Of the Digital Revolution

by Sharon Crouch Steidel

THE IMPACT the “digital revolution” has on the U.S. public’s daily lives continues to grow. Citizens now use technology to access countless services and transactions that were only imagined a few years ago. Government agencies recognize this and are beginning to realize the opportunities available to change how people interact with them. Studies indicate that at least 70 percent of Americans access the Internet several times a week. It is therefore not surprising that in a poll conducted by the Council for Excellence in Government, the same percentage of Americans feel it is appropriate to invest tax dollars in e-government initiatives.

Improving Citizen Services and Access to Government

E-government can be defined as the delivery of public information, goods and services through the use of technology. Because e-government is open 24 hours a day, services are convenient, cost-effective and available to a larger population. Further, as U.S. states and local governments develop organized e-government resources, the most successful projects have taken into consideration not only convenient, easy-to-use access, but also the objectives of trust and security, efficiency and accountability. A truly effective e-government resource allows citizens to connect with government in a manner that is customized to their needs and available at their convenience.

E-government has presented the opportunity to provide innovative measures. This is most clearly demonstrated in the trend toward state and local government web portals, which provide value-added information from various government sites under one standardized web interface. These sites can be accessed at any time.

In 84 percent of U.S. state web portals, citizen services are now being organized based on the needs Americans most often face in their day-to-day lives. For example, the Commonwealth of Virginia state portal provides a “Find it Fast” page that provides links to over 35 citizen services most often accessed by the public. From this page, anyone can link directly to services where they can obtain business licenses, search the State Code of Virginia, make reservations at state parks and campgrounds, and get a copy of a birth certificate, without the need to know which state agency handles these requests.

Electronic commerce sites are also a developing arena for e-government. The area of e-commerce, which involves monetary transactions for government services as well as government purchasing, has been slower to develop due in large part to security concerns. Most people recognize that in order to conduct e-commerce, they must provide personal and financial information on government sites. States are establishing privacy policies and procedures to protect citizens’ personal information, and most states post.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 833