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Thanks to e-government rollouts, citizens can vote, access benefits, pay taxes and more with just a few clicks. These services are spreading across the world. So which countries are making the most progress?

For the last two decades, public bodies have introduced a range of e-government services to facilitate remote voting, welfare support, tax payment and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they boosted their commitment to these programs.

But how successful have these investments been? The answers can be found in the latest release of the biennial report published by the UN, The United Nations E-Government Survey.

It says: "The development of digital government has seen a significant upward trend worldwide, with all regions leveraging technology to enhance government services and improve people’s engagement. This shift has accelerated during the post-pandemic recovery period, with increased investment in resilient infrastructure and cutting-edge solutions."

The report gives a detailed summary of the progress made so far. Its E-government Development Index (EGDI) measures performance at the national level – and gives a score by country and region. 

The authors also touch on the significant investment in digital identity frameworks. This is an important topic. Why? Because e-government services only work when every citizen has a unique and robust identity through which to access them.

These identities must be designed for the digital domain. In the physical world, ID can take the form of a passport or driver's license or ID card etc. But these analogue markers are too easily faked online. The digital space demands different types of credentials and authentication processes such as encrypted tokens (verified by a third party) and biometrics.

The UN report says: “Digital identity is the gateway to digital services. Without a legal digital identity, people are invisible to government agencies and at risk of being excluded from accessing even the most basic services. (Digital identity) is a high priority for many countries in their bid to achieve growth- driven digital transformation.”

In addition to summarising the maturity of e-government services around the world, the UN study also provides guidance on best practice for building them. Its Digital Government Model Framework offers a road map for how to make e-government successful and sustainable.

Let’s dig deeper into the e-gov concept and the content of the UN research.

What is e-government?

E-government refers to the use of digital technologies to deliver government services, information and transactions to citizens, businesses, and other public agencies. These services might include:

•    Online tax filing and payment
•    Digital ID and documentation
•    License and permit applications
•    Government benefits management
•    Online voting systems

The approach has many benefits. E-government services are generally available 24 hours a day. People can access them instantly with no need to travel. The e-gov approach reduces administrative costs, increases transparency and cuts paperwork. Some argue that the use of automated systems can reduce corruption. 

Against this, there are downsides. E-gov services can exclude citizens who have limited digital skills. When e-gov services are not joined up, they demand repeated actions by users. And when they go wrong, they can be disruptive. 

What is the history of e-government?

The origins of e-gov go back to the 1960s when government agencies began experimenting with mainframe computers for record-keeping. But the services didn't become 'customer facing' until 2001, when the dotcom era emerged.

This period saw the launch of the first government websites, and the introduction of basic online transactions and services. Countries passed landmark legislation such as the US E-Government Act (2000) and the EU i2010 E-Government Action Plan (2005).

The United Nations took a close interest in the area during this time. In March 2001, it brought 122 countries together for the first Global Forum on Reinventing Government to share practical experiences and solutions.

This was followed in July 2001 by UN's first Benchmarking E-Government: A Global Perspective – Assessing the Progress of the UN Member States report. It introduced the E-Government Index (later renamed the E-Government Development Index – EGDI) as a tool for policy planners.

In the subsequent two decades, e-gov services proliferated. This was thanks to the emergence of tech such as cloud hosting, social media, mobile apps and digital identity. This led to the rise of "one-stop-shop" government portals and online payment facilities.

The United Nations E-Government Survey: key findings

As noted above, the UN has been supporting the concept of e-government since 2001. However, this support accelerated when the organisation launched its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. The 17 SDGs pledged to tackle poverty, education, equality, economic growth and other pillars of successful economies.

The UN believes digital services can help countries to meet these goals. In the report, it says: “By leveraging digital tools, authorities can improve service delivery, enhance citizen engagement, and promote inclusive development, directly contributing to the realisation of the SDGs.”

So, if there's general consensus that e-government is a positive development for citizens, it raises the question: how can we measure it? 

This is where the United Nations E-government Index (EGDI) comes in. It measures the performance of countries and cities in comparison to one another, as opposed to being an absolute assessment of a certain country and city. 

The latest edition stresses the global improvement in e-government. But it concedes that the global digital divide remains a challenge. There are isolated positive outcomes, but developing regions such Africa and Oceania remain a long way behind. 

Here are some of its key findings:

•    The global average EGDI value is now at 0.6382 on a scale of 0 to 1, up from 0.6102 in 2022. 

•    The number of countries with very high EGDI values has more than tripled over the past ten years, rising from 25 in 2014 to 76 in 2024. 

•    The new index reveals the positive performance by some African countries. Mauritius, for example, scored 0.7506.

Introducing the UN Digital Government Model Framework 

According to the above EDGI data, it’s clear that governments are making good progress on e-government services. The question for the UN is: how can it keep this momentum up?

Its answer is the Digital Government Model Framework. It offers a road map for implementing effective digital government initiatives, using insights gained from 24 years of data collection. 

The UN says: “The framework is meant to be a tool policymakers and digital leaders can use to pursue a systemic (and systematic) approach to understanding, analysing and implementing digital initiatives.”

The model framework provides guidance on the six business drivers for effective e-government services:

•    Digital leadership
•    Data centricity
•    Effective e-participation
•    Digital literacy
•    Robust digital infrastructure 
•    Legal digital identity

Legal digital identity: the key to e-government 

Legal digital identity is one of the prerequisites of an effective e-government. In order to electronically vote or access benefits or pay taxes or apply for a permit, every citizen must have a unique digital ID. 

This requires a new kind of identity ‘architecture’ – different from those used for traditional offline services. Clearly, it’s not good enough to ask for a person’s name and a scan of their passport or utility bill. These attributes are too easily falsified. And in some countries, citizens don’t even possess these credentials.

Digital identity demands a new approach. Governments need a process for establishing – and then tokenising – the unique identity of a citizen. They must then protect this identity with robust software security, data encryption, and authentication mechanisms such as biometrics.

However, as the report explains, millions of people still lack the means to establish a legal digital identity. The UN is committed to changing this. In fact, its SDG target 16.9 is “providing legal identity for all, including birth registrations, by 2030.”

Rising to the e-government challenge: Africa

The report makes clear that developing regions are still behind in their e-government development. Africa in particular has a lot of work to do. That said, some African countries do score above the EGDI global average, like Mauritius, Seychelles and Tunisia. 

There is plenty of optimism that African nations can rise to the challenge. The continent is home to a youthful, digitally savvy population, which has embraced many tech innovations (especially in mobile). Leaders within the African Union trading bloc have pledged to build on this promise. In 2020 they published the Strategy for Digital Transformation. This includes the goal of establishing a digital single market in Africa by 2030.

Investing in digital identity frameworks and e-government infrastructure will help. It will improve public efficiency, make services more accessible, boost citizen engagement and reduce administrative burden for private firms. 

There is plenty of evidence that this works. Take the example of the small Baltic state of Estonia. It ranks at #2 on the UN rankings with a score of 0.9393 (behind only Denmark). In 2000, Estonia passed the Digital Signature Act, and within three years it took nearly all its services online via the e-Estonia State Portal. Two decades later, nearly all Estonian government services are offered 24/7 online.

Conclusion 

The UN study makes it clear that e-government is on the rise worldwide. The pandemic accelerated this trend, supported by tech developments such as cloud computing, high speed broadband, AI, cybersecurity and digital identity management. 

The report’s EGDI index reveals the different levels of progress across different countries. It shows that there is still work to be done in many regions. But the UN’s Digital Government Model Framework should help those falling behind to close the gap. 

Overall, however, the research provides a positive picture of a world in which more and more citizens can access important services safely and with maximum convenience. By providing inclusive and secure authentication, biometrics are a key asset in building digital identity infrastructures.