GEC NEWS WIRESingapore and Norway lead in the Accenture 10-country survey
A new comparative study by Accenture has found that Singapore, Norway and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rank first, second and third, respectively, among 10 countries in their use of “digital government” — from offering online portals to access public services to employing digital channels and social media to communicate and engage with citizens.
The countries in the study — Brazil, Germany, India, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States — were measured.
“Citizens interact online with retailers and banks and they also want to engage digitally with their government, connecting via mobile devices 24-7,” said Bernard Le Masson, who leads Accenture’s Health & Public Service global management consulting business. “Citizen demand for digital services is even stronger in emerging markets, such as India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where 80 percent of citizens said they would like to communicate with government via social media and on their mobiles.”
By contrast, 80 percent of the survey respondents in the UAE said their government is proactively addressing their priorities in health, employment and education. According to Le Masson, the UAE is an emerging leader in digital government and its portal “My Gov” is a good example of a single, all-encompassing channel for citizens to communicate with all federal government entities.
“New digital technologies emphasizing speed and mobility are not only changing the way we live, work and interact with each other, but they are providing unprecedented opportunities for government to radically transform complex bureaucracies and become more agile, citizen-centric, efficient and innovative,” Le Masson added. “As governments become more digital and work toward ensuring that most citizens have online access, digital skills, and a voice in in the design of public services, they are experiencing higher levels of engagement, accountability and public trust.”
