Peer Review of E-Government in Arab countries

by Marco Daglio, Administrator,Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate

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What is an OECD Peer Review of E-government

n It is an in-depth qualitative and quantitative assessment of e-government implementation in a country aiming at:

– Highlighting the achievements, good practices and progress made

– Identifying the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of e-government

– Providing proposals for action to decision makers for improving e-government performance

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What makes an OECD review unique?

n Independency: assessment and proposals for action are provided by government officials from OECD countries with practical experience in e-government. OECD Secretariat supports the review process.

n Collegiality: results of the review are presented and discussed in official OECD bodies (e.g. OECD network of senior e-government officials)

n Transparency: detailed project plan and review timeframe are agreed by the reviewed country and OECD

n Quality: review methodology and analytical framework builds on OECD countries continuous work on e-government

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Benefits of the review

For the reviewed countryn Provide decision makers with an objective assessment of

how a country uses ICT to become more efficient and effective

n Assist a country to understand how well its e-government goals are aligned with public sector reform objectives

n Provide proposals for action to policy makers on how to improve their initiatives

For external observersn Provide an independent evaluation of a country’s

accomplishmentn Provide other countries with experience and good

practices in addressing e-government challenges

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Impacts of reviews

n Finland (2003) – OECD report is foundation for 2005 reform of Ministry of Finance’s role in co-ordinating e-government

n Mexico (2005) – OECD findings have justified a decision to invest in developing business case methodologies

n Norway (2005) – OECD report has sparked a review of co-ordination structures and processes

n Denmark (2005) – OECD report has lead to a decision to strengthen and integrate e-government activities as part of a broader public sector modernisation agenda in the Ministry of Finance

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Peer Review Analytical Framework

n Drivers for e-government (public management reform, information society goals…)

n Barriers (legal, budgetary, digital divide, infrastructure, competencies)

n Leadership and coordination (horizontal and vertical across sectors and tiers of government)

n Implementation (management, organisational structures, skills, capacity…)

n Collaboration frameworks (CBP, standards, enterprise architecture, inter-connectivity, multi-channel strategies)

n Outputs and outcomes (G2C, G2B, G2G…)n Other areas of focus (e.g. sectoral overviews)

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Peer Review Process

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Peer Review of E-governmentIn United Arab Emirates

E-Government objectives: • Internal efficiencies?• Proactive services to citizens?• Reduction of administrativeburden for businesses?

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Major project deliverables

n A detailed project plan for the reviewn A questionnaire for completion by civil servantsn A programme of interviews conducted during 2 fact-

finding missionsn A preliminary assessment reportn A draft report including final assessment and follow

up strategic plan for future stepsn A final published reportn A status report looking at the status of the

implementation of the proposals for action after a given time

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Project plan (example)

Action 1 First meeting with [country] representative(s)/discussion of the analysis framework for the peer review

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Action 2 Agreement reached between [country] and the OECD on study proposal and terms of reference; transfer of voluntary contribution to the OECD

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Action 3 Provision by [country] of contact information and data sources Insert date

Action 4 Background research by the OECD, including a first visit to [country] by OECD e-government staff (Mission 1 - could also take place back-to-back with Mission 2)

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Action 5 Administration of OECD questionnaire Insert date

Action 6 Principal visit to [country] by e-government team, including peer reviewers, for interviews and focus groups (Mission 2)

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Action 7 Draft preliminary assessment Insert date

Action 8 Produce a draft report including final assessment and action plan for future steps Insert date

Action 9 Discussion of draft report with OECD and Arab countries at the meting of the GfD Working Group 2 on E-government and Administrative Simplification

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Action 10 Revision of the draft report Insert date

Action 11 Presentation of final report to [country]; report published (Mission 3) Insert date

Action 12 Follow-up short report by OECD Secretariat assessing the status of the implementation of the proposals for action (if requested)

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Project Governance

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Question for discussion

n How would a peer review of your national e-government initiative help you advance e-government development in your country?

n How could the proposals for action emerging from the review support the implementation of your national action plan for e-government?

n How can the review analytical framework be adapted to

the e-government development context of Arab countries?