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Concept

 Governance may be defined as the way society works and is organized.

The term Digital Governance refers to governance processes in which Information and Communications Technology (ICT) play a significant role. The role played by ICT could be wide-ranging: in delivery and standards of governance services, to how people access such services, and the participation of people in the governance sphere. Digital Governance uses ICT to induce changes in the delivery and standards of governance services and more importantly, in the way citizens interact and participate in the governance sphere.

Information and Good Governance

Access to information is power. The traditional power-bearers in the society have always realized the role of information to gain control and set up governance mechanisms in their constituencies.

In case of good governance, information is acquired and used strategically for public good purposes.  And in case of bad governance, the same information is used for private gains and for suppression of the citizens. In either forms of governance, the selective use of information creates hierarchal structures on which power gets unequally distributed. The skew in the distribution of power at each hierarchal level is proportional to the critical information residing at each of these levels. 

Some facts on the role of information in governance are:

• Access to information forms the basis of decision-making (which could be for public good or private gains)

• Well-informed decision-making is dependent on the quality and timeliness of information available

• Limiting access to information to an exclusive group opens up avenues for manipulation of information for exploitative purposes, such as private gains

Good Governance and Digital Governance

Good Governance rests on the pillars of knowledge and recognition of this set of knowledge by the decision makers and people alike. Digitization of this entire set of knowledge within a network which is open to all individuals (an inclusive network by design) opens up possibilities for all to access and use this knowledge-- paving the way for Digital Governance  or E-governance as it is more popularly known.

Introduction of Digital Governance ensures that citizens can participate in, and influence decision-making processes which affect them closely. Citizens no longer remain passive recipients of governance services provided to them, but can pro-actively decide the types and standards of governance services they want and the governance structures which can best deliver them.

ICT can influence governance processes possibly in 3 ways: 

• Technical role : Automation of repetitive governance tasks and thereby improving efficiency of governance processes. For instance, automated filing of tax forms, e-voting, periodic information reporting etc. 

• Supportive role: Use of ICT to complement existing efforts and processes to improve governance.  For instance, use of Internet to catalyse existing efforts towards transparency in government information and functioning, or embedding use of emails in connecting decision-makers with their constituencies.   

• Innovative role : Use of ICT to initiate new governance services or new mechanisms for improved service delivery which would be impossible through non-ICT modes. For instance, online checking of status of an application (from remote and beyond office hours); providing instant access to the same information to all individuals through emails and website; ability to instantly access, compare or triangulate information from outside of the constituency or government sources etc.

  Digital Governance: underlying principle for developing countries

Digital Governance in developing countries DOES NOT IMPLY: linking every citizen to a digital node or giving them access to Internet and computers.

Digital Governance in developing countries IMPLIES:  ensuring every community or a village has easy access to information available on the digital network and no one is excluded from accessing information on this network. Access to information could be through:  

• Private/individual ICT nodes such as individual access to Internet

• Public ICT nodes such as community Internet centre, post offices, public phone booths, government information centres 

• Convergence of modes such as extension volunteers, community radios and local newspapers which have access to an ICT node and can then relay critical information to targeted users in a timely manner. (implying convergence of ICT with conventional modes)

  People-participation in Digital Governance vs Conventional Govenrance Models

From the comparison above, it is evident that the use of Digital Governance transforms governance from "representative" to a more "individual based" form, and from "passive" to being "pro-active". It does not require an individual to be based in the local constituency "in-situ" to influence or benefit from governance delivery services. Further as use of digital governance leads to closer contact of individuals with decision-makers/officials in the government, the impact is immediate. On the whole, it puts greater access and control over governance mechanism in the hands of individuals, and in process leads to more transparent, accountable and efficient governance. 

comments and feedback: vikas.nath@gmail.com   or  v.nath-alumni@lse.ac.uk  

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