The “Comparative Research on eGovernment in the EU

and China” Study.

Dr Shaun Topham, EU eForumBeijing, October 2013

China-Europe Public Administration Project II (CEPA II)–中国 欧盟公共管理二期项目

China-Europe Public Administration Project II (CEPA II)–中国 欧盟公共管理二期项目

Purpose of the StudyThe brief for carrying out this study included the following:

“The e-government research centre at CAG wished to provide policy references for the government to design China’s future ICT strategies by comparing China’s and EU member states’ e-government development strategies with the aim of promoting service-oriented government, more convenient, transparent, efficient and more extensive public services in China.”

and “To compare China and the EU’s eGovernment development strategies.”

This was linked to the UN Benchmarking Report, indicating areas where improvement could be targeted – and how to get better in eGovernment without slavishly copying.

Main Aim

The Main aim was to see what lessons could be learned from the strategy-making process in EU, which had started earlier to develop eGovernment than China and which has many Member States placed high in the global eGovernment rankings.

The aim was also to look at not just strategy, but also how to turn this policy into practice.

It also looked at how these policies were created in the first place and how other stakeholders were involved in their creation.

Topics covered

As we have seen today and yesterday, the wide range of topics coming under the eGovernment umbrella- everything could not be covered in the scope of the Study.Nor could the great number of strategies in existence be considered- only the major EU policies, along with a few chosen examples from Member States of the EU, to add further depth

Topic Logic

Shared Services This is an important part of moving towards more transformational and joined-up government, breaking down silos.

Smart Cities This is very topical in China and to have a smart city, you need smart governance, which extends beyond the remit of the city administration itself.

Identity Management Even in the EU, despite all the efforts to create cross-border interoperability, it is still not pushed enough by cities and it will be an obstacle to be overcome, preventing joined-up government

Trusted information exchange As with identity management, the secure and interoperable exchange of information between departments and organisations and not just within an organisation.

Open Data A lever for economic development as well as new government services

Topic Logic

Privacy Implications/Data Protection In the same category as identity management and secure transmission of messages- vital for confidence in keeping private information secure.

Evaluation and Benchmarking An important area for a long time in the EU and one where interest has been shown by Chinese cities to see how they may benefit more from it.

New business models For economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public administrations

Open Standards and interoperability Covering such aspects at an early stage prevents problems from building up in the future

Citizen Centricity Will always be of great importance

Inclusion/digital divide Will always be of great importance

Smart Regulation A shift in balance toward the importance of IT in the administrative process and its “point-of-view“ needing to be heard more to prevent obstacle and to remove obstacles in bureaucratic processes.

What next

• Making progress together on “What comes next- not just replicating what has gone before”

• Smart Cities Dialogue- with a smart city providing a focal point for improving eGovernment

• Working with the imminent Horizon 2020 initiative for R and D

• Having learning Journeys to collaborate those having existing best practice

Thank YouDr Shaun TophamShaun.Topham@eu-forum.org