The Emergence of E-government

Noureldin Allam

Submission date: 9/12/2022

File Name: Information Systems Essay
Student ID: 22205087
Candidate number: 266454
Word count:
 E-government initiatives are inextricably linked to a range of organizational and political reforms
intended to bring about, promote, and advance a significant shift in the way the public sector is organized.
The emergence of e-government was a crucial action that had to happen as times change and new
technologies arise. E-governments use information and communication technologies, or in short ICT’s,
which are helpful when it comes to matters of effective use of resources, responding to the community, and
lower costs. ICT’s also act as a quick way to boost public sector efficiency and strengthen internal
management and administration capabilities, minimizing the potential impact of e-Government policies on
public sector organizations and the services they provide. It has been concluded, based on a thorough review
of the leading publications in the disciplines of information systems and public administration, that the
"clearest beneficial impacts caused by IT on public administration are in the areas of efficiency and
productivity of government performance."

According to J. Sethunya, it is important to evaluate the success of e-government programs and create a
roadmap for achieving the necessary levels of community service, 2015. Towards the introduction of
eGovernment: Models. [online] International Journal of Engineering & Scientific research named "Gartner's
Four Phases of e-Government Model" classified e- government into four different phases. This may be used
as a guide to determine how a project fits into the broader development of an E-government plan. Phase 1:
Presence, which is characterized by a simple, information-only website that is commonly referred to as
"brochureware" to indicate functionality like to that of a physical paper brochure. Phase 2: Interaction,
which offers simple interactions between government entities and enterprises, people, or other government
entities (G2B, (G2C), (G2G). Email contact and interactive forms that request information are available on
websites that are at the interaction stage. Transactions including online license renewal payments, tax, and
fee payments, and bid submissions for procurement contracts are made feasible by the transaction stage in
phase three. The fourth phase, transformation, is the highest level and is most directly related to the concept
of governance. It requires reevaluating the structure and design of government activities.

E-government is seen as the way of the future, primarily because the increase in efficiency, transparency,
and the public sectors participation, but it does face challenges. In accord with OECD, OECD E-
Government Flagship Report “The E-Government Imperative,” Public Management Committee, Paris:
OECD, 2003, the adoption of e-government has several technical challenges, including a lack of
infrastructure that is interoperable across departments and agencies and accepted standards. The
implementation of e-government is also significantly hampered by individuals' worries about their privacy
and security. Government assurances by themselves won't be sufficient unless they are combined with
technological advancements, open procedures, and perhaps independent audits.

In accordance with Layne, K. and Lee, J. (2001). Developing fully functional E- government: A four
stage model. Government Information Quarterly, Vol. 18, pp.122–136, there are significant privacy
problems with the development of e-government in both industrialized and developing nations. Privacy
refers to the guarantee of a sufficient level of protection for information connected to an individual. The
introduction of e-government faces significant barriers related to security and confidentiality. In Seifert, W.
and Bonham, G. (2003). The Transformative Potential of E-Government in Transitional Democracies.
Electronic journal Issue ed. pp.19–22, it is emphasized the need of approaching e-government with an eye
on preserving personal information. Both technological and regulatory solutions may be required to address
the privacy issue in an e-government environment. There are more challenges that e-governments face, for
example according to Moon, M.J. (2002). The evolution of e-government among municipalities: Rhetoric or
reality? No. 4 ed. pp.424–433, the lack of funding is one of the main obstacles preventing the development
of e-government in many countries. Assuring the availability of the real and anticipated financial resources
is vital for achieving the goals. The idea of spending the significant sums that a top-notch e-government will
cost is a non-starter in budgetary terms and in budgetary politics since every government budget is already
encumbered with all the expenses that budget planners can put into it. Even when a government body has a
strategy for efficient and accessible e-government, as Carvin, A., hill, J. and Smother, S. (2004). E-
government for all: Ensuring equitable access to online government services. The EDC center for media &
community and the NYS forum states that due of the high cost of computer system deployment and
maintenance, many nations have difficulties in supporting e-government projects.

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Moon, M.J. (2002). The evolution of e-government among municipalities: Rhetoric or
reality? No. 4 ed. pp.424–433.