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Paliulis N., Chlivickas E. E-government as a Challenge of Public Management Development
Introduction. Rapid globalisation of the last decade and related processes define the evolution of our world. The lifestyle of people is changing. Information technologies and telecommunications (ITT) are developing in leaps and bounds. There is a direct link between these two trends as the development of information technologies and telecommunications promote the globalisation processes and vice versa. The information revolution, which started late in the 20th century, is making drastic changes in public life. Knowledge is gaining more and more importance. The development of information society is very fast. This society is well educated, continuously learning, basing its activities on information and knowledge and widely using all possibilities provided by information technologies and telecommunications. More and more people use computers, Internet and telecommunications for their daily activities and work. They use the Internet to express their opinion (to vote) on the important issues of life, they send and receive e-mails, receive online public services, etc. It is becoming a daily norm of life.
In a number of countries the framework of information society has already been set up and the citizens receive major services through the telecommunications. The information society has been extensively talked about and discussed for a couple of decades. Major efforts have been undertaken for its development. In the European Union, the development of information society is one of the key priorities. It is highlighted in the initiative of the European Commission e-Europe 2002. The information society is free from the constraints of national borders, political sympathies or social groups. The implementation of the main principles of information society enables the sustainable development of regions and economies.
In an effort to integrate into the global economic space, Lithuania seeks to promote the use of ITT in all areas of private and professional life. The public tries to play an active role in the development of information society both in Lithuania and worldwide. This was confirmed by a recent World Forum WITFOR-Vilnius 2003 which discussed the issues of 'digital divide'. These problems are of global importance, especially for the developing countries. It was noted that the focus must shift from information technologies themselves to their content, the services of public administration and information relevant and important to people.
Public services in information society. Today the efficient management of the state is inseparable from an active use of latest information technologies and telecommunications. ITT are making radical changes in the activities of public and municipal authorities. The use of information technologies paves the way for the involvement of our society, including, most importantly, the disabled, rural population and women raising small children, into proactive professional and public life. The information technologies are becoming one of the major factors influencing the efficient operation of public and municipal authorities. The use of ITT in public administration sector (on central and local government levels) allows for the improvement of the quality of public services provided to people, the facilitation of resolution of issues, the increase in the transparency of activities and the reduction of corruption. This forces the public administration authorities to apply new working and management methods. As a result, the administration (as a special type of activity) is changing its nature.
The public administration sector is often in the spotlight of criticism. The reason is always the same, i.e. the tax payers want better public services. People see higher standards of work everywhere - in the banks, insurance companies and even in shopping centres. Therefore, they often question: why public authorities are unable to solve my problem in an efficient and prompt way? Why do I have to apply numerous times and wait for the decision?
Both the businesses and the citizens raise higher and higher quality requirements for public services all over the world. Everyone wants the state to ensure the level and quality of services which is equivalent or better than in business sector. However, at the moment the public authorities often fail to provide full high-quality and efficient services to people. Every public authority fulfils its tasks but does not coordinate its actions with other process members and fails to offer its customers the best solution to the problem.
The concept of e-government is very closely linked with the theories of participant democracy. However, this concept is relatively new and lacks well-developed theoretical models. The main idea of e-government is to make the bureaucratic system of public authorities cheaper, more efficient and more flexible than it is now. The right solution is the wide application of information technologies. This also includes the transfer of various data from hardcopies (documents) to digital media (databases), provision of information and services to citizens and businesses via electronic means (websites, e-mails, etc.).
The adaptation of e-business management models and principles (which are well analysed, systemised and widely applied in practice) could become the backbone of e-government. One of the most important recent trends in business development is the implementation of e-business driven by the development of Internet technologies and their penetration into everyday lives of people. The suppliers and consumers of goods and services are interacting in electronic media. E-business combines the well-planned marketing policy with the Internet technologies and computer applications. The use of personal computers and Internet technologies provided new possibilities to create fully digital market space where the places of transaction conclusion are gradually transferred from traditional market places to more user-friendly environment such as home or office.
Namely, the application of ITT for more efficient information management, development of better relationship with customers, formation of more effective communication with partners and suppliers, and the application of other e-business models and principles for the management of the state create new possibilities for the communication between public authorities and citizens and businesses, for more transparent governance, for the improvement of performance, and for the increase in the responsibility of public servants. On the other hand, it enables the population to find new ways of communication, cooperation and work with public institutions at more convenient times, from any place and using a variety of ways.
However, some problems in the communication process still remain unsolved. One of such problems is the number of Internet users. Lithuania, as compared with other advanced states, is still lagging behind despite the fact that the pace of recent growth in Internet users has been very impressive. For instance, the Internet is used by 72% of the population in the US, 62% in Canada, 50% in the United Kingdom, 43% in Germany, 37% in France. Whereas in Lithuania, the number of Internet users during the first half of this year was 24%. It is expected that this number will be around 30% by the end of the year. The main obstacles for Internet access in Lithuania are the price which is very high, the shortage of online services and low computer literacy of the population. On the other hand, the rapid increase in the number of Internet users is facilitated by information society development projects carried out by public institutions and active involvement of business entities.
Currently, the supply of computers and software to public authorities is continuously improving. According to the study carried out in June 2002, 100 employees in the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and its subordinate authorities shared 70 computers on the average, i.e. 0.7 computers for one employee, and about 74% of staff used computers for work (as many as 91% in the ministries). The standard of computer literacy has been prepared. Its prototype is the European Union ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) Programme which is accepted as the standard. After the EU accession, this document will
become mandatory in Lithuania. Therefore, its requirements must be implemented now and the public servants must be appropriately trained and tested.
Concepts of e-government. Seeking the concentrated and rapid development of information society, a number of countries drew up their conceptual frameworks and action plans. The conceptual frameworks of e-government prepared by Lithuania, the European Union and other countries have no major differences. They are all designed to solve the main problems of increase in the efficient state administration, active involvement of population into the state governance and effective provision of public services. The Government of Lithuania approved the conceptual framework of information society development and its action plan. The plan outlines the main tasks of public authorities for the implementation of the objectives, tasks and priorities defined in the Conceptual Framework of the National Information Society Development of Lithuania. Its implementation should be carried out through the annual detailed plans. The country prepared the mechanism for the coordination and control of information society development. Its coordinating body, the Information Society Development Committee under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, is constantly monitoring the planned and achieved results and is drafting the proposals for further actions. The progress of implementation of the conceptual framework and the plans is regularly reported to the Government and the Commission of the Development of Information Society chaired by the Prime Minister.
The main objective of the established course for the development of information society in Lithuania is to make all public information available and to promote active involvement of citizens in the management of national affairs. The following main tasks were defined for the implementation of this objective: to ensure easy search and accessibility of information and to provide information on governance of the state. The achievement of the defined tasks related to the modernisation of state governance as well as the use of modern ITT will result in the changes of the awareness of proper governance of the state, proper control, proper accountability and reporting, and proper assessment of performance of employees.
The implementation of the conceptual framework and plans changes the possibilities for citizens and businesses, i.e. it enables comprehensive online communication at the convenient times and avoiding queues; provides possibilities to receive public services in a number of ways and more convenient access to information; involves the consumers into the reformation of services; enables to receive effective response of the government to the customer messages about the quality and content of services; allows for more effective organisation of cooperation between the business and the Government, etc. Alternatively, the public administration bodies and institutions will have more transparent management and clear personal responsibility of public servants as well as transparent decision-making mechanisms. The documents not only provide for the implementation of information presentation and one-stop shop principle but also for the links to every necessary person. Today, rapidly developing information technologies already allow the exchange of written information and messages as well as the use of online voice technologies for communication, i.e. they provide real and efficient interactivity.
The conceptual frameworks of e-government in the European Union Member States provide for comprehensive and active use of new information technologies for the reformation of the European public administration. For the convenience of citizens, all required information will be categorised according to the areas of life. The citizens will receive high-quality services including the transmission of personalised news, multilingual user interface (so that people could receive information in their native language), accessibility from various environments (WAP, WWW, etc.), support of electronic signatures, etc. The governing authorities of the EU will have a convenient tool to manage the services and an easy access to overall e-government system. There is the provision for the expansion of e-
government system to enable the application of innovative technologies which will give a new value to public services.
The focus of conceptual frameworks of a number of other foreign states (e.g. USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Thailand, etc.) also falls on the fact that public administration relies on information technologies; e-government is the means to strengthen the democracy; citizens can manage their public affairs in a convenient and quick manner, anytime and from anywhere; the use of information is better, simpler and more effective; citizens can voice their opinion on current issues of national affairs, and there is a wide application of the principle of social inclusion.
As we can see, a number of countries all over the world have the same objectives for the development of information society, i.e. to make the state governance more transparent and efficient, to provide efficient public services and required information to their citizens. The use of information technologies is the driving force for the development of information society and efficient realisation of e-government objectives.
E-government and information society development. In recent years, the statistical data showed a significant global decrease of investment into the ITT. However, the situation is getting better. This year the global investment into hardware had a zero increase (compared to the decrease last year) and the investment into software increased by 2.2%. It is estimated that in 2004 the investment into hardware will increase by 4.4% (for a total of $355 billion) and by 7% into software. It is expected that further annual increase will be approximately 8%. One can presume that such tendencies will have an impact on the investment of Lithuanian business entities and citizens into the ITT, i.e. the volume of investment should increase. This will also be stimulated by the EU accession when companies will be making investment into modern technologies to stay on a competitive level. The Government of Lithuania is gradually increasing its investment into the development of information society (Fig. 1). Both the national and the EU funds are used for such investment. The pace of growth of Lithuanian investment was and still is better than that of the EU.
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Figure 1. Investment into the development of information society (LTL millions)
To speed up the development of information society in Lithuania, a number of projects are being implemented with the aim to bring the population closer to the Internet access points thus involving them into active public life. A Window to the Future alliance is the project implemented and aimed at the business support in developing information society which will result in successful development of uniform network of public Internet centres in the country. The Information Society Development Committee under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania is implementing the project of Establishment of Public Internet Access Points in Rural Areas which will be co-financed under the PHARE 2003 Economic and Social Cohesion Programme. €3.15 million are allocated for this project for the development of 300 public Internet access points in Lithuanian rural areas within 18 months with particular attention given to such locations which have underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure.
It is expected that public Internet access points will be established in most popular places such as libraries, cultural centres, wards, community centres, post offices, etc. ensuring up to five computerised workplaces in every access point. In these access points, every citizen will be guaranteed 40 weekly hours of Internet access and all expenses will be covered from the project funds. According to the project, the network will be created where every public Internet access point will be used by the rural population with 8-10 km radius around it. Such network will enable the rural population to have easy access to one of public Internet access points from any location in the region. It is intended to connect the Internet access points to the network of distance learning centres and the first of such centres will be selected from Klaipeda, Marijampole and Utena regions. The implementation of the said projects must create favourable conditions for the growth of the number of Internet users and the development of public services. It will increase the computer literacy of the population.
Another project for the development of information society has been a success. The pilot project Digital Community in the Municipality of Jurbarkas Region was launched in 2002. All information and knowledge about the needs of electronic public services and information, the main problems of people in rural areas and possibilities to provide e-government services on all levels to the population, which was collected during the implementation of this project, will create preconditions for significant reduction of 'digital divide' between urban and rural population during the next year. It is intended to launch the project E-Government Gateway in the nearest future. The main goal of the project would be to institute the 'one-stop shop' principle not only for separate public authorities but to make this principle generally applicable to all structures of public administration. The citizens would be given the possibility to file a request or receive information from one place without browsing the Internet and searching for necessary authority. This will enable quick and efficient cooperation between the population and the government and ensure their intercommunication.
The Government of the Republic of Lithuania pays substantial attention to the development of information society and e-government. It takes practical steps to implement the conceptual framework of e-government in a prompt and efficient way. On 18 April 2003, the Government passed the Resolution No. 480 On General Requirements for Websites of Public Authorities. The Resolution describes the compulsory sections of websites, defines the layout of their homepage, sets minimum requirements for information and administration. All websites must have the option of keyword search system. The Resolution also defines the requirements of compulsory two-way communication between the Internet user and the institution (using an e-mail and/or a Q/A form). It also requires the websites of public institutions must be fully compliant with the provisions of these general requirements before 1 July 2004. The time limit for the implementation of all minimum requirements is very tight and there is plenty of work to be done as indicated by the study of websites of public authorities.
The current level of transfer of individual public services into the electronic space is relatively low. The general indicator of public services is 43.8%, including the average 35.0% of public services for citizens and the average 52.5% of public services for business. The analysis of 12 public services for citizens and 8 public services for business shows that 4 public services for citizens are at measurement level 0 (when no information is provided). 12 public services (8 for citizens and 4 for business) are at measurement level 1, when information is published in online regime and the information provided on the Internet is necessary to start the procedure of service reception. 8 public services (5 for citizens and 3 for business) are at measurement level 2, where there is an interaction, i.e. there is a possibility to download and print forms necessary to start the procedure of service reception. Only 1 public service for business is at measurement level 3, where there is the two-way interactivity, i.e. the electronic forms are available online and their completion is the start of the procedure of
service reception, there is the possibility of processing of forms including the authentication. And only 4 public services (2 for citizens and 2 for business) are at measurement level 4, where there is a possibility to execute transactions online, i.e. full completion of electronic procedures and the reception of service, including the delivery (e.g. of a decision or a certificate) and the possibility to pay for the services. Only public libraries provide the services of highest standard to the citizens. They have the options of directory search and ordering of necessary materials. And that is the limit - no other public institution provides electronic public services of high level to the citizens. The situation with services for businesses is just slightly better. Businesses can submit information on social contributions in interactive regime and provide statistical data for statistical offices. The two-way interactivity is very poorly developed (Fig. 2). And, as we can see, about 12% of possible electronic public services are not provided at all.
Figure 2. Level of public service provision
The analysis of compliance of the websites of public authorities with the structural requirements shows that no institution in the groups studied has full conformity with the minimum requirements (Fig. 3). The majority of websites lack such sections as 'Questions', 'Cooperation', 'Legal information' or these sections usually have different titles. Among other most common drawbacks is the missing photograph of the head of institution and his/her CV, the schedule of admission hours, and the organisational chart. It is noteworthy that the most non-compliant structural sections are the 'Cooperation' (which must be divided according to different categories) and 'Questions' (which must have an option to apply to the institution online) as well as 'Legal information' (consisting of legal acts and draft legal acts). Although the 'Legal Information' section formally exists in 73% of reviewed websites, it often lacks the drafts of legal acts and links to current versions of legal acts and has unclear structure of legal information.
0,00% 10,00% 20,00% 30,00% 40,00% 50,00% 60,00% 70,00% 80,00% 90,00%
Figure 3. Compliance of websites with structural requirements
Just as the theatre starts from the cloakroom, the website starts from its homepage. The Government saw the importance of the homepage of websites for the representation of public institutions and defined very clear and specific main requirements for the appearance and information provided on the websites of this type. One of the main requirements for the provision of electronic public services is quick and easy availability of information and simple identification of service provider (the institution). Therefore, the homepage of websites must be designed very carefully, which is stated in the Resolution of the Government. However, even the homepages of websites are not fully compliant with the minimum requirements (Fig. 4). The most common drawbacks are the lack of company code and the national emblem of Lithuania (the emblem of institution). A number of websites fail to provide weekly news and only some websites offer the option for citizens to receive news by e-mail (only 32% of websites have this possibility).
Figure 4. Compliance of websites with the requirements for homepage (all institutions)
The websites of ministries are the most compliant with the defined homepage requirements (Fig. 5). In other groups of public authorities, about 70% of studied websites meet the defined homepage requirements.
Figure 5. Compliance of websites with the requirements for homepage
Another important area of websites is the news section. Its regular updating and supervision stimulate the Internet users to visit these websites on a regular basis and it also enables the citizens and businesses to get access to current affairs of the state. Only information provided on the websites of ministries is current, i.e. it is updated weekly or more frequently, whereas other institutions do not pay enough attention to this important area. Some institutions update their online information less than once in three months.
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□ Le s s than one e in 3 months □ At le ast one e p er month ■ At least once in 3 months
Figure 6. Updates of dynamic information on the websites
Not all websites have simple information search engines. Only 46% of websites have the keyword search system.
The general observation is that there are still many deviations both in terms of structure and content of websites. Usually there is only partial and fragmented information available and quite often it is difficult to access. Therefore, it is possible to state that only the first steps have been made developing high-quality and reliable Internet content. The future holds a number of challenges for the development of e-government projects and modernisation of public administration sector. Actually, the shortage of financial resources is not the only factor defining the quality of websites and their compliance with the minimum requirements. There will be certain tasks that will require significant funding but a fair share of current drawbacks of these websites can be remedied without additional funds. First of all, this problem has to be addressed by the leaders of major public institutions. There is also the need of clear definition of functions and responsibilities of public servants for proper and timely presentation of online information. In order words, the ability to organise the activities of authorities in online environment plays a crucial role. The deadline of 1 July 2004, when the websites of all public institutions will have to meet the defined minimum requirements, is getting closer. Much time has already been wasted but these websites can be improved within the remaining time. This, in particular, requires good and efficient organisation of work.
Conclusion. The main obstacle for the development of electronic public services is the small number of Internet users in Lithuania. Hopefully, the successful implementation of information society development projects, especially in rural areas, will result in the increased
number of Internet users. A clear indication of that is the fastest growth of the number of Internet users in Lithuania among all Baltic States in recent years.
On the other hand, public institutions are slow to implement electronic public services and fail to take proper care of their websites. Public institutions must be by all means encouraged to improve the quality of online information and communication provided to the citizens. Electronic public services must be developed as fast as possible. The use of modern information technologies in public sector enables the government to act in a transparent way and be more open to citizens, to involve them into the decision-making process related to important issues. One of the key objectives in developing information society is to create the society of active citizens. The use of technologies is the main tool to provide information to citizens and ensure the necessary public services as well as the involvement of people into the management of the state. Essentially, rather than being treated as customers, the population must be regarded as active citizens of the state able to exert influence on the content of decisions of the government. They must be involved when important decisions are made and must be aware of why public institutions make certain decisions. They enjoy this right as tax payers.
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