E-GOVERNMENT READINESS

E-Government Readiness in the Middle East

Introduction3

The Position Quo of e-Government around the World4

Implications of E-Government in Middle East and Arab Countries7

Success Stories of e-Government in Middle Eastern and Arab Countries11

Failure Stories e-Government in Arab Countries and the Middle East17

Measuring the Effectiveness of E-Government in Arab and the Middle Eastern Countries18

E-Government Indicators20

Governance and Social Inclusion20

Standardized Common Infrastructure and Back-Office Reorganization21

New Organizational Models22

Citizen Centricity24

E-Government Readiness in Arab and the Middle Eastern Countries25

Online Services Index27

Telecommunication Index27

Human Capital Index27

Investment in Cellular Networks29

Integration of the Back Office29

Arab and the Middle Eastern Countries E-Government Benchmarking Indicators30

Network Preparedness30

Interface Functioning Application30

Management Optimization30

Portal Solutions30

Introduction of Chief Information Officer31

Promotion of E-Government31

Conclusion31

References34

Appendix37

E-Government Readiness in the Middle East

Introduction

This research paper is based on the E-Government in Readiness in the Middle East. The target audience of this paper will be composed of professionals and researchers working in the field of information and knowledge administration in related disciplines.

Electronic government (e-government) can be defined as the set of processes and support systems of the governments which enable internal and external access to the services offered by a administration. The development in the Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has conceived a strong impact in different areas of the work of citizens, companies and economic activity; it has facilitated everyday life and achieved greater efficiency and effectiveness in business development. The use of new technologies combined with software tools, hardware platform and communications networks have seen the emergence of an information society. E-government is a new form of government that enables effective performance management, much more efficient public sector, greater transparency and better services to citizens. These definitions reflect the utility that e-government use in the process of public administration.

According to the United Nations, the progress in provision of online services continues in most countries around the world. E-Government Survey 2012 shows that an increasing number of countries especially form the Middle East and Arab world are implementing e-government initiatives and information technologies to improve the communication efficiency and streamline governance systems to support the sustainable development. E-government is a suitable tool for disseminating information and to establish connections between the different administrations. The aim of e-government in Arab countries and the Middle East is a fundamental in the modernization of the public sector, which not only allowing the supply of information but also optimize the processes commercially and facilitate communication between the different levels of government. E-government facilitates the development of public administration activities related to citizens and different companies. The incursion of e-government has involved the modification of models and government policies, something that is reasonable considering that many of the activities that citizens should be performed with the civil service are conducted electronically, which modifies the structure of thought and requirement of a people to their rulers.

In this way, we can identify different relationships through e-government initiatives in Arab countries and the Middle East that can lead a government department to citizens, businesses, government officials and other government departments. One of the most important events of e-Government is Internet voting in various ...