UK fourth in UN e-government development report
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The UK has jumped several places in the United Nations' 2010 e–Government Development Index, from tenth place in 2008 (the last time the index was created) to fourth. The latest table shows < href=http://www2.unpan.org/egovkb/global_reports/10report.htm target= "_blank">puts the United Kingdom ahead of all other European countries, and behind South Korea, the United States, and Canada, respectively.
Full results of the survey are due to be published very soon as part of the UN's upcoming report, '2010 United Nations e-Government Survey: Leveraging e-government at a time of financial and economic crisis,' which assesses the ability of e-government during the ongoing global economic environment.
'The public trust that is gained through transparency can be further enhanced through the free sharing of government data based on open standards,' states a UN overview of the report. 'The ability of e-government to handle speed and complexity can also underpin regulatory reform.'
It continues: 'While technology is no substitute for good policy, it may give citizens the power to question the actions of regulators and bring systemic issues to the fore. Similarly, e-government can add agility to public service delivery to help governments respond to an expanded set of demands even as revenues fall short.'
The preliminary overview of the report also points out that in the two years since the previous report, governments around the world had made 'great strides in development of online services, especially in middle-income countries,' though it acknowledged: 'The costs associated with telecommunication infrastructure and human capital continue to impede e-government development.'
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