1. Next Generation E-Governance: From Vision to Reality
Gregory G. Curtin, Ph.D., JD
Director, E-Governance Lab
Bedrosian Center for Governance and the Public Enterprise
University of Southern California
2008/8/27
Organized by : Taiwan e-Governance Research Center (TEG)
Supported by : The Research, Development & Evaluation Commission, Executive Yuan.

2. The Vision of E-Governance
E-Participation/E-Democracy
E-Governance:
Governing in the Digital Age
E-Administration
E-Services 2

3. External Drivers--Next Generation E-Gov
Changing Political, Social and Consumer Expectations based on Rise of the Internet
Generational Change in Government Leadership
Massive Generational/Demographic Change in Citizen User Base
Continued Globalization: Commerce, Communications, Culture

4. Governmental Drivers--Next Generation E-Gov
Governments Across the Globe Have Implemented Some E-Government
Nations, states, international and regional organizations, municipalities, etc.
Virtually all governments have some form/level of e-government implementation
E-Government Entering its Second Decade—Adolescence!
Early Adopters/Leaders have Completed Initial Phases of Strategic Plans & Initiatives
The Search for “What’s Next?”

5. Preparing for the Next Generation of E-Governance
Education Supportive of Technology (NOT Necessarily Tech Education)
Incorporating Technology in Education at All Levels
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs that Incorporate Technology
E-Governance Integrated into Schools of Government/Public Administration
Tech “Savvy” Leadership and Management: Training and Professional Development
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks in Support of E-government
Continued Opening of Access to Public Information/Data/Records
Open Standards in E-Gov Technologies
Widespread Acceptance and Penetration of New Technologies 5

6. Evaluating E-Gov—A Key Step
Imperatives:
Required—Regulatory, Fiduciary Responsibility
Required for Continued Funding
Political Pressure
Business Pressure
Backward Looking:
How Have We Done
What Have We Accomplished
Did We Meet Stated Goals
Forward Looking:
Where Are We Going—Are We On the Right Track?
What Should We be Doing
What Resources Do We Need

7. Current State of E-Gov Evaluation?
Often Nothing!
Whatever can be Measured (Ad Hocism)
Available data and statistics (whether good or not)
Feedback, input, opinions
E-Gov Technology Evaluation:
Infrastructure
Readiness
Web Presence, Availability
Performance, Reliability
Penetration, Access
Direct Costs of Technology

8. Current State of E-Gov Evaluation?
Financial Approaches to Evaluation
Cost Savings, Cost Avoidance
Revenue Generation, Revenue Enhancement
Current Costs, Future Costs
Budget Impacts
Return on Investment (ROI)
People/Processes
Usage: Number, Uptake, Frequency
User Feedback: Awareness, Perceptions, Opinions
Civil Servants: Number, Productivity, Customer Service
Activity: Transactions, Touch Points, Increase/Decrease

9. What SHOULD be Evaluated?
Public Value of E-governance
Public Trust
Social Inclusion
Community Well Being
Sustainability
Impacts of E-gov
Efficiency
Good Government: Transparency, Accountability
Equity
Economic Development
Change: Changed Circumstances, New Processes, New Services, Changed Perceptions/Expectations
Innovation?

10. Innovation in Government
The focus of Evaluation should be on Innovation in GOVERNMENT, not simply innovation in E-Government
What innovations will lead to a positive change in the government-citizen relationship
What institutional innovations will lead to better government and governance
What innovations will lead to expanded democratic values, processes, institutions…and greater participation
What innovations will lead to a better overall quality of life for citizens
What should government and governance look like in the 21st Century and beyond!

11. Evaluation/Innovation Matrix
Evaluation Approach/
Factors
Social/Human
Processes
Governance
Public Value
Well-being indicators
Community and economic development
Satisfaction in information levels
Participation
Direct support, involvement
Customer service
Transparency
Accountability
Public Trust
Public Assets
Change
Enhanced health, education, welfare
Increase in economic factors
Increased levels of satisfaction
Direct, transparent processes
User controlled processes
Enhanced Trust in Government
Increased Legitimacy
Innovation
De-emphasis on public-private divide
“New” public sphere
Citizen as public shareholder
On-demand processes
Profile/preference generated
Public-private partnerships
Personalized services
De-institutionalization
Flexible, as-needed
Regionalism, cross-national collaboration
Open, fluid, agile

12. Evaluation Challenges
Poor Data Quality/Data Collection
No Culture of Evaluation, Measurement, Introspection
Lack of Openness, Transparency
Lack of Evaluation Expertise (Internal, External, Public/Private/ Academia)

13. Evaluation Challenges
No/Poorly Identified Objectives, Goals, Targets to Evaluate
Lack of Evaluation Tools, Frameworks, Methodologies
Costs—Most Important Areas to Evaluate are often the Hardest/Costliest
No Agreed Upon Policy, Vision, Guidance for Evaluation

14. Evaluation Approaches
Application/Service Oriented
Web Census/Surveys
Data Collection/Analysis (e.g., transactions, activities, rates, frequencies)
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Automated Analyses (e.g., web crawling, systems testing)
User Oriented
Focus Groups
Opinion Survey
Observation: Ethnographic Studies, User Sessions, Laboratories
Outcomes Oriented
Case Studies
Good Practices
Impacts Analysis
Comparative Analyses
Peer Reviews

15. Value/Cost of Evaluation
Change/Transformation
Public Value
Societal Impacts
Service Objectives
Operational Performance
Cost/Benefits
Readiness
Awareness
Opinions
Increase in E-Government Value
Increase in Cost, Effort, Complexity
Increase in Innovation

16. Evaluating the Complex “Stuff”
Citizen Empowerment
Government Transformation
Development of the Knowledge Society/Economy
E-Inclusion
Closing the Digital Divide
Public Trust, Government Credibility
Good Government/Governance
Increased Economic and Social Mobility
Government-Citizen Dialogue
Citizen Satisfaction
Etc., Etc.

17. Frequency of Stated Outcomes in EU E-Gov Strategies (OECD)

18. Innovation Challenges
Lack of Formal Evaluations
Lack of Policy, Vision, Guidance
No Culture of Innovation
No Incentives, Rewards for Innovation
Lack of Good Information, Knowledge (Created from Good Data)
Efforts Too Decentralized or Too Centralized
Costs, Budgets

19. The Innovation Imperative
Transform
Empower
Connect
Whole of Government
All of Civic Society
Initiate
Evaluate
Innovate
Financial, Data
Non-financial
Real Impacts
Public Value
Innovation
Integrate Evaluation and Innovation
Project, Program, Government and Societal Goals
Data, Information, Good Practices

20. Research & Innovation for Next Generation E-Gov
E-Government Research & Evaluation should Lead to Applied Leadership, Training and Innovation Programs
Such Programs will Lead to the Next Generation of E-Governance
Evaluation Should Incorporate More Complex Approaches That Include both “Soft” and “Hard” Indicators
A Global Framework: Evaluation for Innovation
Evaluation and Innovation Should Be Framed within a National/Cultural Context
Cross-National, Regional and International Standards and Models Should be Developed
Information and Good Practices should be Shared and Knowledge Transferred Among Nations, States, Governments

21. Thank You! Gregory G. Curtin, Ph.D., JD gcurtin@usc.edu
E-Governance Lab
Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise
School of Policy, Planning and Development
University of Southern California