Transcript Innovation Groups e-gov Forum

The New Face of Government:
e-Government in the U.S.
Seth G. Fearey
Connected Communities
IIPS, 14 November, 2001
The face of local government
is changing.
• From face to face
• To the Web
• And more ...
The Goal is Customer Service
What is E-Government?
A full range of computer and
communications-enabled
government services for
– citizens
– businesses
– employees
– other public agencies
Key Elements of E-Gov
Technology
Internal
Operations
Agency to
Agency
Public
Policy
Public
Engagemen
t
Services &
Transactions
Technology
E-Gov is Growing in
Popularity in the U.S.
The Good News – 83% have websites
– 18% of those with websites accept requests for
at least one service, e.g. road repairs
– 40% plan to offer at least one financial
transaction within one year
– 36% report that business processes are being
re-engineered because of the Internet
University of Maryland Survey of Cities and Counties, Fall 2000
(1,881 responses of 3,749 surveys sent out)
People are using the Web to
communicate with local gov’t
• Pew Internet Life Study (Jan 2001)
– 30% of Internet users go on-line sometimes or
often for information on local government
– 13% sometimes or often send e-mail to public
officials
– 50% say their town has a web site (37% say
they do not know)
– 20% say their local government web site is very
useful
The Bad News (ICMA study)
– Only 9% of local governments have an even a
minimal e-government strategy
– Less than 20% provide Internet access to all
employees
– Less than 3% allow any type of financial
transaction
But plans are in place to adopt e-government
practices rapidly over the next few years.
Driving Forces
1. Reinventing Government
– Financial Pressures
– Customer Pressures
– Speed Pressures
– New Technologies
“Do More with Less”
Driving Forces
2. The Internet
– Rising Expectations
U.S.
Millions of Users
180
Almost 60%
160
including
10.6
million
broadband
users
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Source: Nua Surveys, Yankee Group
Driving Forces
2. The Internet
– Falling Costs
Cost to send 1 bit 1 km in mills
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
Consumers Know It Costs
Less to Use the Internet
Transaction
Banking
Airline Ticket
Bill Payment
Insurance
Traditional
Systems
Internet
$
1.08 $
0.13
$
8.00 $
1.00
$
2.75 $
0.85
$400-$700
$200-$350
Source: OECD from various sources
%
Savings
89%
87%
70%
50%
Citizens want their local government
to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year, just like any
other well-managed service
business.
Goals of E-Government
1. Better, More Convenient, Customer
Service
Goals of E-Government
1. Better, More Convenient, Customer
Service
2. Greater Operating Efficiencies
e.g. Interactive Voice Response for
tracking permit applications and scheduling
inspections
Goals of E-Government
1. Better, More Convenient, Customer
Service
2. Greater Operating Efficiencies
3. More Public Participation in Government
Decision Making
City Council Meeting,
Bloomington, Indiana
Goals of E-Government
1. Better, More Convenient, Customer
Service
2. Greater Operating Efficiencies
3. More Public Participation in Government
Decision Making
4. Become More Attractive to Businesses
Challenges
• It is Expensive
• The Technology Does Not Always Work
Despite the $20 billion expected to
be spent on moving government
into the electronic world over the
next five years, more than half of
e-government initiatives will fail.
- Gartner Group
Challenges
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It is Expensive
The Technology Does Not Always Work
Customers Do Not Use It
Managers Resist Change
Employees Do Not Have Access
Recovering New Costs, e.g. credit card fees
All Citizens Do Not Have Access
Strategies
• Use new, low-cost, “government-in-a-box”
tools
• Collaborate with other cities to develop
standards, share costs and best practices
• Provide employees with home computers to
learn the new tools
• Use the “carrot and stick” approach incentives and penalties
• Make e-government a part of the business
strategy, not an IT project
The New, New Face of
Government
It’s
Personal
The New, New Face of
Government
• It’s Personal
• It’s Regional
– e.g. MARC regional e-procurement portal
A Service Portal for King County
Cities
• A single gateway
• On-line services
• Links to City sites and applications
Metro Washington Council of
Governments E-Procurement
Maryland
Portal
Frederick
Partners
Howard
Montgomery
Anne Arundel
Loudoun
Bowie
Falls Church
Virginia
Fairfax City
Manassas
In partnership with the
Greater Washington
Board of Trade.
Arlington
Fairfax
Alexandria
Washington, D.C.
Prince
George’s
Prince William
Stafford
Spotsylvania
Charles
Calvert
The New Face of Government
• Is e-government a good idea?
– Barriers to reaching and working with
government are falling
– Businesses are demanding and using it
– Active citizens love it
– Young people are becoming more interested in
their communities
We must continue our
experiments and learn by doing.