BHAKTAPUR MULTIPLE CAMPUS

AFFILIATED TO TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

DUDHPATI-17, BHAKTAPUR

A Case Study Report On E-Governance in Brazil and Sri

Lanka

Submitted to:
Mr. Surya Bam
Department of Computer Science and
Information Technology

Submitted by:
Samir Deshar
BSC CSIT 6th Semester
Roll no: 70
Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................3
Objectives..........................................................................................................................................3
E-Governance in Brazil.....................................................................................................................4
Introduction...................................................................................................................................4
History of E-Governance in Brazil................................................................................................4
E-Governance Projects in Brazil...................................................................................................5
EGDI of Brazil..............................................................................................................................7
E-Governance in Sri Lanka...............................................................................................................9
E-Governance strategy of Sri Lanka.............................................................................................9
Background to E-Sri Lanka...........................................................................................................9
Objectives of E-Sri Lanka...........................................................................................................10
Design of E-Sri Lanka.................................................................................................................10
Implementation Approach for Sri Lanka....................................................................................11
Challenges and Lessons Learned................................................................................................12
EGDI of Sri Lanka......................................................................................................................12
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................13
References.......................................................................................................................................14
Introduction
Over the past few decades, the use of technology in governance has emerged
as a crucial factor in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of
government services. E-governance, or electronic governance, refers to the
use of technology in various government activities, including communication,
service delivery, and decision-making processes. It has the potential to
enhance transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in government
affairs. Brazil and Sri Lanka are two countries that have made significant
strides in implementing e-governance initiatives. In recent years, both Brazil
and Sri Lanka have made notable progress in the field of e-governance. They
have successfully implemented various digital initiatives to improve
government services.

Objectives
 To examine status of e-governance in two countries, Brazil and Sri
Lanka.

 To study the e-government initiatives implemented by the governments

of both nations.

 To provide an analysis of the e-government development index of these

two countries over the decades.
E-Governance in Brazil

Introduction
Brazil is one of the largest countries in South America and has a diverse
population of more than 200 million people. The government of Brazil has
been implementing e-governance initiatives to improve public services and
promote transparency and efficiency. Since 2000, the Brazilian government
has sought to evolve its processes and the provision of public services with
the help of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

History of E-Governance in Brazil

Electronic Government in Brazil officially started in the year 2000 through a
Presidential Decree. The Executive Committee for Electronic Government
(CEGE) was created to formulate policies, establish guidelines, coordinate
and articulate the actions for e-government implementation (Brazil,2019).
The basic principle is to make all government information and public services
available on the Internet and to assure and expand digital and social
inclusion. The first national government portal (gov.br) was created in 2000.
It provided information about services provided by the government.

In 2003 eight technical committees of CEGE were established under the

Ministry of Planning: Free Software Implementation; Digital Inclusion;
Systems Integration; Legacy Systems and Software Licenses; Management of
Sites and Online Services; Network Infrastructure; Government to
Government; and Knowledge Management and Strategic Information
(Brazil,2019).

The standard of accessibility, described in the “Electronic Government

Accessibility Model” (e-MAG) launched in 2005 aims at promoting universal
access to e-government services through technical recommendations for
building portal websites. In 2007, the e-MAG was institutionalized and its
compliance became mandatory on sites and portals of the Federal Public
Administration. Finally, in 2010, the “Web Standards in Electronic
Government” (e-PWG) was created, which consists of recommendations of
good practices grouped in four technical booklets: usability; coding; web
writing; design and content architecture developed under the Digital Identity
of the Federal Government (Brazil, 2013).

E-Governance Projects in Brazil

Brazil is working towards creating a digital government to make public
services more convenient and inclusive for citizens. Here are some successful
e-governance projects in Brazil:

Digital Government Platform

Gov.br is a comprehensive digital government platform launched by the

Brazilian government to provide citizens with easy access to government
services online. The platform brings together various government services
from different ministries and agencies, making it easier for citizens to find
and access the information and services they need. It includes a range of
services such as tax payment, social security, voting information, passport
application, and many others. Gov.br is also designed to be user-friendly,
with a simple interface and easy-to-use tools that allow citizens to navigate
the platform and access the services they need quickly and efficiently.

According to Monteiro (2018), servicos.gov.br is a single website for all

government services. With more than 900,000 user accounts and 1.3 million
accesses every month, Brazilian citizens can find, understand and apply for
1,750 services, from getting an ID, passport or visa to filing for tax return or
social security benefit.

The Brazilian government provides a wide range of services on the internet

through its digital government platform, Gov.br. Here are some examples of
services that Brazilian citizens can access online:

 Tax payment and revenue collection services

 Social security benefits and programs

 Passport application and renewal services

 Voting information and services

  Driver's license renewal and registration services

 Business registration and licensing services

 Health care and public health information and services

 Public transportation information and services

 Land registry and property registration services

 Environmental regulation and compliance services

Nota Fiscal Paulista

Nota Fiscal Paulista is an e-Governance initiative of the state of São Paulo,

Brazil. The e-Government program in the State of São Paulo started in 1995
aims to encourage the consumer of goods and of interstate and inter municipal
transport services to require tax invoice, and to reduce informal trade and the
trade of illegal products and to combat tax evasion (Moraes, Meirelles, &
Cappellozza, 2016). The Nota Fiscal Paulista program is an example of how
e-Government initiatives can be used to promote tax compliance, increase
transparency, and improve the relationship between citizens and government.
It has been successful in São Paulo and is slowly being replicated by other
states in Brazil.

The operationalization of the incentive occurs as follows: consumers register

on the program's website and inform their CPF or CNPJ to issue the invoice
with every purchase, receiving reduction in the tax burden; the consumer may
not identify their CPF, donating their tax invoices to entities of social
assistance or health care, who will receive the credit from that purchase;
consumers registered participate in monthly drawings, enforced by the
Department of Finance. The credits obtained by the consumer can be applied
in the reduction of the value of the property tax, deposited into Bank
checking account or savings account (Moraes, Meirelles, & Cappellozza,
2016).
The NFP program offers the following benefits:

 To consumers, reduced tax burden, and up to 30% of the ICMS (State

Value-Added Tax) collected monthly by the establishment is
distributed in proportion to the purchase price to all citizens who
inform their CPF or CNPJ in the act of purchase;

 To the tax administration, it enables the expansion of the bank of

taxpayers and the improvement of fiscal controls;

 To the seller, it makes it possible the reduction of costs of paper,

printing and storage of tax documents, in addition to encouraging the
electronic relationship with the consumer.

Overall, the NFP program has had a positive impact on tax compliance,
government transparency, and citizen engagement in the State of São Paulo.

EGDI of Brazil
The UN evaluates e-government in 193 countries using a weighted average of
three dimensions of e-government: an online services index - OSI, a
telecommunication infrastructure index - TII and a human capital index -
HCI. The overall ranking is known as the E-Government Development Index
– EGDI (United Nations, 2023). It indicates how a country is using
information technologies to promote access and inclusion of its people. The
EGDI score ranges from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating a higher level of
e-government development.

According to the United Nations, Brazil's EGDI score has increased steadily
in recent years, from 0.60082 in 2014 to 0.79100 in 2022, ranking Brazil 49th
out of 193 countries worldwide. Over the last decade, Brazil has made
significant progress in providing online services to its citizens and
businesses, with its OSI score increasing steadily from 0.36825 in 2010 to
0.89640 in 2022. However, although Brazil's TII score has also been on an
upward trajectory, from 0.25380 in 2010 to 0.68140 in 2022, it still trails
behind many developed nations. While Brazil's HCI score remained relatively
stable between 2003 and 2008, ranging from 0.83000 to 0.88250, there was a
notable surge from 2010 to 2014, with a peak of 0.88370 in 2010 and 0.82025
in 2012, followed by a drop to 0.73720 in 2014. This indicates that while
Brazil needs to continue improving its online services, it also needs to
increase investment in telecommunications infrastructure and human capital
to fully leverage e-government.

EGDI Table of Brazil from 2003 to 2022

Brazil’s EGDI compared to World Leaders

Source: United Nations, 2023.

.
E-Governance in Sri Lanka

E-Governance strategy of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, an island nation located in South Asia, has a population of over 21
million people. Over the past few decades, the country has undergone
significant economic and social development, with a particular focus on the
use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to drive
progress. The Sri Lankan government has been working to establish a robust
e-Governance system since the early 2000s, with the launch of the e-Sri
Lanka initiative.
Background to E-Sri Lanka
The e-Sri Lanka initiative was launched by the Sri Lankan government with
the aim of utilizing ICTs to advance socio-economic development in the
country. Its vision was to bring the benefits of ICT to every citizen, village,
and business, and transform government operations. The concept of e-Sri
Lanka emerged from the private sector, driven by the local software industry
and associations, who were working closely with the US Agency for
International Development on an ICT Cluster Initiative. Inspired by the
progress made by neighboring India, the local software industry envisioned a
billion-dollar software industry for Sri Lanka. Various consultative groups,
comprising key stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, and civil
society, worked on expanding the e-Sri Lanka concept, with input from
external organizations such as SIDA, USAID, and the World Bank. The e-Sri
Lanka Roadmap, encompassing five programs, was launched in November
2002 by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The Information and
Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) was established in July 2003 to
implement the roadmap, reporting to the Minister of Economic Reform,
Science, and Technology. The World Bank played a critical role in
facilitating the process by responding positively to the Government of Sri
Lanka's request to fund key components of the e-Sri Lanka Roadmap.
Objectives of E-Sri Lanka
The overall objective of e-Sri Lanka is to harness and exploit ICTs for
achieving growth across key sectors of the economy and society, in support of
the overall development goals of economic growth, equity and peace building.

The expected outcomes of e-Sri Lanka are:

 A more effective, citizen-centered and business-friendly government.

 Empowerment of the rural poor, disadvantaged groups, women, and

youth through increased and affordable access to information and
communication tools.

 Developed leadership and skills in ICT.

 Employment in the ICT and IT enabled services (ITES) industry.

 Enhanced competitiveness of user industries and services.

Design of E-Sri Lanka

The design of e-Sri Lanka is based on the idea that ICT can be used as an
enabler of economic and social development. It recognizes that ICT
interventions in one sector alone, most commonly in government, will not
lead to the desired objective of long-term development. Instead, a holistic
approach is required, utilizing ICT to impact several inter-dependent
components simultaneously. This requires a multi-stakeholder approach to
ensure broad ownership and long-term sustainability across various sectors.

According to Rainford (2018), to implement ICT applications for e-

government services, e-business, and e-commerce, a state-of-the-art ICT
infrastructure is required. To build this infrastructure and develop the
necessary ICT applications, a dynamic and competitive ICT industry is
necessary. However, for citizens to take advantage of and benefit from these
new opportunities, awareness and capacity building at the community level
are paramount. This requires significant investments in building human
resource skills and capacity within the ICT industry. The design of e-Sri
Lanka recognizes the synergies and interdependencies across different
sectors. To enable and catalyze long-term development, government, citizens,
and businesses need to be connected and able to interact with one another.
This requires an enabling environment, including high-level commitment to
enable the process of change, legal enablers, policy frameworks, and other
supportive factors.

Design of E-Sri Lanka

Source: E-Sri Lanka: An Integrated Approach to eGovernment Case Study.

Implementation Approach for Sri Lanka

The ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) was established in 2003 to coordinate
the implementation of e-Sri Lanka, following the example of other countries.
ICTA's role is to provide leadership and act as a facilitator in leading ICT-
enabled development, working in partnership with government organizations,
the ICT industry, the private sector, academia, and civil society. ICTA seeks
to empower and equip other sections of government, the private sector, and
citizen groups to carry out projects and to provide leadership only where
necessary. The implementation of e-Sri Lanka is the responsibility of ICTA's
contracted partners, working in partnership with project owners and
beneficiaries. The partnership model involves the private sector, NGOs, and
civil society, with the aim of bringing the best of all worlds and ensuring
sustainable development.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

The implementation of e-Sri Lanka has faced challenges due to the unstable
political environment, requiring adjustments to program strategies and
partnership models. Additionally, the increasing impatience of stakeholders
and high expectations for quick results has posed ongoing challenges.

ICTA, the agency responsible for implementing e-Sri Lanka, has learned
several key lessons in its implementation process. One of the main lessons is
the need for effective communication and expectation management with
stakeholders to ensure broad participation and sustainable development. The
agency has also emphasized the importance of local ownership and building
national implementation capacity, as well as finding champions to take
projects forward. The program design should be flexible and responsive to the
ever-changing environment and stakeholder needs, and ICTA must be open to
fresh ideas and receptive to changes in strategies and plans.

EGDI of Sri Lanka

According to the United Nations, Sri Lanka has ranked 95th out of 193
countries worldwide in terms of E-Government Development Index. Sri
Lanka's rank has fluctuated over the years, with its highest rank being 74 in
2014 and its lowest being 115 in 2012. However, Sri Lanka's EGDI value has
generally increased over time, indicating that the country has made progress
in its e-government development.

EGDI of Sri Lanka

Source: United Nations, 2022.

 EGDI of Sri Lanka compared to World Leaders

Source: United Nations, 2022.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this case study has examined the e-governance initiatives
implemented by the governments of Brazil and Sri Lanka. The analysis of the
EGDI scores of both countries over the years has highlighted the progress
made in e-governance implementation. Brazil and Sri Lanka have both
demonstrated significant improvements in their e-governance maturity, as
measured by the EGDI. Overall, the experiences of Brazil and Sri Lanka in e-
governance initiatives offer valuable lessons for other countries seeking to
implement similar initiatives.
References
1. Brazil.(2019).Electronic Government Portal of Brazil .
https://www.gov.br/governodigital/pt-br/estrategia-de-governanca-
digital/do-eletronico-ao-digital.

2. Marcondes de Moraes, G.H.S., Meirelles, F.S., & Cappellozza, A.

(2016). Information technology and e-government in Brazil: A single
case study in the State of São Paulo. Espacios, 37(5), 25-40.

3. United Nations. (2020). E-Government Development Index (EGDI)

2020. https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/data-center.

4. Monteiro, L. (2018). In Brazil, we're putting hundreds of services

online — and saving millions. Apolitical. https://apolitical.co/solution-
articles/en/in-brazil-were-putting-hundreds-of-services-online-and-
saving-millions.

5. Davidrajuh, R. (2004). Planning E-Government Startup: A Case Study

on E-Sri Lanka.

6. Rainford, S. (2019). e-Sri Lanka: An Integrated Approach to

eGovernment Case Study.