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A Review of Improving Good Governance through ICT Revitalization

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 A Review of Improving Good Governance through ICT
Revitalization

By

MUHAMMAD MUHAMMAD SULEIMAN

(+234) 8168686024, 8023364875
muhddkd@gmail.com, muhdkd@yahoo.com,

ABUBAKAR UMAR TSAKUWA

(+234) 8038492461, 8065898453

AMINU MUHAMMAD ABDULLAHI

(+234) 8034548773
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT
SCHOOL OF RURAL TECHNOLOGY & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
DEVELOPMENT, RANO

AND

YUSUF MUHAMMAD EL-TAHIR

DEPARTMENT OF ACADEMIC PLANNING
CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION

KANO STATE POLYTECHNIC

BEING TEXT OF A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 1ST NATIONAL CONFERENCE

ORGANIZED BY RESEARCH & ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE,
SORTED RANO, KANO STATE POLYTECHNIC

HELD BETWEEN 22ND TO 23RD NOVEMBER, 2017

Abstract

Information and communication Technologies (ICTS) increasingly become enablers of change

and organisational efficiency and effectiveness in all types of organisations-public, private and
non-profit making. ICTs on their own however do not create transformation since they are only
facilitators of change, innovation and creativity. The essence of e-government is to link
government activities with the advanced technology that the world is having today. This
technology has already shown a remarkable job in bringing efficiency in private sector through e-
business, e-banking, e-procurement etc. E-government is engaged not only in providing citizen
services but in improving public sector efficiency, transparency and accountability in government
functions and decreasing the costs of public administration. In fact, the ultimate goal of the E-
Government is to be able to offer the public services to citizens in an efficient and cost effective
manner, which is also the good governance maxim. Therefore, e-government can be seen as an
efficient tool for good governance in many countries in the world, which are working on public
administration reform, trying to make government more proactive, efficient, transparent and
especially more service oriented. It enables people to make best use of automated administrative
processes that are accessible on-line. Governments worldwide are in rethink mode vis-a-vis
systems, process and procedures in order to deliver efficient and cost effective services online. E-
government, which is the result of e-governance, promises the continuous optimization of Service
Delivery, Public participation and Governance by transforming internal and external
relationships through technology, Internet and New Media.

Keywords: ICT, E-Government, Good Governance, Internet, Revitalization

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 Introduction

As a result of direct and indirect forces of globalization, governance has become a current
phenomenon both in developed countries as well as developing once. The advancement in
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has added a new dimension to the governance
pitch and the concept of electronic governance has begun. ICTs are developing faster than ever
before and these aid the process of development of good governance.

Sukanta (2012) described ICT as the varied collection of technological gear and resources that
used for the purpose of communication. Similarly, Heeks (2001) claimed that the effect of new
information and communication technologies has significant contribution to the achievement of
good governance goals. It simplifies the administration process by integrating various
departmental information systems and facilitates the performance more effectively. It can help an
organization in many ways. First, it integrates all parts of the organization to enable more control
over its administrative operations, thus can reducing an organization's operating costs. Second, it
helps to increase operational efficiency by connecting and integrating all administrative processes
so that personnel use less time to perform tasks. Third, it helps users to have more and faster
access to the information, which improves the time and information available for decision-
making.

Good governance is a concept that has recently come into regular use in political science, and
public administration. Within the public management discipline, good governance has been
regarded as new paradigm in Public Administration, which emphasizes the new type of approach
of public officers in providing high quality services to citizens.

According to the World Bank, six (6) major issues need to be considered when discussing and
assessing the level of Good governance development. They as follows;
i) Voice and Accountability: Captures perceptions of the extent to which a country's citizens
are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression,
freedom of association, and a free media;
ii) Political Stability and absence of violence: Measures perceptions of the likelihood that the
government will be destabilized or overthrown by unconstitutional or violent means,
including politically-motivated violence and terrorism;

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iii) Government Effectiveness: Captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the
quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence from political pressures, the
quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government's
commitment to such policies;
iv) Regulatory Quality: Captures perceptions of the ability of the government to formulate and
implement sound policies and regulations that permit and promote private sector
development;
v) Rule of Law: Captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in the rules
of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police,
and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence;
vi) Control of Corruption: Captures perceptions of the extent to which elites and private
interests exercise public power for private gain, including both petty and grand forms of
corruption, as well as “capture” of the state.

Good governance has major implications for equity, poverty and quality of life. Therefore, Good
governance should be participatory, transparent and accountable in characteristic. This provides a
framework, which enables decision-making based on broad consensus in society, respecting the
needs of the poorest and most vulnerable groups while allocating public funds and resources.

Definition of E-Government

To understand E-government, it must understand administrative development and reform on

government in general. During two decades, Administrative reform and development have
experienced Total Quality Management (TQM) in 1980’s, and Reengineering and Reinventing
Government in 1990’s. Government reinvention make us realized that government is actually a
dynamic mixture of goals, structures and functions. E-government initiatives are complex change
efforts intended to use new and emerging technologies to support a transformation in the
operation and effectiveness of government derived from government reinvention. New challenge
of public administration in 2000’s or 21st century is to create an E-government.

E-governance, sometimes referred as e-government, online-government or digital government,

can be simply defined as the public sectors' use of Information Communication Technologies
(ICTs including the world-wide-web, mobile devises, digital content, etc.) to improve and
enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of information and services to citizens,

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businesses and organizations. “E-government' essentially is being regarded as powerful tool in
hands of government for reducing cost, enhancing revenues, improving delivery of public services
(Saeed, 2012). It also purports to ensure the efficiency, accountability and transparency in the
functioning of government and show the way of good governance (Harris, 2000). Heeks (2001)
also point out three (3) main contributions of e-governance like improving government processes
(e-administration), connecting citizens (e-services), and building external interactions (e-society).

G2E G2G

GOVERNMENT

G2B G2C

Fig.1: Interactions between Government and other Agencies

E-government and E-governance

E-governance is beyond the scope of e-government. While e-government is defined as a mere

delivery of government services and information to the public using electronic means, e-
governance allows citizen direct participation of constituents in political activities going beyond
government and includes E-democracy, E-voting, and participating political activity online. So,
most broadly, concept of E-governance will cover government, citizens participation, political
parties and organizations, Parliament and Judiciary functions.

Recognizing E- Government as “Good Governance” Tool

By definition “E-Government' essentially refers to ‘The utilization of Information Technology

(IT), Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and other web-based

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telecommunication technologies to improve and/or enhance on the efficiency and effectiveness of
service delivery in the public sector.’ (Jeong, 2007, cited in Madzova, V., Sajnoski, K & Davcev,
L. 2013).

E-Government has traditionally been understood as being centered on the operations of

government, e-Governance is understood to extend the scope by including citizen engagement and
participation in governance. As such, e-Governance can be used as a tool to achieve better
governance. Therefore, some governments have seized the opportunities offered by the new and
emerging information and communication technologies to transform government based on
democracy, inclusiveness and performance excellency. Others have yet to begin to appreciate the
impact of the new information and communication technologies. They have continued to depend
on the traditional ways of creating wealth and providing services.

Virtual Organization

In an effort to create citizen-focused government, government should create a virtual

organizational structure for government services. E-Governmental system has moved the whole
government onto the web and networking. Web sites need to be categorized by the function of the
service rather than the agency administering them. A well-designed portal to all online federal
information will make citizen government interaction more efficient and effective.

The most effective solution for categorizing information on government, E-government should
develop a database driven system, where all information is automatically listed in databases as it
is placed online. Implementing this type of system would allow more accurate and efficient
searches. There are a number of other applications that could be developed that would make
government more customers centered. Government should develop “information on request”
systems to provide people with government information. In addition, government should expand
and standardize the number of applications for online forms. All government forms should be
publicly available and searchable on a central federal Web site.

Administrative, Political and Ethic Issues in E-Government

Some administrative, political and ethical issues derived from E-Government should be addressed
here, such as security, privacy and digital divide.

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E-government implementations must consider security and privacy to ensure information systems
and holdings are appropriately protected and individual rights are respected. Security generally
refers to protection of the information systems assets and controlling access to the information
itself. Application of security is specific to the situation and sensitivity of the information. For
example, security protection for public information, such as the minutes of council meeting on the
web, is not stringent, as would information specific to an individual’s information. Privacy
generally refers to respecting the right to have information attributed to an individual (often called
nominal information) be treated with an appropriate level of protection. Information privacy
protection laws are often put in place to regulate this. Another issue is Digital Divide. At the same
time, concerns have already been expressed about the gap between the technology haves and
have-nots, and more popularly known as "the digital divide." In order to ensure that countries
avoid creating a digital divide and create conditions to ensure that growth of the knowledge
economy contributes to carrying out a democratic process of efficient, equitable and sustainable
development, expanded dialogue and new patterns of cooperation among public, private ad civil
society organizations are needed.

Types of E-government Portfolio

a) G2C–Government to Citizen: This is the best-known and fastest growing type of e-

government.

b) G2B–Government to Business: Specifically intended to facilitate business interaction with

government. This area has the greatest potential for urban planning, real estate development,
and economic development.

c) G2G–Government to Government: Probably the least known type of e-government, G2G

will greatly improve the interaction among local, state, and federal governments.

d) G2E-Government-to-Employees: The objective of G2E is agencies to be able to improve

effectiveness and efficiency, eliminating delays in processing and improving employees’
satisfaction and retention. Internal efficiency and effectiveness, adopting commercial best
practices in government operation in areas such as supply chain management, financial
management and knowledge management. The category of e-government that focuses on
interactions between government and government employees to support transactions such as

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 payroll and pension plans, obtaining training information, and accessing benefit eligibility
information.

Advantages of Electronic-government

The ultimate goal of the e-government is to be able to offer an increased portfolio of public
services to citizens in an efficient and cost effective manner. It allows for government
transparency because it allows the public to be informed about what the government is working
on as well as the policies they are trying to implement. However, the real benefit of E-government
is not in the use of the new technology per ser, but in its application to process of transformation.

i) To improve the efficiency of the current system (Paper based system) that would in return
same money and time. The introduction would also facilitate better communications between
governments and businesses.

For example: E-procurement facilitates G2G and B2B communication; this will permit
smaller business to compete for government contracts as well as larger business. Hence the
advantage of creating an open market and stronger economy. Business and citizens can obtain
information at a faster speed and it is possible at any time of the day.

ii) An e-government service also creates social benefits for the citizens of a country. For
countries that have a widely dispersed population an e-government, service allows the citizens
situated in remote areas to have access to the same services that citizens within the major
cities would enjoy. Canada is an example of a country with a largely disperse population;
Canada has ranked first in the Accenture’s global e-government survey for the past five years.

iii) The anticipated benefits of e-government include efficiency, improved services delivery,
better accessibility of public services and greater government transparency and accountability.
Government transparency is important because it allows the public to be informed about what
the government is working on, as well as the policies they are trying to implement. Gujarat, a
state within India, adopted an e-government service for controlling border checks and it was
discovered that it lead to a “reduction of corruption and significant increase in the state's tax
revenue”. The new system gave a three-fold increase in tax revenue in two years; increasing
from $12m to $35m and subsequently repaying the cost of the project, $4m, in just six
months.

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iv) E-government is an easy way for the public to be more involved in political campaigns.
Through the internet, people from all over the world can interact with politicians or public
servants and make their voices heard. These technologies can create a more transparent
government, increase in citizen participation in elections and allowing voters to immediately
see how and why their representation in the capital is voting and the way he/she is. This helps
voters better decide who to vote for in the future and may help the public servants become
more productive.

v) Improved accounting and record keeping can be noted through computerization, and
information and forms can be easily accessed, equaling quicker processing time. On the
administrative side, access to help find or retrieve files and linked information can now be
stored in databases versus hardcopies stored in various locations. Individuals with disabilities
or conditions no longer have to be mobile to be active in government and can be in the
comfort of their own homes.

Disadvantages of Electronic-government

The main disadvantage concerning e-government is the lack of equality in public access to the
internet, reliability of information on the web, and hidden agendas of government groups that
could influence and bias public opinions.

i) Potential implications of implementing and designing e-government,

include disintermediation of the government and citizens, impacts on economic, social and
political factors, vulnerability to cyber-attacks and disturbance to the status quo in these areas.

ii) Hyper-surveillance: Once the government begins to develop and become more sophisticated,
the citizens will be forced to interact electronically with the government on a larger scale. e.g.
this could potentially lead to a lack of privacy for civilians as their government obtains more
and more information on them.

iii) Cost: Although large amount of money is spent on the development and implementation of e-
government the outcomes and effects of trial internet-based governments are often difficult to
gauge or unsatisfactory.

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iv) Inaccessibility: An e-government site that provides web based access and support often does
not offer the potential to reach many users including those who live in the remote areas, have
low literacy levels and exist on poverty line incomes. The internet is an environment that is,
for most part, not designed to cater for the needs of individuals with disabilities. For example,
very few pages are designed for the content of the page to be viewed by a blind person. By
creating an e-government service using the infrastructure of the internet, the service will
obviously lead to the isolation of several citizens within a country who will not be able to use
the e-government service.

v) Opponents of e-government argue that online governmental transparency is dubious because

the governments themselves maintain it. Information can be added or removed from the public
eye. To this day, very few organizations monitor and provide accountability for these
modifications. Even the governments themselves do not always keep track of the information
they insert and delete.

Conclusions

The opportunities and challenges posed by the new and emerging information technologies have
stimulated efforts by national governments to work toward the development of national
information policies and strategies. Governments set and promulgate policies and are collectively
the major spender on information and communications technologies In fact e-government entered
a world in which the societies were already actively looking for new and innovative forms of
public governance. E-government can contribute significantly towards the process of public
administration reform in terms of creating accountable and cost effective government, through
facilitation of communication and improvement of the coordination of authorities at different
government layers. The movement to e-government, at its heart, is changing the way people and
businesses interact with government. E-government offers a huge potential in seeking innovative
way to reach the ideal of government of people, by people and for the people.

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