E-participation and e-government: understanding the present and creating the future

This document presents an edited paper containing the work of twelve experts on e-government and e-participation. It aims to address the issues and challenges facing countries developing ICT for development and e-government programmes.

The editors point out that the information revolution has ushered in an era where the capabilities for participating in all aspects of the economy and society are changing with the diffusion of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs). In the industrialised world, countries are finding the initial use of ICTs to provide relevant public services has led to a renewed interest by citizens in the uptake of government services. 

•  lessons of experiences in e-participation and e-governance, from the perspective of citizens in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) Region, show that adoption of technology for the benefit of the citizen was slower in that region
  
•  with new technology providing opportunities for the increased citizen involvement as a first step to promote participation rests on the availability of information 
  
•  the challenge for e-government and e-participation is to develop an effective partnership among the various stakeholders to manage change in public sector management, which is critical to introducing e-government applications and services 
  
•  innovations in ICT should give priority to supporting e-government and e-participation.