E-Government is often conceived as the next logical step after public sector reform. However, the implications of this step are not always acknowledged. In this paper, I will first recall, how exactly e-government follows the various public sector reform efforts.
I will then identify what this exactly means in terms of government’s various roles, namely telecommunications infrastructures, software solutions and platforms, and e-government services.
For each of these three roles, I will finally detail what exactly is expected from government from a liberal perspective. In conclusion, I will summarize the various roles of government in promoting e-government in terms of an overall e-policy.
The paper is structured as follows: in a first section, I will recall the main elements of public sector reform, as they were discussed prior to the more recent e-government endeavors. I will take here deliberately a liberal look at governments’ roles, assuming that it is not at all obligatory that government is also in charge of its own e-government services.
The paper will nevertheless argue that, in some crucial areas, the role of government is indeed needed so that e-government does function optimally. In order to develop my argument, and after having recalled public sector reform
policies and practices, I will then identify the various layers that are all necessary for e-government to function optimally, ranging from the hardware, to the software, and finally to the service layers. In a third section, I will determine what role exactly government should play in each of these layers.
The Business plan on Balance Sheet and Public Sector Reform
... integral part of the restructuring of core government processes to ensure the success of public sector reform efforts. 1.2 Describe the systems of accounts ... assess the contribution or the profitability of different products or services that they supply by comparing the revenues and costs that ... 2.1 As a manager you need to fully understand your role in the budgetary process. It is the most basic ...
The concluding section will call for a broad e-policy, which encompasses all three layers and which limits governments role to these aspects which are essential for e-government to function in a liberal market perspective.
