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Local e-Governance for Social and Economic Development

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Local e-Governance for Social and Economic Development

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    1. Local e-Governance for Social and Economic Development Luci Abrahams LOGIN Africa presentation Gauteng 29 May 2007

    2. Scope of presentation & workshop discussion Sketch the context Gauteng city region and its municipalities aiming for high growth and social inclusion What the LOGIN Africa study aims to do – comments from participants to ensure relevance Early findings – comment from participants regarding mutual advice and issues for further study Key issues for “eGovernance for social and local economic development”

    3. Context Scope of study – local e-governance for social development and local economic development Entities – 14 municipal level councils in Gauteng Province, total population 9m+ [South Africa total population 47,3m] Vision – “globally competitive Gauteng city-region” – collective vision of provincial and municipal governments (compare San Francisco, London, Cairo, Mumbai approaches) Growth and Development Strategy – 8% growth by 2014 Multisectoral Social Development Strategy – issues pertinent to local e-governance include housing, education, health, safety & security, social inclusion Local Economic Development strategies – issues pertinent to local e-governance include development of the mainstream economy [finance, manufacturing, infrastructure, services, R&D], integrating the “second economy” into the mainstream economy, increasing opportunities for employment [low and high income] through HRD and increased levels of investment SA Cities Network frame/applicability – 9 metro and district level governments across SA, with national DPLG (all have similar challenges, can share research & solutions) [cascading value of research]

    4. Context

    5. Gauteng Municipalities

    6. Capacity and Organisation of the State Gauteng Provincial Government From DBSA provincial report

    7. Capacity and Organisation of the State Gauteng Provincial Government From DBSA provincial report

    8. Capacity and Organisation of the State Gauteng Provincial Government From DBSA provincial report

    9. GCR Vision for Gauteng Aims for high growth 8% >, based largely on manufacturing, infrastructure and services, building provincial innovation system, hosting international events eg FIFA World Cup 2010TM Aims to decrease rate of unemployment and increase rate of social inclusion Notes that ICT access and usage including e-governance characterises productive, competitive, innovative cities & can increase social inclusion, anti-poverty? – various initiatives

    10. Local e-governance SA Morocco Report: E-governance describes the use and impact of ICT in governance systems. It involves new channels for accessing government, new styles of leadership, new methods of transacting, and new systems for organising and delivering information and services. The focus is primarily on processes and interactions. Pan-African Conceptual Framework: e-governance has the following three applications: e-Administration: in which an administration or a government office uses ICT in order to interrelate its various departments and digitize its internal operations via “automation and computerization of administrative tasks”. e-Citizens and Services: are e-Government applications that enable online access to government information and knowledge and “deliver automated services”. e-Society: provides a platform that facilitates interactions between government actor and civil society.

    12. Field of focus Social Development: Social development refers to focusing on development through building the capacities of individuals, families, and communities, in contrast to a more traditional social services focus on maintenance and problem solving. Social development and economic development are interdependent and mutually reinforcing processes. Equitable social development is the foundation of economic prosperity and economic growth is necessary for social development. The main elements of the social development strategy for the Gauteng government are social protection and social investment. [Gauteng multi-sectoral strategy on social development]

    13. Field of focus Local Economic Development: City of Joburg: Economic projects/programmes that “ensure that the Johannesburg economy as a whole works better for all residents” and which fosters growth and accelerates employment (population 3,225m; >1m households; strong in services, especially financial services with some manufacturing) [ City of Ekurhuleni: Mission is “to facilitate a conducive environment where all can participate in a wealth generating local economy by focusing on economic growth, empowerment and transformation” [Integrated Development Plan]

    14. Theoretical framework & scope Global City Region – competitiveness, knowledge economy, new institutionalism [what social development envisaged; what LED envisaged] ICTs for Development – to address information poverty (income, assets, services and infrastructure) [websites, connectivity, ??] Good governance and public sector reform [strategic vision, responsiveness, transparency]

    15. Scope [“Phase 1”] Infrastructure to drive delivery eg. connectivity plan & building blocks & how to phase this in for a e-governance architecture eg 3 scenarios [network & hosting infrastructure, MTEF budget, HR skills development ] – what have other local governments done Institutional arrangements – local government, private provider, SPV? Websites [SD, LED, level of maturity ] – usefulness,compare Projects: Contact Centres [SD, LED, level of maturity] eg.billing systems, emergency call centres, Libraries, Bana Pele Potential sites of ICT & telecoms sector that can be developed because = transport for economy, so not helping, must have an economic rationale Particular concrete areas where cooperation can add value – economies of scale or knowledge/capacity

    16. Research objective & questions Research objective: To elucidate the current state of e-governance in relation to social and local economic development and to recommend actions for further evolution. Research questions: What is the state of e-governance at the local level across the Gauteng Province? To what extent (types of activities; level of maturity) have Gauteng province and municipalities implemented e-governance functions and services to support local economic and social development? What factors have informed the development of e-governance in local government? Has good governance been served by these activities in relation to strategic vision, responsiveness and transparency? What measures and resources are required to develop the capacities of local government to evolve e-governance for social and local economic development?

    17. Demand side analysis Social Development (Baseline profile of Gauteng Province; Demarcation Board; IDPs) Local Economic Development (DBSA report on the Second Economy; SA Cities Network report) Digital Divide (Towards an African e-Index, Mapping ICT access in South Africa) Demand side statements (assumptions taken from existing research)

    18. Supply side analysis Social Development (GMSSD) Local Economic Development (Gauteng Growth & Development Strategy, CoJ, CoE) e-Govt Plan 2005: alignment to GCR/GDS & performance wrt plan Municipalities e-Govt Plans: alignment GCR/IDP& performance wrt plan Supply side statement (taken from strategies/plans) D + S Problem statement = Alignment (intergovernmental; demand) + Performance

    19. Outline of “model” GCR e-governance strategy A. SD, LED,GCR objectives B. e-Governance response: e-services, e-administration, e-society (phases of maturity) C. e-Gov access mapping & strategy D. e-Gov delivery audit & strategy (phases of maturity, targets & timeframes) Content management (knowledge management) E. Institutional mechanisms & resources F. Monitoring and evaluation of inputs and outputs recommendations/revisions for outcomes & impact

    20. Roadmap for e-government in the Developing World [A] Why are we pursuing e-government? [A] Do we have a clear vision and priorities for e-Government? [B] What kind of e-government are we ready for? [B] Is there enough political will to lead the e-government effort? [C + D] Are we selecting e-government projects in the best way? [C + D] How should we plan and manage e-government projects? [E] How will we overcome resistance from within the government? [F] How will we measure and communicate progress? How will we know if we are failing? [E] What should our relationship be with private sector? [A] How can e-government improve citizen participation in public affairs?

    21. Methodology Document and website review Stakeholder engagement Appreciative enquiry workshops Strategy facilitation (strategy outline + 10 questions) Identify selected initiatives for more detailed study Interviews Site visits

    22. Evolution of e-governance

    23. Good governance factors

    24. Website review Each of the municipal websites was reviewed in terms of: Alignment to the phasing of e-government development Application of assessment criteria for web design Focus on social and local economic development

    25. Phases of e-Government Development

    26. Website Assessment Criteria

    27. Social and Local Economic Development The following municipal functions support social and local economic development Social Development Childcare facilities, housing, municipal health services, free basic services, refuse removal, local amenities, sports facilities, municipal parks and recreation Local Economic Development Local tourism, municipal public transport, trading regulations, control of sale of alcohol and food, markets and street trading Metros have a broader definition

    28. Assessment of websites Website review considered information on websites on the following municipal functions Social Development: Municipal Health Services Local Economic Development: Local Tourism

    29. Phase of E-Governance Development: Key Findings 12 of the 14 municipalities have a website 11 of the 12 websites are still in Phase 1: Information Publishing Phase 2: City of Johannesburg stands out as it offers a range of services that can be conducted on-line

    30. Assessment Criteria: Content Scope: Assessing information supplied on municipal functions that support social & local economic development Finding 1: The websites are generally not explicit about what the relevant municipal functions are and what additional functions have been allocated by province. Finding 2: It is not made clear how functions are shared or allocated between the district municipality and its local municipalities. Finding 3: Websites do not always provide information on all of the functions that support SD and LED – pertains mainly to DM and LM sites Finding 4: Very few sites are delineated according to target audience such as Resident, Business, Visitor

    31. Assessment Criteria: Content Finding 5: Information available in English only Finding 6: Contact information generally is provided and growing allowance for email contact (esp metros) – need to test for responsiveness Finding 7: Outdated information (calendars, other) Finding 8: Presentation of information = heavy reliance on adobe documents (information overload) without summary of the content of the documents

    32. Content – Municipal Health Services Information on health services is mostly limited to information on clinics (apart from CoJ) Information is mostly presented in the form of databases, with some variation Only a few provided all the information required: name of clinic, physical address, contact number, dates and times of operation, and services rendered None of the districts supplied information on the environmental health functions and services Not always easy to find the information – should be intuitive or sites should have a functional search engine or site map to assist the process of finding the information

    33. Content – Local Tourism Four websites had no tourist information (mainly local municipalities) Five websites had limited information on tourism Three websites had comprehensive information on tourism Only one website, namely CoJ, had information for emerging tour operators

    34. Assessment Criteria: Interface Scope: the look and feel of the websites Finding 1: great variation in the look and feel of the websites. Sometimes within websites there is inconsistency in the look and feel. Municipalities that have a strong corporate identity are likely to have more consistency in the websites look and feel. One website found to be unacceptable in terms of inappropriate use of graphics.

    35. Assessment Criteria: Navigation Scope: is it easy to find the information one is looking for? Finding 1: Generally not easy. Search engines either non-existent or ineffective. Websites contain a great deal of information but it takes patience to find this information. Finding 2: Two websites where one got stuck on a webpage and only way to get to other parts of site is by re-entering the URL address, going to home page and starting all over again.

    36. Assessment Criteria: Technical Scope: any technical challenges in using the websites Finding 1: In most cases require adobe acrobat software as a number of sites have PDF documents that need to be downloaded. Finding 2: Speed becomes an issue because of the time spent downloading documents. It also takes more time and therefore costs more to use (particularly for dial-ups)

    37. Website review: commendations City of Johannesburg’s site map and e-services website eservice.joburg.org.za City of Tshwane’s Multi-lingual Policy www.tshwane.gov.za/multilingualism.cfm & www.tshwane.gov.za/wardcom.cmf Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s Refuse Removal Timetables www.ekurhuleni.com Sedibeng’s supplier development and guide “How do I tender?” www.sedibeng.gov.za/tender.html# West Rand Tourism Information www.wrdm.gov.za/tourism/tourism.htm Mogale City information for residents on health, education and library services www.mogalecity.gov.za Emfuleni for its online community satisfaction survey www.emfuleni.gov.za/satisfactionsurvey.htm

    38. Digital Divide Report Access to telecommunications: 28.5% of households have access to landline 48.7% of households have access to a cellphone Community service telephones 1:250 people Access to computers and the Internet in the household: 25% of households have access to a PC 20% of households have access to the internet (concentrated in CoJ and CoT)(note limitation of affordability) Access to various forms of public telecommunications service centres High number of public telecomms service centres but potentially servicing incredibly high volumes of people impact of quality and access to services.

    39. Discussion Governance perspective = strategy, participation/ responsiveness, transparency Responses – Understanding the factors that contribute to the success or failures of e-government initiatives, the type of support necessary to achieve the planned outcomes and the capacities necessary to manage ICT projects can contribute to achieving greater social and economic development benefits Possible recommendations – Propose quantitative measurement and qualitative assessment against pre-set goals to ID risks and corrective actions Cairo comment – Importance of developing e-governance applications as well as GUI interface for mobile phones

    40. Good governance and public sector reform Strategic vision, responsiveness, transparency A Converged Communications Strategy = Ekurhuleni Municipality including strategic vision on creating a positive legacy of social development and LED; connectivity through “open networks” but needs same base technology (Tshwane is odd person out) eg broadband aggregation; VANs licenses, providers and competition; Broad strategies for development need to include explicit statements about social and LED and ICT/e-governance – what the document says vs what the institution actually does and where it spends its money = monitoring & evaluation (creating understanding, discussion and alignment) Policies on use of email and Internet Need strong capacity to create business plans, budgets and long-term planning and evaluate options eGovernance vs other options for service improvement and innovation eg libraries with more library books and computers with access to Internet Focus on needs of real people ie largest population is in poor communities

    41. ICT for Development A Converged Communications Strategy = Ekurhuleni Municipality including connectivity; websites? Race to 2010, digital inclusion of marginalised communities through broadband deployment – eg all learners in matric have an Internet address to search for jobs = Broadband City = passive infrastructure + active infrastructure + service offerings; partnerships with private industry for development; create a metro telco; create e-government architecture; fiber + wireless networks (can lease to Vodacom etc) Connectivity – want to do a Connectivity Masterplan ie passive, active + services ie architecture eg for industrial development ie tracking movement of goods, and vehicle registration and licensing since probably have more trucks coming in and out of Sedibeng than any other municipality Social development in Sedibeng – call centre with well trained staff who answer the calls and dispatch EMS properly; EMS communication; standards for communication Each DM has different functions eg Sedibeng but also co-ordinating between province and locals 24-hour call center for emergencies and disasters

    42. Global city region A Converged Communications Strategy = Ekurhuleni Municipality including Attracting investment? Social inclusion? IDPs and GDS’s include reference to ICT infrastructure for SD and LED DLG objectives coincide with e-governance definition in terms of access to information and province serving as partner to municipal governments; harmonisation, alignment and IDPs; so also harmonisation and alignment of e-governance strategies and outcomes? – a shared understanding of needs, trends, potential and development trajectories in the province This medium and long-term research and strategy design needs to be taken into the GUO – review lessons from Knysna, other Asymmetrical development and infrastructure/services provision eg Ekurhuleni does connectivity, Joburg does content for all, Tshwane?? Provincial Information Society Task Team must include people working with IDPs and GDSs not just IT Develop assessment capacity for vendors

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