During the last decade of the 20th century, many of the world’s governments began to implement initiatives related to the way in which the Internet can be used to improve various aspects of public sector. Public administration has today become a part of the service market.

During the last decade of the 20th century, many of the world’s governments began to implement initiatives related to the way in which the Internet can be used to improve various aspects of public sector. Public administration has today become a part of the service market. Electronic government is traditionally defined as the delivery of information and services from governmental institutions via electronic channels. In a broader sense, however, the term has been applied to all aspects of the implementation of informational technologies in the public sector, because services cannot be considered outside of the broader context – channels and techniques, communications between citizens and government institutions, the engagement of state and municipal offices in the information technologies sector, as well as the ability of local residents to use IT. In 2002, in Seville, the European Council launched the “eEurope 2005 Action Plan”, organizing the implementation of Lisbon Strategy considerations within the Information Society sector. E-government was deemed a priority objective. The “eEurope 2005” plan defines such areas of action as the connection of all public administration institutions to the broadband Internet, the assurance of interoperability in terms of the provision of E-government services in Europe, the development of interactive public services, online public procurement, establishment of public Internet access facilities, as well as online services for leisure and tourism. The development of modern public administration through the use of IT is a part of Lithuania’s Information Society development plans. Key documents include the national long-term strategy, the Information Society Development Strategy of Lithuania and its annual Information Society Development plans, as well as documents which address the ability of key governmental institutions to develop the Information Society. E-government has been assigned a special status of concern in terms of the “Public Administration Development Strategy 2010” which was approved in April 2004. In the member states of the European Union, services and information that are provided on the Internet and communications with society are usually based on the Internet homepages of public institutions. One-half of Internet users in the EU (49 %) visit the Web sites of public institutions, some 37 % of these visitors search for administrative information, and approximately one-fourth (23 %) send E-mail to public servants at the various institutions. Lithuanian Internet users have demonstrated less interest in the Web sites of public institutions. In April 2004, 11 % of Lithuania’s residents in the 15-74 age group had visited the homepages of public administration institutions, and this represents 38 % of all Internet users. Most visitors look at public institution Web sites so as to study draft legal acts and provide comments about them (35 %), discuss timely police issues with others (24 %), or to send statements about an issue to state and local government civil servants who are responsible for the relevant issue (20 %). The biggest problem for the Internet Web sites of public institutions is that the homepages tend to be focused largely on the provision of information, with little in the way of interactivity. E-mail is one of the most popular and convenient modern means for communications with public institutions. In Lithuania, E-mail letters are still not seen as official correspondence, although some public institutions have adjusted their internal rules so as to regulate correspondence via E-mail. An absence of unified solutions creates a situation in which communications via electronic means between public institutions and local residents are partly ineffective. For the time being, it can be said that in Lithuania and in the rest of Europe, E-government initiatives often face various obstacles that are related to technological, legal, procedural and resource problems. The competence of implemented solutions must be ensured – technological innovations must go hand-in-hand with appropriate changes in procedures and operational models. Otherwise, wide-ranging reforms become more or less impossible. E-government means much more than the installation of information technologies into “old” models of governance. Instead, it involves the use of new technologies for the transformation of public administration institutions and their activities. E-governments in the world: USA >>> Great Britain >>> Canada >>> Australia >>> Singapore >>> Russia >>>