From: OII Newsletter [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 17 January 2008 13:39
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: OII News [2008.01.17]: Release: Solutions for Barriers to
eGovernment Progress in Europe

RELEASE: EU-funded Research Proposes Solutions for Top Barriers to
eGovernment Progress in Europe
   
An EU-funded research project on 'Barriers to eGovernment', led by the
Oxford Internet Institute (OII), University of Oxford, has identified
the top barriers to successful eGovernment within the European Union and
offers organizational and legal pathways to overcoming them.
   
One key proposal is to create a network of eGovernment champions across
public administrations in the EU. Political support from the top is an
important issue for the progress of eGovernment, but it can be difficult
to maintain or to feed down to other tiers of government. One way of
sustaining attention to and prioritising of eGovernment is the creation
of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) role throughout government
organizations, to promote eGovernment initiatives. Such a network in
each member state would support and extend the work of the i2010
eGovernment subgroup that already plays an important role in progressing
eGovernment within the EU.
   
CIOs should meet on a regular basis to promote cross-government
awareness of eGovernment issues, highlight potential synergies between
departmental initiatives and increase potential for inter-agency
working. Professor Helen Margetts, OII, said 'the CIO role should be
created for agencies and public bodies as well as at departmental level,
to ensure that a 'seam' of eGovernment champions exists throughout
government administrations. It is also important that the needs of those
agencies below departmental level with large IT budgets and
policy-critical IT systems are incorporated into CIO discussions.'
   
Professor Bill Dutton, Director of the OII, said 'this project reminded
us that eGovernment entails major change in the ways governments do what
they do, which makes organizational innovation central to its success.
This is the one meta-message of the project. If governmental actors
focus on innovation, the legal obstacles will fall.'
   
The final reports on top barriers, their legal backgrounds, case
studies, and solutions, can be accessed on the project website:
http://www.egovbarriers.org/
   
This work is expected to contribute to the implementation of the i2010
eGovernment Action Plan (2006-2010).
   
[ENDS]
   
Notes for Editors:
   
'Breaking Barriers to eGovernment' is a three year MODINIS study carried
out for the European Commission's eGovernment Unit, DG Information
Society & Media. It is led by the Oxford Internet Institute (University
of Oxford) in collaboration with: gov3 (a UK based eGovernment
consultancy); the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society
(University of Tilburg, Netherlands), Centre de Recherches Informatique
et Droit (University of Namur, Belgium) and the Department of
Administrative Law (University of Murcia, Spain).
   
The project team undertook in-depth case studies, an online survey and
reviews of other work in this field. It also engaged closely with
leading experts, practitioners and other eGovernment stakeholders.
   
Seven key barrier categories were identified: Leadership failures,
Financial inhibitors, Digital divides and choices, Poor coordination,
Workplace and organizational inflexibility, Lack of trust and Poor
technical design.
   
Eight legal foundations of these barriers were explored: Administrative
law, Authentication and identification, Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR), Liability, Privacy and data protection, Public administration
transparency, Relationships between public administrations, citizens and
other ICT actors and Re-use of public sector information.
   
Further information:
   
Project website:
http://www.egovbarriers.org/
   
Full Solutions Report (pdf, 614kb):
http://www.egovbarriers.org/downloads/deliverables/solutions_report/Solu
tions_for_eGovernment.pdf
   
Solutions Summary (pdf, 2.96mb):
http://www.egovbarriers.org/downloads/deliverables/A5_Booklet_WEB.pdf
   
eGovernment Unit, DG Information Society and Media, European Commission:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/egovernment/index_en.
htm
   
i2010 eGovernment Action Plan:
http://www.epractice.eu/document/2725
   
Contact:
   
Professor Helen Margetts (Oxford Internet Institute)
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: +44 (0)1865 287210
Fax: +44 (0)1865 287211
   
   
Oxford Internet Institute
University of Oxford
1 St Giles Oxford OX1 3JS
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1865 287210
Fax: +44 (0)1865 287211
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk


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