E-government
E-government provides an opportunity to develop a new
relationship between governments, citizens, service users and
businesses, by using new ICTs which enable the dissemination
and collection of information and services both within and
outside of government (government to citizen; government to
business; government to government) for the purposes of service
delivery, decision making and accountability.
Knowledge management
Knowledge management practices have always existed in
organisations to make decisions and to produce goods and
services. What has changed is the weight of knowledge as a
source of wealth-creation compared to other factors of
production : knowledge has become a critical determinant of
competitiveness for both the private and public sector. The
knowledge-intensive economy implies a need for faster
adaptation to an accelerated change in the environment of
public policies and service delivery. Governments will have to
be more reactive, and deliver services closer to the customer.
Thus, knowledge management represents a management
modernisation challenge for the public sector, which involves
adapting classic management tools in a way that systematically
promotes knowledge sharing. This includes, among other things
:
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Improving human and social capital (flattening rigid
pyramidal hierarchies, linking performance pay and
promotion to knowledge sharing).
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Adapting organisational capital (intranets, computerised
databases).
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Strengthening connections with private firms, research
institutes, universities?
Both knowledge management and e-government are being
propelled by the availability of new ICT tools that allow new
ways for institutions to work.
Knowledge management, however, extends beyond the confines
of e-government. Indeed, KM uses not only ICTs but also
“low-tech” communications tools such as
brown bag lunches, and its scope extends beyond internal
decision making and delivery of services to also encompass
government's role in ensuring the creation and availability of
strategic knowledge.
By the same token, e-government extends beyond knowledge
management as it can increase a government's legitimacy, the
quality of public decisions and service delivery, and promote
citizen's contribution to public policy issues and decision
making.
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Our Voices: Building Citizen Centred Policies and Services
