From: "Nath,V (pgt)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: E- Governance in South/ Developing Countries Updates
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 08:09:17 +0100=20
Dear Colleagues,
Greetings from London from the <http://www.DigitalGovernance.org> Community.
The Digital Governance website was launched a month back to explore
INNOVATIVE e-Governance Models in South based on the application of
Knowledge Management principles and Information and Communication Technology
(ICT). The website is a part of the KnowNet Initiative at
http://www.knownet.org which harnesses the potential of ICT and=20
Remote Volunteering to catalyse Human Development.=20
DigitalGovernance.org has been tediously identifying and documenting actu=
al
E-Practices in the South which enable Transparent, Efficient, and
Accountable Governance Mechanisms based on "Information Democratisation" =
to
ones which catalyse "Interactive Governance=20
Processes" that are Inclusionary in characteristics.=20
Some of the Emerging Knowledge Products relating to e-Governance Practice=
s
in South (based on Digital Governance's research) are:=20
1. e-Governance is certainly making its entree in the South progessing fr=
om
stages of "Wider-Domain Models" or "Critical Flow Models" to the more
complex and technology driven "Interactive Service Models". The descripti=
on
of these models is available at the website. An example of "Critical-Flow
Model" is the Indian website www.tehelka.com (a leanly funded media
organization with limited resources) which exposed a major scam in the
Defence Establishment in India relating to corruption and bribery. It led=
to
major political upheavals and a strong civil society unrest.=20
Similarly in Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosovic regime was toppled by the
technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Internet is also
increasingly becoming Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare.=20
2. e-Governance seem to have greater marginal benefits in countries with
moderate development indices, and where alternate channels of communicati=
ons
are weak and governance processes are largely democratic to the extent th=
at
they are Information- Driven. Example in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Estonia
etc.=20
In such cases, e-governance strengthens the two-way communication channel=
-
enabling the civil society to get more acquainted with decisions (as well=
as
decision-makers) which affect their quality of lives and providing them
avenues to express/ make an informed choice. The latter is usually provid=
ed
through conventional Governance processes. The e-Governance models theref=
ore
function in complementary to the existing Governance models.
3. e-Governance processes have an equal or greater potential in the South=
if
applied in local geographical domains. Wider-Domain Governance models whe=
n
applied locally can promote "democratisation of information which is of
significance" ranging from basic District-level Governmental Information,=
to
Agriculture and Health related information, to information about disaster=
s,
food rations etc.=20
4. Complex e-Governance models in South (based on advocacy and
direct-interaction with the Government) have so far been largely directed
towards issues of Global/International Significance. The models have
fostered inter-South support on many issues such as Agriculture and Trade
Policies, Issues of Big Dams, Genetic Engineering etc. to put up a
collective Southern Agenda.=20
Nevertheless, this is a sign of empowered and value-driven civil society
movements: an Empowered civil society which can work alongside the Nation=
al
Governments on issues of International significance can fundamentally rai=
se
its voice on National Concerns=20
to promote the larger agenda.
DigitalGovernance.org functions on a continuous learning mode. More
knowledge products would be brought into light in the subsequent updates.
You may subscribe to these updates by sending a blank email to
[log in to unmask]
Please have a look at the Key website updates and some of the feedforward
received from over 50 countries towards the end of this email.
I welcome your intellectual contributions and feedforward about the
DigitalGovernance.org Project to further enrich this website and to catal=
yse
Innovative E-Governance in South.=20
Lastly, Please help spread the word around about this initiative.=20
Warm Regards,
Vikas Nath
Inlaks Fellow, London School of Economics, UK
Home Page : http://www.vikasnath.org
-----------------------------------------------------
Innovator, KnowNet Initiative and Digital Governance
Conceiver, DevNetJobs.org
Email : [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
Phone: + 44 (0) 7887 920080
-----------------------------------------------------
Following are some of the Interesting Case-Studies, Publications and Link=
s
added to the Digital Governance website.
** Key Case Studies Added (Case-Studies archived on the website =3D 31)
Estonia: The Little Country That Could=20
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,20451,00.html>
The medieval streets of old Tallinn have changed little in the last few
centuries. But high atop Toompea, the hill that has been the seat of powe=
r
in Estonia for almost 800 years, there is an experiment in 21st-century
government under way. Inside the chancellery building, Linnar Viik,
information technology adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar, leads the way
through elegant government offices to a shiny new cabinet meeting room.=20
India: Free Internet access to Orissa High Court records=20
<http://www.cddc.vt.edu/digitalgov/news-orissa.htm>
Litigants fighting cases in the Orissa High Court will now have free
Internet access to case records following the inauguration of two Web sit=
es
by state Chief Justice N.Y. Hanumanthappa. A litigant can easily find out=
in
which court his case is appearing and its listing. Besides, the search
engines of the Web site will help a litigant or=20
the general public to find details related to a particular case.=20
India : Kerala panchayats adopt e-governance=20
http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6=20
The Ernakulam district panchayat had made a quiet entry into the IT world=
by
taking up a unique model of e-governance. The Electronic Industrialisatio=
n
Infrastructure Development(EIID), a scientific society under the district
panchayat, is providing guidance to three gram panchayats in the district=
to
establish information networks as=20
part of their plan projects. And the EIID is doing all this with software
that are freely available with open source codes.
India: Madhya Pradesh's E-governance site (Jabalpur)
<http://www.ciol.com/content/services/egov/showarticle.asp?AID=3D56&CI=3D=
0&SI=3D6>
The Government has gone online in Jabalpur division. The administration h=
as
launched its interactive website and CD containing all information on
government departments and schemes at www.suvidha.org (
<http://www.suvidha.org)>
Pakistan : Punjab Government goes online=20
<http://www.punjab.gov.pk>
The website contains information about the economy, culture, government,
cabinet, rules of business 1974, and much more. The website says, "Punjab
Government may adopt 'SAAF Model' of E-Government. The model is devised i=
n
order to formulate a future paradigm for a stable and organised governmen=
t.
In its literal meanings, it connotes, 'transparency and openness', (the t=
wo
significant hallmarks of Islamic government). It also echoes the concept =
of
public participation in the political process and its=20
access to the information."
Peru: Government Goes High Tech=20
<http://www.sdnp.undp.org/it4dev/stories/peru.html>
One evening, a few months ago, Enrique Normand, a partner in the law firm=
of
Estudio Rubio, Leguia, Normand & Associates, was finishing up contract
negotiations between a Peruvian company and a group of US investors when =
he
realized they were missing a crucial document. They needed to obtain it f=
rom
the Oficina Registral de Lima y Callao=20
(ORLC), the notoriously slow public registry for Lima and its seaport,
Callao. In short, they needed a miracle.=20
Portugal : INFOCID=20
<http://www.infocid.pt>
A great portal site on Public Administrative information and issues in
Portuguese. Provides name and addresses of the Government and all public
organisations, relevant documents and debates etc.=20
** Key Publications Added (Publications archived on the website =3D45)
Governments Closing Gap Between Political Rhetoric and eGovernment=20
Reality=20
<http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.aspit=3DenWeb&xd=3Dindustries/government/=
gove_st
udy.xml>
Online service delivery has never been higher on the political agenda tha=
n
it is today. From the United Kingdom to the United States, Belgium to Bra=
zil
and Malaysia to Mexico, governments are talking about the significant
benefits that can be realised by migrating traditionally paper-based and
face-to-face services to the Internet.=20
Digital Growth in Africa - things governments can do for free or nearly f=
ree
<http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act49.html>
News Update asked 25 individuals and organisations drawn from development
agencies, the private sector, NGOs and trusts involved in digital
development in Africa to make suggestions about things that African
governments (or others) could do for little or money to encourage digital
development. There was almost a complete consensus=20
on the kinds of things they felt ought to be done=20
Surfing villages: Can Indian villages be logged on to the infotech=20
highway?=20
<http://www.cseindia.org/html/dte/dte20010215/dte_analy.htm>
Are they for real and do they stand to benefit from artificial intelligen=
ce?
Can India's villages ride on the infotech highway to development? To a
certain extent this is already happening but it is a knotty situation. Ca=
n
IT evolve to serve rural India=E2s needs? The dairy cooperatives of Anand=
in
Gujarat are using IT applications to streamline procedures, making a
significant difference to the lives of milk producers in surrounding
villages.=20
The Role of Online Publication in the Promotion of Democracy=20
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200103300095.html>
The Internet is Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. In other wor=
ds,
news- media- information censorship by political dictators is curtailed a=
t
the door of the Internet. Ask Yugoslav's Slobodan Milosovic whose regime =
was
toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Th=
e
irony is that the "unimportant"=20
people that the media target in under-developed and developing countries
like Sierra Leone for instance, are hardly in a position to access the
Internet.
Dictatorships in the Digital Age: Some Considerations on the Internet n
China and Cuba=20
<http://www.cisp.org/imp/october_2000/10_00drake.htm>
The belief that the Internet will spread democracy throughout the develop=
ing
world is so firmly held in Washington, D.C. policy circles that it is
becoming an article of faith. There may be something to the underlying
proposition, but this is an analytical question that should be subjected =
to
close investigation before firm conclusions=20
are drawn.
The use of Internet in Government Service Delivery=20
<http://www.endowment.pwcglobal.com/pdfs/CohenReport.pdf>
Governments have begun to use the World Wide Web to assist in service
delivery. This includes, but goes far beyond, the dissemination of
information to the general public and involves a variety of other
governmental functions. In reviewing some govern-ment websites it is clea=
r
that the use of the web for service delivery is still in its=20
infancy. The types of services that can be delivered through the web are
still in the process of being imagined and organized by both government a=
nd
the private sector.=20
Electronic governance and commercial development in Africa: the grassroot=
s
perspective
<http://legacy.unl.ac.uk/relational/cyberont/iad.html>
This presentation explores the emergence of the concept of 'governance' a=
nd
speculates on the opportunities provided by new electronic technologies f=
or
the development of more participatory forms of governance than those
experienced in the past. The=20
presentation identifies the possibilities for direct democracy and the
greater use of client/user feedback in the shaping of governance structur=
es.
Electronic Governance: Re-inventing Good Governance=20
<http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/egov/Okot-Uma.pdf>
This article examines the significance of the emergence of Electronic
Governance (eGovernance) as a mode of practice in the re-invention of Goo=
d
Governance. It presents eGovernance as inclusive of Electronic Democracy
(eDemocracy), Electronic Government (eGovernment) and Electronic Business
(eBusiness), examines the nature and scope of=20
developments in this emerging field and provides a wealth of examples to
illustrate essential, embedded concepts and modes of practice.=20
** Key Links Added (Exsiting Links on the website =3D52)
Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies
<http://www.nobribes.org/>
The Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies provides a forum for
the exchange of information between anti-corruption practitioners and
analysts in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union. It also serves as a
repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regiona=
l
and international agreements, survey results,=20
reports, research and other information.
Chapter 2 Network=20
<http://www.advocacy.org.za/>
The Chapter 2 Network is a clearinghouse of information and communication
for social justice issues in South Africa. Through its website, it provid=
es
information about advocacy campaigns; training on Advocacy and lobbying,
including learning practical skills through the Advocacy game; research o=
n
political intelligence, policy=20
analysis and legislation monitoring and networking opportunities to inter=
act
with other civil society organisations who are engaged in social justice
advocacy.
Costa Rica : Democracia Digital
<http://www.democraciadigital.org>
A non-profit civic initiative directed towards using information and
communication technology for the extension and the enrichment of the
democratic coexistence of the Costa Rican society, facing the beginning o=
f a
new century. The strategy aims at information dissemination on subjects
relative to the public interest and=20
creation of new spaces of consultation.=20
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
<http://www.idea.int>
International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy and improv=
es
and consolidates electoral processes world-wide. It provides a forum for
discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in
democracy promotion. Global in ownership and score, independent of nation=
al
interests, and flexible and quick=20
in its responses, International IDEA is the only international organizati=
on
with this unique mandate.=20
** Key Events on E-Governance (Events Posted on the website =3D 8)
Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy
<http://www.issy.com/e-democratie>
May 17, 2001, Paris, France
This 2nd Forum will be the occasion to make a new point on the "Revolutio=
n
of the e-democracy", by advancing the new relations created by the networ=
k
among the citizens and their elected members and the emergence of the
e-citizen.
International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001: Democracy and the Information
Revolution=20
<http://www.idea.int/2001_forum/index.htm>
June 27-29 2001, Stockholm, Sweden
By combining a focus on key practical issues with exposure to the latest
cutting edge research in the ICT field, the Democracy Forum 2001 will
provide a unique opportunity for all concerned with the societal
implications of the IT revolution - from academics, ICT specialists and
business leaders, to election managers, development experts and politicia=
ns
- to come together to debate, reflect and develop creative policy options
for the future.
****FEEDFORWARD RECEIVED****
I agree that if the people are empowered with right information,
automatically they will demand better governance/performance from
politica/officer class people. Can one use your network to expose some mu=
rky
dealings so that concerned people can email the CEO of state and demand
action. Collective action means some results.=20
(Bangalore, India)
It is very amazing to find a great Net like this. I hope we could help in
anyway. (Sudan, Africa)
I am trying to establish similar digital government in Japan. (Okazaki,
Japan)
I am working in Civil Society and networking in rural Guatemala and was
curious as to what is out there. (Guatemala)
I heard about the Digital Governance initiative through the imfundo
discussion group. I find it very interesting, and I would like to impleme=
nt
it in my country. (Argentina)
I am trying to develop an special project to disseminate telecentres in P=
eru
starting through a pilot programme. Is it possible to get linked through =
you
with other institutions than can collaborate with this type of project?
(Peru)
Such a knowledge initiative is critical in developing a more transparent
governance, trade and development for my Africa region.That is a good mov=
e.
I subscribe to the aspirations. (Accra, Ghana)
It is a very important and useful knowlege which we really need to change
the destructive regimes we have in developing countries to moblize civil
society organizations and empower it for better development.
Along with Good Governance, Digital Governance are important for true
progress, democracy, transparency and so on for these countries. I gained
this insight while, as a young primary school pupil, I saw my old grand
mother struggling just to retrieve a copy of my birth certificate from
corrupt municipal civil servants who were mainly=20
recruited among the mayor's family. (Canada)
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