Using E-Government:
Effects of the Digital Revolution
By Sharon Crouch Steidel
THE IMPACTthe "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. As they become more accustomed to these electronic interactions on a daily basis, citizens' expectations of government areis changing as well. 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. These on-line users are employing the Internet for more than e-mail and the access of information, however. They are accustomed to receiving more sophisticated services from current websites. 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. While this technology revolves primarily around the Internet, there are an increasing number of resources available, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), which are hand-held devices that serve as electronic secretaries, and other mobile systems. 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.
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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. Agency bound-aries should be transparent, and web pages should be easy to use and possess a consistent design for all services and functions. Finally, it is imperative that privacy and security be ensured.
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 order to make portals more convenient and easy to use, they are being organized according to life events, rather than to a government agency's organizational chart. This reorganization is probably one of the greatest challenges for local and state governments, since they must set aside competing organizational identities in support of web pages that are intuitive to users.
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.
Since these services are being offered to citizens who use and rely upon the Internet, states are presented with the opportunity to provide value-added information directly from their websites. A good example of this would be Virginia's tourism trade. A prospective tourist can view lodging options by region, city or other user-defined criteria. Once lodging information is listed, there is also information available on sites of interest and special events in that area. There are links to standardized mapping software, as well as a link to weather data for the selected region. While browsing lodging and other tourism information, someone can have the option to add items to a customized travel brochure, which is similar to building a shopping cart on retail websites. This virtual brochure encompasses all points of interest selected and is completely customized by the person doing the browsing. And finally, if any activity reviewed requires a special permit, such as a fishing license, the site allows for the ability to purchase licenses on-line. This type of application provides access to information and services supported by several state agencies, as well as private-sector resources. Such "one-stop shopping" is also designed with the citizen's needs in mind and demonstrates a resource that is convenient as well as efficient for both the user and the service provider.
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. With identity theft rising, these concerns are understandable. In the Council for Excellence in Government's survey, Americans expressed a great concern over security and privacy issues. 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 privacy policies on agency websites. However, there is an equal concern that there are security risks involved with on-line transactions. As a result, 54 percent of those surveyed felt that government should proceed cautiously in the development of e-commerce applications. This cautious sentiment is evident when reviewing the level of usage of e-commerce applications.
Currently, 41 U.S. states allow the payment of taxes on-line. However, while citizens increasingly use on-line tax services to access payment information and even generate their tax bills, they often stop short of actually submitting electronic payments. Additionally, on-line motor vehicle services, such as the renewal of vehicle licenses, are now widely available on state portals. But while the service is available on-line, states such as Arizona report that only 20 percent of all renewals are occurring via the Internet.
Making these systems easy to use and eliminating complexities that exist with paper-based systems also make them more attractive. For example, interstate truck drivers must file International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) tax reports in their home-base states. Due to the complexity of the paper forms, there is a 90-percent error rate on submitted reports. Idaho has taken this system and moved it to an easy-to-use web interface that assists truck drivers in the calculations needed to create their reports, which now makes the electronic filing method preferable to filling out the paper forms.
There is also a growing trend for state and local governments to develop on-line procurement systems, taking advantage of e-commerce functionality. Virginia's statewide e-procurement application, eVa, is one such example. (http://www.eva.state.va.us/) This application makes available all state procurement opportunities to interested businesses. In addition, state agencies procure goods from vendors through the same system, which handled $80 million in sales in its first few months of operation. The eVa application is now working to improve state business practices, providing better integration with individual agency procurement tracking systems.
Encouraging Citizen Involvement and Government Accountability
The Council for Excellence in Government's survey indicates that Americans feel e-government services are important, and there is positive response to the services discussed thus far. However, the survey results also suggest that Americans' expectations go beyond paperwork reduction and the time efficiencies offered. They see a potential for giving more information, which gives people the power to hold their government more accountable. Americans regard e-government as a way for them to become better informed and more involved in government. By a considerable margin, they believe that greater accountability is the greatest benefit that e-government could offer, followed by greater access to information. These expectations communicate that the public desires e-government services that allow them to voice opinions and play an active role in government.
E-democracy also offers great potential for engaging citizens and increasing accountability in government. All 50 state legislatures are making great strides in providing vast amounts of information to the public through websites that contain information on current legislation, biographical data of legislators and contact information. Most states also provide the voting records of elected officials, an excellent means for citizens to hold elected officials more accountable. Further, many states provide methods for the public to send feedback to elected officials. States such as Florida, California, and Arizona are using technology to allow constituents, by clicking on a state map, to determine who represents them in the legislature. Direct links to legislators' e-mail are then provided. This allows the public to communicate directly with the officials elected in their districts.
The rise of e-mail as the preferred method of communicating with legislators has left legislative bodies scrambling to find technology solutions to handle the massive volumes of e-mails. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) advises legislators that the public expects a legislator to receive e-mail and to post information on a website. (http://www.ncsl.org/) Further, NCSL indicates that more than 15 million Americans use information on legislators' websites to make voting decisions.
Legislatures, which in the past often operated in a manner that provided for little public scrutiny, are now receiving high marks for making the public aware of what is occurring in the legislature in a real-time manner. All states post information on meeting schedules on their websites. But many states also allow the public to sign up to speak before committees or to receive automatic notifications when meetings are scheduled. Arizona's state legislature allows the public to sign up to speak before a committee using public kiosks. Texas lets the public view committee information from their PDA or wireless Internet cell phone.
There are a growing number of states that are utilizing "push" technology to convert their static legislation data into a more interactive tool. Push technology allows for the automatic delivery, usually via e-mail, of user-defined information. This eliminates the need for a citizen to regularly visit a website to determine if new information exists. Instead, any updates to the site would generate an e-mail sent to a subscriber. For example, the public can access Virginia's Lobbyist in a Box application, and define events that would generate an e-mail notification. These events include the introduction of legislation containing specified keywords by a specific member of the General Assembly or a change of status on selected legislation. In an effort to promote a more open and accountable government, many states are now providing video streaming of their committee meetings and floor sessions from their websites. Ohio is even archiving these meetings and making them searchable. (http://www.oll.state.oh.us/) The public can access these archives and review proceedings related to a specific date or person or group.
On-line surveys are growing in popularity as well. Nevada's legislature, for example, posted over 20,000 opinions on their opinion poll page during the 2003 Regular Legislative Session. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey, 23 million Americans have used the Internet to send feedback to elected officials on policies and issues affecting their lives and 65 percent of all Americans expect to be able to communicate electronically with their elected representatives.
Legislatures are also beginning to recognize the importance of educational pages for children on their websites. As young people are future voters and leaders, educating students on the legislative process and the importance of participating in government is a critical objective in promoting representative democracy. For example, through Virginia's Capitol Classroom, teachers can access lesson plans and download educational materials that can be used in government classes (http://legis.state.va.us/CapitolClassroom/TeacherResources/GeneralAssemUnit.htm) Students in Texas can create trading cards that contain information on their state senators. (http://www.senate.state.tx.us/kids/Kids.htm) And students accessing Florida's On-line Sunshine for Kids can play games related to the legislative process, follow an animated application that explains how a bill becomes law, and learn about the history of their legislature. (http://www.flsenate.gov/kids/home.html)
The Results of Improving Government Efficiency
While the digital revolution may have prompted government entities to pursue e-government initiatives, these initiatives have resulted in benefits for government and its citizens that go beyond enhanced services. In order to attain efficient resources that cross agency boundaries, governments have had to closely examine business practices that have been in effect for many years. "Business as usual" processes that utilize bureaucratic paper trails, are being seriously re-evaluated. This has resulted in the streamlining of valuable processes, the elimination of redundant ones, and the integration of business solutions. The state of New York, for instance, while re-evaluating the system that processed motor vehicle titles, determined it could cut the 20-step process in half, whether the motor vehicle bureau implemented a technology solution or not.
As technology implementation has taken place, out-of-date business practices are re-engineered into more efficient processes, which result in services that are more efficient, cost effective, and delivered in a timelier manner. E-government initiatives consolidate into easy-to-use, one-stop shopping sites. The quality of information and services are enhanced through technological innovations. Information can be distributed more frequently and to a wider population. E-government sites can handle larger numbers of inquiries and process larger volumes of requests automatically. Citizens gain results faster and have services available around the clock. Due to the reorganization that is required, better management practices are implemented.
Since all of these benefits translate to improved services, citizens' satisfaction in government resources will increase as well. These services can be realized in cost-effective ways. Services that were once provided using printed publications, faxing, and mailing, when converted to electronic services, result in significant cost savings. As states are facing current budget shortfalls, e-government initiatives are the solution for accomplishing more with less. Many states indicate that these initiatives will take priority as budgets are scrutinized.
Whether in the area of e-services, e-commerce or e-democracy, e-government initiatives are promoting greater transparency in government. Citizens can interact with government on a more personal level. They can customize the type of services they wish to receive. They are better informed on how government operates. They see what states are procuring and they can access governing statutes and regulations. They can determine how elected officials are voting and provide feedback directly to their representatives.
Challenges for the Future
The challenge for state and local governments now rests with promoting services that are available and making citizens aware of them. According to the survey by the Council for Excellence in Government, only 34 percent of the public indicated that they were somewhat aware of the specific e-government services available to them. The only way to improve the effectiveness of e-government resources is to make the public aware of what such services can do.
Some states are finding that as they promote these new assets, the public is visiting their portals, having positive experiences , and returning to the website. Over the past two years, the state of Washington has seen usage on its web portal grow from 1,000 pages viewed per day to 700,000 per day. In the state of Indiana, web portal usage increased each year for the past six years as the General Assembly went into session. What is interesting, however, is that usage did not go back down after the legislative session ended. Indiana's conclusion is that citizens are motivated to participate in e-democracy. However, once they visit the state portal for that purpose, they find other resources that they can take advantage of year-round. Through this type of promotion, followed by consistent delivery of services that the public can trust, government agencies will realize the full benefit of e-government.
Provided those who offer e-government services continue to gain the public's trust through efficient and secure transactions, there is no end in sight to the changes that can occur in the way government conducts its business. The digital revolution has created an ongoing incentive for e-government to develop. The result has been an evolution of government services that is still in progress.
Sharon Crouch Steidel oversees information technology (IT) development for the Virginia State House of Delegates, which includes the House's legislative website and intranet. She currently serves on the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Executive Committee, and has been the chair of NCSL's Technology Task Force for the past three years.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. government.