Benchmarking E-Government: Global Trends and Digital Divide

Abstract

E-Government, being a basic component in the public administration, is a crucial factor in setting up information communications between various branches of the state power and in ensuring access of community and business to public services in online mode. Its strategic objectives include the performance enhancement of the executive functions of the government, the assurance of quality standards of provided public services and confidentiality of data. In spite of the global tendency toward the steady expansion of e-government, many countries are facing challenges related with ICT development, digital gaps hampering further progress in building up government web-portals and implementing e-democracy. The article’s objective is to sum up international practices in assessing the development of e-government, to make a comparative analysis of the readiness and capacities of governments to provide services in online mode, to identify global tendencies, patterns and controversies in the evolution of public administration in the current context of digital transformations. Е-Government Development Index (EGDI) by which government web-portals are ranked was used as a core tool for benchmarking of the progress in digitalization of public administration achieved at country level. The article contains an analysis of the methodological framework for estimating EGDI and adapting its components to the evolution of digital technologies and new functions of e-government. Data from UN E-Government Survey 2018–2024 allowed to reveal global tendencies and transformations in e-government model, and to outline strong and weak sides of national initiatives on building up digital government; the successes of e-government in Ukraine were highlighted. It is argued that the extension of processes involved in digital transformations of public administration elevates e-government on a new and higher level, enhances its performance, makes the government more transparent and less corrupt, creates a critically new dialog between community and government, prioritizes a human, his/her rights and freedoms, thus implementing the principles “the state for the people”.