The New Face of Government: e-Government in the U.S.

Seth G. Fearey Connected Communities

IIPS, 14 November, 2001

• From face to face

The face of local governmentis changing.

• To the Web

• And more ...

The Goal is Customer Service

What is E-Government?

A full range of computer and communications-enabled government services for

– citizens– businesses– employees– other public agencies

Key Elements of E-Gov

Internal Operations

Public Engagemen

t

Agency to Agency

Services & Transaction

s

Public Policy

Technology

Technology

E-Gov is Growing in Popularity in the U.S.

The Good News -– 83% have websites– 18% of those with websites accept requests for

at least one service, e.g. road repairs– 40% plan to offer at least one financial

transaction within one year– 36% report that business processes are being

re-engineered because of the Internet

University of Maryland Survey of Cities and Counties, Fall 2000 (1,881 responses of 3,749 surveys sent out)

People are using the Web to communicate with local gov’t• Pew Internet Life Study (Jan 2001)

– 30% of Internet users go on-line sometimes or often for information on local government

– 13% sometimes or often send e-mail to public officials

– 50% say their town has a web site (37% say they do not know)

– 20% say their local government web site is very useful

But plans are in place to adopt e-government practices rapidly over the next few years.

The Bad News (ICMA study)– Only 9% of local governments have an even a

minimal e-government strategy– Less than 20% provide Internet access to all

employees– Less than 3% allow any type of financial

transaction

Driving Forces

1. Reinventing Government– Financial Pressures– Customer Pressures– Speed Pressures– New Technologies

“Do More with Less”

Driving Forces

2. The Internet– Rising Expectations

Millions of Users

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Source: Nua Surveys, Yankee Group

U.S.

including 10.6

million broadband

users

Almost 60%

Driving Forces

2. The Internet– Falling Costs

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Cost to send 1 bit 1 km in mills

Consumers Know It Costs Less to Use the Internet

TransactionTraditional Systems Internet

% Savings

Banking 1.08$ 0.13$ 89%Airline Ticket 8.00$ 1.00$ 87%Bill Payment 2.75$ 0.85$ 70%Insurance $400-$700 $200-$350 50%

Source: OECD from various sources

Citizens want their local government to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, just like any other well-managed service business.

Goals of E-Government

1. Better, More Convenient, Customer Service

http://www.govguide.org/

Goals of E-Government

1. Better, More Convenient, Customer Service

2. Greater Operating Efficiencies

e.g. Interactive Voice Response for tracking permit applications and scheduling inspections

Goals of E-Government

1. Better, More Convenient, Customer Service

2. Greater Operating Efficiencies

3. More Public Participation in Government Decision Making

City Council Meeting, Bloomington, Indiana

Goals of E-Government

1. Better, More Convenient, Customer Service

2. Greater Operating Efficiencies

3. More Public Participation in Government Decision Making

4. Become More Attractive to Businesses

http://www.sjpermits.com/sjpermit/prereqs.htm

Challenges

• It is Expensive

• The Technology Does Not Always Work

Despite the $20 billion expected to be spent on moving government into the electronic world over the next five years, more than half of e-government initiatives will fail. - Gartner Group

Challenges

• It is Expensive

• The Technology Does Not Always Work

• Customers Do Not Use It

• Managers Resist Change

• Employees Do Not Have Access

• Recovering New Costs, e.g. credit card fees

• All Citizens Do Not Have Access

Strategies

• Use new, low-cost, “government-in-a-box” tools• Collaborate with other cities to develop

standards, share costs and best practices• Provide employees with home computers to

learn the new tools• Use the “carrot and stick” approach - incentives and penalties

• Make e-government a part of the business strategy, not an IT project

The New, New Face of GovernmentIt’s Personal

The New, New Face of Government• It’s Personal

• It’s Regional– e.g. MARC regional e-procurement portal

A Service Portal for King County Cities

• A single gateway

• On-line services

• Links to City sites and applications

Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.

MarylandMaryland

Virginia Virginia

Anne ArundelAnne Arundel

HowardHoward

MontgomeryMontgomery

BowieBowie

ArlingtonArlington

Prince Prince George’sGeorge’s

LoudounLoudoun

Falls ChurchFalls Church

Fairfax CityFairfax City

ManassasManassas

Prince WilliamPrince William

StaffordStafford

SpotsylvaniaSpotsylvania

CharlesCharles CalvertCalvert

FairfaxFairfaxAlexandriaAlexandria

FrederickFrederick

Partners

In partnership with the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

Metro Washington Council of Governments E-Procurement Portal

The New Face of Government

• Is e-government a good idea?– Barriers to reaching and working with

government are falling – Businesses are demanding and using it– Active citizens love it– Young people are becoming more interested in

their communities

We must continue our experiments and learn by doing.