About the Seminar - ISEDEG 2014

The term e-Government describes the simplification and execution of information, communication, and exchange processes between public administrations, public administrations and citizens, respectively public administration and private organizations, to provide electronic public services. For citizens, web-based services include access to the tax system, social security, career support, or official documents. For organizations, these services give access to business formation, tax, statistics, procurement or environmental protection.

eDemocracy enables citizens, through the use of information and communication technologies, to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations in the information and knowledge society in a time and place independent way: the citizen is involved in the clarification and planning of the public authorities, improved and customized information and discussion policies, customized to citizen's need, barrier-free web access for electronic polls, building communities in various areas of the society, exercising their rights at every communal level as well as improving political controlling through adequate archiving and documentation systems.

e-Government Framework of the University of Fribourg

The Information Systems research group at the University of Fribourg developed, in collaboration with other domain experts, a process-oriented maturity model. This model differentiates between the following three process levels, with a total of eight different topics:

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Description

In the transformation process from an industrial society to an information and knowledge society, the factor 'information' gains importance over the factor 'production'. The application of information and communication technology is conceived as a chance for amplifying the capacity of the citizens to act, for strengthening cross-border contacts and relations and for developing an open society with cultural diversity. By means of eDemocracy, it is intended to improve participation options for citizens as well as democratic processes for decision support, voting, and elections.

eGovernment aims to put public services electronically at disposal for citizens, companies, and organizations. Some examples are electronic services in taxation, online job markets, public offering, or mobile health services.

Objectives

The objectives of the seminar are to:

• Apply a process-based framework for eDemocracy and eGovernment.
• Understand the value chain including information, negotiation, and processing of public services.
• Balance chance and risk of electronic public services for participation and collaboration.
• Know the characteristics of citizen relationship management and community building.
• Understand the effects of information and communication technology for individuals and society.

Text Book

​	Meier, A. (2012). eDemocracy & eGovernment - Maturity Levels of a Democratic Knowledge Society. Springer, Berlin, Germany, 1st edn.