E-governance, a Global Journey

Book excerpt: "E-governance affects every citizen. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have made public services easier to access and information easier to obtain; fines and taxes can be processed more rapidly and votes can be counted faster. Channeling the potential of ICTs in the public sector has affected how states, and governments at all levels, do business. It will inevitably shape how they will continue to change in the future. This book has grown out of an executive training program, leading to an Executive Master's degree in e-governance, from Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Participants in this Master's program came from all over the world; from government, the private sector and non-governmental organizations. They were all interested in electronic governance and motivated by the desire to learn from the numerous and varied e-governance experiences worldwide. The 12 chapters have been written by 10 participants, one manager and one professor involved in the program. The book is divided into four sections: e-governance visions; local e-governance; transversal e-governance issues and the future of e-governance. E-governance has already led to many significant changes in the way society operates, and this book provides some insight into how this has been achieved, as well as taking a look at the further developments which may happen in the future."--Publisher's website.