Have you checked the recent GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) released by the World Bank Group?
The GTMI measures the key aspects of four GovTech focus areas
1. Supporting core government systems
2. Enhancing service delivery
3. Mainstreaming citizen engagement
4. Fostering GovTech enablers—and assists practitioners in the design of new digital transformation projects
The team has used the WBG data sets and multiple other sources including the 2020 UN e-Government survey.
They have emphasized the need for two-way digital enablement where there is a seamless engagement of Government and citizens.
Most of the countries have a one-way digital engagement at the moment, and they have highlighted many case studies for leading initiatives.
India, for the right reasons, has emerged as one of the leading countries in the GovTech space.
There are many more examples in India about GovTech transformation, and thankfully there is an acknowledgment that Governments should encourage local entrepreneurs to develop innovative products.
Key Messages (reproduced from the summary of the report)
• Commitment at high levels of government and the allocation of necessary resources are crucial for the sustainability of GovTech initiatives.
• Large-scale GovTech challenges are more evident in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia than in other regions, and more substantial resources are needed to address issues related to the digital divide, infrastructure, and governance in these regions.
• Countries could focus more on improving the interconnectivity and interoperability of existing systems and portals, and on the benefits of having a government cloud, service bus, and application programming interfaces (APIs) as cost-effective shared platforms in future GovTech initiatives.
• Next-generation online service portals could expand transactional services, saving substantial time, reducing costs, and improving the quality of services for citizens and businesses.
• GovTech initiatives could focus more on multifunctional citizen participation platforms to deepen the citizen-government relationship through effective CivicTech solutions,3 improve accountability, and build public trust in government.
• Further investments in digital skills development and innovation in the public sector are crucial to supporting the transition to a data-driven culture and building strong technical skills.
• Governments could promote the use of open data to create added economic value by establishing public data platforms that individuals and firms can access. Government and other players in the public policy making process could also harness the data for better evidence-based policies and program adaptation.
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