Trust and transparency critical to successful eGovernment services says new EU-funded study

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

 Email Peter Lloyd for more details

Results from a ground-breaking pan-European benchmarking study show that the highest performing eGovernment services are strongly underpinned by citizen trust, and government transparency. 

ECOTEC Research & Consulting, with the Tavistock Institute, was commissioned by the European Commission to undertake research into the impact of organisational change for the delivery of citizen-centric eGovernment services. 

A range of ICT and eGovernment metrics with data from 14 surveys were examined, and combined with interviews and fieldwork. Future success in eGovernment, the study finds, goes to countries who balance the cost of government, ICT, service availability, service use, citizen trust and government transparency.  

The Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark) are the top performers, with a strong basis of trust in government, in government transparency, and in the uptake of eGovernment by citizens and business. Austria and the Netherlands follow close behind.  The research indicates that the UK's eGovernment uptake is held back both by relatively low levels of Internet use, by over-complex Web sites, and by concerns over trust and transparency typified by privacy concerns over the planned introduction of identity cards, and doubts about the effectiveness of e-Voting.   

For many other countries with lower levels of trust, investments in eGovernment are less effective. A focus on revenue generating services like tax and customs helps, but such countries need to closely examine country role models with high trust. 

There are particular challenges for new member states which need to increase investment in wider eGovernment service creation and delivery, while at the same time raising levels of citizens' trust in Government. 

Two potential role models in particular exist for new member states. First, is the trusted, authoritative, and cost-efficient service delivery in Austria. Second is Estonia, which has maximised trust in services through dramatic actions of transparency in the use of citizen information. 

"Without trust in government a lot of investment is not delivering the right level of cost benefits. Countries that do not realise this, will not succeed in maximising public value and being very cost effective", say the report authors Michael Blakemore and Peter Lloyd. 

The Chairman of ECOTEC, John Bell, said "It is important that the findings of this study - together with other related research and evaluation we undertake on behalf of the European Commission - are made freely available to European policy makers and others concerned with economic and social development. 

"ECOTEC has developed the ccegov.eu website, an information portal to support debate on this critical policy issue." 

The study (Think Paper 10) can be downloaded.