1. Gender and E-Government Katherine Reilly

2. Two Visions of the Internet Dominant Connectivity Digital divide Individuals Social/Alternative Use & appropriation Social divide Organized groups

3. State – CSO Relations E-government – the use of ICTs by government to modernize the government E-governance – the use of ICTs by government to manage the state (vertical relationship) E-democracy – the use of ICTs by government to facilitate the participation of civil society in the management of the state (horizontal relationship)

4. National Digitalization Focus of e-government on updating existing administrative systems to facilitate e-services Focus of e-governance on meeting business demands in the area of e- commerce Universal access and education as facilitating factors E-democracy is not a main focus

5. Public Information Clarity – providing information that helps citizens to understand and manoeuvre the bureaucracy. E-services and public image websites. Transparency – providing information that allows citizens to judge the performance of the state. Accountability and sanctions.

6. ICTs and Policy ICT Policy Focus on ICTs Virtual world Regulating ICTs ICTs in Policy Focus on political processes / actors Real world ICTs impacts on policy processes

7. Gender and ICT Policy Women’s Action Plan as part of National Digitalization Strategy (esp. legal reforms) E-services (ensuring women’s access) Infrastructure and Connectivity Clear information for individual women Clustering (privacy / data matching) Financial System Reform (gender accounting) National ID Cards

8. Gender and ICTs in Policy Use and appropriation of public information and ICTs in gender agendas ICTs for a gender enabling policy environment Accountability and Transparency Citizen information systems versus managerial information systems Better State-CSO relations and e-democracy

9. Conclusion Recognizing that existing social divides need to be closed in order to close the gender digital divide, work on gender and e-government needs to focus on the roll of ICTs and public information in political and public policy agendas.

10. Thank you! Fundación Acceso: www.acceso.or.crwww.acceso.or.cr Juliana Martínez: “Public Information for Public Policy Advocacy” with support of IDRC INSTRAW-GAINS Katherine Reilly: Katherine@Reilly.netKatherine@Reilly.net