IDPM Working papers
This Working Paper is part of the iGovernment Working Papers series
Building e-Governance for Development: A Framework for National and Donor Action
Richard Heeks
Abstract
As noted in a related paper, information and communication technologies have a valuable potential to help meet good governance goals in developing countries. Yet that potential remains largely untapped to date. Why? Because of poor human, organisational and technological infrastructure and because of the inappropriate approaches taken by donors, vendors and governments.
This paper hopes to point the way forward by describing the contents of a National e-Governance Initiative (NeGI) for developing countries that would address the problems of the past and would grasp the opportunities provided for governance by the new connectivity. Over a short- to medium-term timeframe, an NeGI aims to help deliver the following outcomes:
- Awareness and commitment to e-governance at a high level.
- A set of key e-governance institutions that can strategically plan and facilitate e-governance projects.
- New laws and regulations that enable e-governance.
- A national e-Governance Strategy.
- The operational capacities to implement e-governance pilot projects.
- A set of e-governance pilot projects focused on 'networked government'.
The paper places a particular emphasis on the potential contribution of donor agencies to such an Initiative. Principles, impacts, risks, priorities and other issues relating to e-governance initiatives are also described.
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