ICT for better GovernanceChallenges and Expectations

Microsoft Asia ICAPS Forum 201321st November 2013, Hotel Le Meridien,

New Delhi, INDIA

Sanjay Saxena

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World Bank (1992)Asian Development

Bank (1995)Canada Institute of Governance (2002)

United Nations Development Program (1997)

Governance is a method through which power is exercised in the management of a country’s political, economic, and social resources for development.

Governance is the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s political, social and economic resources for development

Governance is the process whereby societies of organizations make important decisions, determine whom they involve and how they render account.

Governance is the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises the mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences.

What is Governance

Governance Systems: Supply and Demand

• Capacities and organizational arrangements – leadership, skills, human resource and financial management systems – embodied in state institutions to deliver public goods and services

Supply side

• Institutions and accountability arrangements – elections, political parties, parliaments, judicial systems, free press, civil society organizations, accountable local governments – that enable citizens and firms to hold state institutions to account

Demand side

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Governance Systems: Actors, Capacities and Accountability

Executive-Central Govt

Cross-cutting Control Agencies (Finance, HR)

Service Delivery & Regulatory Agencies

Citizens / Firms

Citizens / Firms

Citizens / Firms

Citizens / Firms

Outcome

• Services,

• Regulations,

• Corruption

Political Actors & Institutions

•Political Parties

•Competition, transparency

Civil Society & Private Sector

•Civil Society Watchdogs

•Media

•Business Associations

Sub national Govt & Communities

Check & Balance Institutions

•Parliament

•Judiciary

•Oversight institutions

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Good Governance has many dimensions

Citizens / Firms

Citizens / Firms

Citizens / Firms

Citizens / Firms

Political Accountability

•Political competition, broad-based political parties

•Transparency & regulation of party financing

•Disclosure of parliamentary votes

Decentralization and Local Participation

•Decentralization with accountability

•Community Driven Development

•Oversight by associations & user groups

•Beneficiary participation in projects

Checks & Balances

•Independent, effective judiciary

•Legislative oversight (PACs, PECs)

•Independent oversight institutions (SAI, TRAI)

•Global initiatives: UN, OECD Convention, anti-money laundering. Counter terrorism, etc.

Civil Society & Media

•Freedom of press

•Civil society watchdogs

•Report cards, citizen surveys

Private Sector Interface

•Streamlined regulation

•Public-private partnerships &dialogue

•Industry Transparency

•Corporate governance

•Collective business associations

Effective Public Sector Management

•Ethical leadership: asset declaration, conflict of interest rules

•Cross-cutting public management systems: meritocracy, public finance, procurement

•Service delivery and regulatory agencies in sectors

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Governance: Goes beyond the Government

State

MarketCivil

Society

Mobilizing peoples

participation

Creating opportunity for people

Creating a favorable political, legal & economic environment

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Stakeholders in Governance

Stakeholders in Governance

Legislature

Judiciary

Media

Private Sector

Social Orgns.

Civil Society

Political parties

Executive

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Why Good Governance

Development Goals

• Better Lives – Improved health & education, better infrastructure

• Empowering poor, disadvantaged, disabled and marginalized citizens

• Improved Education and skills – e-learning

• Social and political participation of disadvantaged groups

Economic Growth

• Better and efficient services benefit enterprises

• Transparent systems and lack of corruption encourage investments

• Accountability improves quality of services enabled to private sector

• E-commerce, banking etc can promote trade8

Good Governance• Mechanisms for assuring good governance have three key elements: Internal rules and

restraints (internal accounting and auditing systems, independence of the judiciary and the central bank, civil service and budgeting rules); “Voice” and partnership (public-private deliberation councils, and service delivery surveys to solicit citizens feedback); and Competition (competitive social service delivery, private participation in infrastructure, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and outright privatization of certain market-driven activities). – WDR 1997.

• It is “… among other things participatory, transparent and accountable. It is also effective &equitable. And it promotes the rule of law.” – UNDP

It “… encompasses the role of public authorities in establishing the environment in which economic operators function and in determining the distribution of benefits as well as the relationship between the ruler and the ruled.” – OECD

• Good Governance is focusing on legitimacy (government should have the consent of the governed), accountability (ensuring transparency, being answerable for actions and media freedom), competence (effective policy making, implementation and service delivery), and respect for law and human rights – DFID

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Attributes of Good Governance

Good Governance

Accountable

Transparent

Responsive

Equitable and inclusive

Effective and Efficient

Follows the rule of law

Participatory

Consensus oriented

Source: United Nations10

E-Governance & Good Governance

Development Goals

Accountability To people

Transparency Information accessible to all

Responsiveness Make governance respond

Effectiveness and Efficiency People’s watch for more from less

Equitable and Inclusive ICT knows no socioeconomic divide

Participatory ICT empowers people to assert & exert

Consensus oriented Opportunities open to all for opinion

Follows the rule of law ICT cannot favour / disfavour anybody

E-governance can be defined as the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to promote efficient and cost-effective Governance; enhance efficiency of service delivery; allow greater public access to information; and make Governance accountable, transparent and responsive to citizens.

E-Governance and E-Government are both about delivering cost effective services that the public wants. Governance is the outcome as experienced by those on the receiving end, and Government is the formal apparatus for this objective.

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E-Governance and Development Goals

Development Category

ICT-based Initiatives Specific Development Goal

Better lives for the poor

• Health information systems• Telecentres• Mobile phones

• Improved health care• Access to information for better freedom of choice• Better economic and social opportunities

Improved Government services

• Computerised back-end administrative systems

• E-government direct services• Use of GIS

• More efficient services to citizens• Visible direct services• Better planning and implementation of

infrastructure

Enhanceinternal economic activity

• Internet banking and e-commerce • Adoption of ICTs in private sector

companies• ICT in agricultural supply chains

• Better financial services to citizens and business • More efficient enterprises• Improved efficiency in the key sector of agriculture

Improved civil society

• Computerised records in land reform• Empowering slum dwellers and other local

communities through information and ICTs• Provision of broader information an civil

society

• Increased efficiency and reduced corruption • Improved social and political participation of

disadvantaged groups• Information as means to affect negative attitudes

such as apathy and indifference

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceAccountable

Governance

• Described as being “at the heart of governance”.

• Holding public officials responsible for their actions

• Horizontal (internal) and vertical (external) accountability

E-Governance

• Databases on government services, channels of service delivery and responsibilities of decision makers

• Citizen centers facilitating application for services, tracking information and lodging complaints, Call Centers, City Dashboard, File Management Systems, etc.

Issues

• Does more data equals more accountability?

• Does mere flow of information (G2C or C2G) automatically ensure accountability?

• Is the use of information which is critical, given top priority?

• Can you have accountability without open data?

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceTransparent

Governance

• Free flow of information

• Accessibility of information to those affected by decisions taken in governance process

E-Governance

• Citizen records such as benefits entitlements, land titles, etc. and information on benefits provided under government projects and programmes

• Automation of Government BUT with Business Process Re-engineering

Issues

• Is open data really open, available and usable?

• Is open data an extractive or exploitative process?

• Who has access to which data?

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceResponsiveness

Governance

• Citizen orientation, citizen friendliness

• Timely delivery of services

• Redressal of citizen grievances

E-Governance

• MIS, web-portals to apply for Government approvals, certificates and services

• E-payment of bills, taxes, charges etc.

• Tele-centers, IVRS, mobile / sms / phone services to address grievances and citizens engagement

Issues

• Does new technology create parallel reporting and structures?

• Can Public Private Partnerships paradoxically improve interface with Government?

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceEffectiveness and Efficiency

Governance

• Optimum use of resources

• Competency and performance of civil servants

• Result orientation

E-Governance

• Computerised back-end administrative systems, Decision Support Dashboards

• Business Process Re-engineering

• Learning Systems

Issues

• Efficient vs transformational- incrementally improve a poorly working system or look at a fundamental paradigm shift for ALL processes?

• Do we plan for deeper capacity building (at organisational level), beyond just training.

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceRule of Law

Governance

• Fair legal framework

• Impartial enforcement machinery

• Independent judiciary

E-Governance

• Judicial database and case management systems, digitization of court and criminal records

• Use of GIS to maintain land records, tracking systems such as traffic and vehicles

• Grievance redressal mechanisms through websites, social media platforms,

Issues

• Are there major privacy and security risks from citizens point of view?

• Is Big Data more vulnerable to manipulation by external sources?

• What is an acceptable tradeoff between ‘secure’ systems and ‘user friendly’ systems & privacy

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceParticipation

Governance

• Opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making,

• implementation and monitoring of Government activities

• Freedom of expression and association, organized civil society

E-Governance

• Websites with feedback pages, online consultations, tele-consultations with remote villages

• Information dissemination on Government services, programmes and policies through tele-centers, citizen service centers, websites and social media platforms, City Service Portals

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Issues

• How do you define and measure participation?

• Who is supposed to participate?

• Is participation a goal in itself?

Attributes of Good E-GovernanceEquity and Inclusiveness

Governance

• All groups, particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being

• Equal opportunities for participation in decision making process

E-Governance

• Computerisation of records of poor for identification (eg. UIDAI), use of e-banking for direct cash transfers to those below poverty line, computerisation of safety net programmes such as Public Distribution System (PDS)

• Branchless banking for rural areas

• Citizen service centers and kiosks can facilitate information for farmers on prices and farming technologies and or facilitate buying of products the poor, city service portals

Issues

• How do we know what works?

• Monitoring & Evaluation of e-governance programmes have limitations - no counter-factual?

• How critically does digital divide impact equity and inclusiveness?

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Attributes of Good E-GovernanceConsensus OrientationGovernance

• Mediation of different interests in society to reach a broad consensus on

• What is in the best interest of the whole community

E-Governance

• Social Media Sites like Twitter, Facbook, etc. help influence and shape public opinion

• Blogs and interactive portals, public grievance websites help governmental agencies gather public opinion and how projects and programmes are doing

Issues

• Can new ICTs weaken helpful traditional / cultural structures or systems by removing intermediaries

• Can openness create fear, paralyze political systems and hinder decision making?

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How do we make it work?

Building the enabling

environment

The will to change

Political Support

Incentives Awareness

Overcoming resistence to

change

Training and Capacity Building

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Total Synergy Consulting Private LimitedS-85, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi 110048, INDIA

+91-9811083474 Sanjay@tscpl.cpm

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