We are proud to announce that the Youth in E-Government Pilot Project has been awarded a grant to facilitate Interact and Transact applications for the City of Wheeling’s webpage as well as Ohio County’s webpage. In order to execute this huge undertaking CCF has partnered with The Association of Counties, The Municipal League and The West Virginia State Board of Education to ensure that community leaders and students will be aware of their responsibilities to ensure all objectives are met.
E-Government is the use of technology, particularly the Internet, as a means to deliver government services and information to citizens, businesses, and other entities. E-Government is traditionally broken down into 4 categories: Publish – Interact – Transact – Adoption.
Publish
Governments generate huge volumes of information, much of it potentially useful to individuals and businesses. The Internet and other advanced communications technologies can bring this information quickly and more directly to citizens. Publish implementations of E-government diverge widely in their design and content, but communities that are looking to have a presence on the web can start the process of E-government by publishing government information online, beginning with rules and regulations, documents, and forms. Enabling citizens and businesses to readily access government information without having to travel to government offices, stand in long lines, or be limited to traditional business hours increases government transparency as well as efficiency. Publish sites seek to disseminate information about government and information compiled by government to as wide an audience as possible. In doing so, publish sites serve as the leading edge of E-government.
Interact
Publish sites, however rich in content, are just a first step. E-government has the potential to involve citizens in the governance process by engaging them in interaction with policymakers throughout the policy cycle and at all levels of government. Strengthening civic engagement contributes to building public trust in government. Interactive E-government involves two-way communications, starting with basic functions like email contact information for government officials or feedback forms that allow users to submit comments on legislative or policy proposals. This phase of E-government may also include the creation of citizen/government forums where people can exchange ideas, broaden public awareness of issues, and establish new opportunities for activism not constrained by distance.
Transact
Governments can go further, by creating websites that allow users to conduct transactions online. Just as the private sector makes use of the Internet to offer e-commerce services, governments will be expected to do the same with their services. Potential cost savings, accountability through information logs, and productivity improvements will be important drivers. A transact website offers a direct link to government services, available at any time. Perhaps the biggest incentive for governments utilizing and providing transact services is to streamline currently bureaucratic and labor-intensive procedures, which can save money and increase productivity in the long-run. Furthermore, by automating and revamping procedures and processes, especially in revenue-generating areas such as tax and fine collection, governments can improve revenues while elevating trust in government at the same time. Transact sites can enhance productivity in both the public and private sector by making processes that require government assistance or approval simpler, faster, and cheaper. But because these are several steps (and in some cases, a quantum leap) above publish sites, governments need to be aware that implementation will not be simple.
Adoption
E-government applications are only successful if they are embraced by the community. In rural areas this can be difficult to do given the perceived skepticism of online transactions. Despite this limitation, steps can be made to increase adoption rates. Public awareness is key, and through strong community engagement potential users will be more likely to embrace E-Government applications. Structure and perceived ease of use further increase the likely hood of adoption and additional steps can be taken to increase the perceived usefulness and reduce the perceived risk. CCF has a comprehensive assessment and plan to ensure adoption rates are at levels that justify investment into E-Government applications.
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