialogue with agencies and post problems, comments, or requests to the agency.

3)      conducting transactions, e.g.: lodging tax returns, applying for services and grants.

4)      governance, e.g.: online polling, voting, and campaigning.

The most important anticipated benefits of e-government include more efficiency, improved services, better accessibility of public services, and more transparency and accountability.

While e-government is often thought of as "online government" or "Internet-based government," many non-Internet "electronic government" technologies can be used in this context. Some non-internet forms include telephone, fax, PDA, SMS text messaging, MMS, wireless networks and services, Bluetooth, CCTV, tracking systems, RFID, biometric identification, road traffic management and regulatory enforcement, identity cards, smart cards and other NFC applications; polling station  

technology (where non-online e-voting is being considered), TV and radio-based delivery of government services, email, online community facilities, newsgroups and electronic mailing lists, online chat, and instant messaging technologies. There are also some technology-specific sub-categories of e-government, such as m-government (mobile government), u-government (ubiquitous government), and g-government (GIS/GPS applications for e-government). 

There are many considerations and potential implications of implementing and designing e-government, including disintermediation of the government and its citizens, impacts on economic, social, and political factors, and disturbances to the status quo in these areas.

 

E-government is not really about technology. It is about people, processes, and results - using information and communications technologies (ICT) to improve the transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of public institutions. Thanks to falling ICT costs and the evolution of affordable open source software, e-government is already helping meet daily challenges in the developing world.

Better Information for Planning, Spending, Serving

Applications for ICT to improve governance are myriad. The most obvious is simply putting an end to the sea of paper documents that flood many government offices, and storing information in digital form where it can be easily accessed and transferred to wherever it's needed. Electronic platforms enable better accounting, statistics, and public sector planning and spending. Internet portals allow a huge savings in time and money for obtaining business permits, sometimes eliminating days of walking or waiting for an entrepreneur.

Does this Help the Poor?

Does e-government mean anything to the poor, those who could never afford a computer and have never been trained to use the Internet? Absolutely. In central India, the Gyandoot Project installed Internet kiosks in rural villages staffed with trained locals who help villagers print land records, apply for government documents, and access information on poverty programs. As well, ICT tools enable governments to enact programs more effectively, for example by allowing much more accurate, up-to-date maps of poverty, and transferring that data quickly and uniformly throughout the public sector, so anti-poverty programs like conditional cash transfers, nutrition for children, or temporary employment can be closely targeted to those who need them the most.

 

In this challenging world where everything is going global (global village), the demographic growth rising daily, request from the population to have their living conditions improved; we cannot afford to put this new way of doing things aside.

 

There is an obligation to manage information through the e-government systems  (tele declaration and tele regulation) e-taxation, e-commerce,

 e-treasury, e-customs, e-employment etc.

 

SECURYING THE PLATFORM

The data we place in the net are very sensitive. How save are these platforms? Even though the technology has changed, People remain the same with negative attitudes. It is important to install specialises parameters  to secure these platforms, to make the data credible in the eyes of all.

A special science called cryptology could be considered.

Cryptology is the science of coding and decoding secret messages. (Crypto is the Greek root for secret or hidden). It is usually divided into Cryptography, which concerns designing cryptosystems for coding and decoding messages, and the more glamorous Cryptanalysis, which is concerned with ``breaking'' cryptosystems, or deciphering messages without prior detailed knowledge of the cryptosystem.

 

You might think the world would be a lot better if we all got along and communicated openly with one another, but it has been an unfortunate fact since time began that there have been lots of reasons for desiring secure communication. The twentieth century has seen a dramatic increase in the need for secure communications in matters of politics, commerce, and even in social communication, as more and more of us depend on electronic mail and other computer-based forms of communication 

When establishing a security system, the following elements should be taken into consideration:

• The nature of the information to be protected (The wise give out what they can't protect to keep what they can't loose)
• The labelling of the services
• The quality of the infrastructures.

 

GOVERNANCE IN ENTERPRISES

 

Governing an enterprise using electronic procedures is the best system in all times, though risks are also visible such as reduction of posts and tasks etc.

For this to become a living reality in an enterprise;

1***There should be a firm engagement from the hierarchy of the  

organisation

2***A good choice of the elements to be dematerialised

3***A re engineering of the actual processes

4***A concrete preparation of personnel to adapt to change

5***A clear choice of strategic solutions

 

The should be a firm engagement from the hierarchy of the organisation

• A committee should be put in place to accompany the change.
• All structures in the enterprise should participate
• External experts should be introduced
• Motivation practices should be put in place to accompany the change

 

A good choice of the elements to be dematerialised

 

Make sure you consider the legal, cultural, technical and material aspect of elements before making choices.

 

A re engineering of the actual processes

 

In most enterprises, there is this nostalgic attitude towards old ways of doing things "This is how we have been doing since the creation of this enterprise..." people are not ready to take new systems.

Re engineering systems involves re organising jobs and functions, relation with the exterior etc.

Never constitute a blockage to any process in an enterprise, no matter the reason.

 

A concrete preparation of personnel to adapt to  change

 

Change in an enterprise should be organised at different levels; material and human resources. To achieve this process, you need to start by studying and analysing the change and the concept as a whole before any application. A concrete planning with accompanying motivation programs is absolutely necessary.

 

 

 

 

Resistance to change

People resist change because of the following reasons:

-          They fear change

-          They fear not to be able to do

-          They fear to loose their jobs.

 

To sort out these challenges:

Put in place programs to motivate personnel professionally ( recycling and evolutional)

Continually communicate to fight misinformation

Renew responsibilities if necessary

A clear choice of strategic solutions

Put people where they are competent

Improve IT solutions

Facilitate It evolutions

Relate cost to It services

Facilitate inter organisational relations

 

 

 

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