Politicians won’t like this:
VNUNet: “E-government will not deliver better services to businesses or the public until 2010, according to analyst Gartner.”
Gartner is always good for these wildly precise predictions, which in many’s opinion are just about as useful as Nostradomus or astrology (and sadly, thus very popular).
Well, if we have until 2010, I think I’ll go on holiday soon …
Seriously though, of course it is a long process to “realise” eGovernment in any meaningful way. In fact, 8 years is far from enough. It’s a long revolution.
Gartner also argues that most of the government portals being constructed now are irrelevant in the medium and long term. Like in South Africa, where the electronic filing of tax returns is done through the big banks and insurance companies. “That’s the way of the world. The private sector already has these relationships with citizens,” the Gartner researcher concludes.
There is certainly something to that, and we’re not talking about 2010, but now and here. Partnerships and new channels, some of which are commercial, are something we in Denmark are pursuing these days.
We are yet to see the private sector taking this new agenda seriously though. My consultants still charge me by the hour. Maybe I should start charging them for a change …
