E-GOVERNMENT vs. E-GOVERNANCE

E-GOVERNMENT vs. E-GOVERNANCE:
EXAMINING THE DIFFERENCES IN A CHANGING PUBLIC SECTOR CLIMATE

This is the fourth in a series of five reports assessing international developments in the
policies and public administration issues now driving e-government and e-governance.
As e-government principles and practices have been applied in the past few years it has
been clear that fundamental governance issues determine the workability of the
application of e-services delivery and e-programs. This report addresses the differences
between e-government and e-governance in our growing global information society. The
terms e-government and e-governance are often used interchangeably in discussions and
analyses of how governments are approaching their relationship with the citizenry
through the applications of information and communication technologies to fulfill their
duties as governing bodies and to better serve the public.

Thus, the fourth report in this series distinguishes between the two terms. Overall, the
paper assesses the role of government and separates out how governance is distinguished
from government. We conclude in this paper that government and governance are both
about getting the consent and cooperation of the governed. But whereas government is
the formal apparatus for this objective, governance is the outcome as experienced by
those on the receiving end. E-government can be a more productive version of
government in general, if it is well implemented and managed. E-governance can evolve
into participatory governance if it is well supported with the appropriate principles,
objectives, programs and architectures.

These reports to date represent guidelines for policy implementations for e-government
that can be used by governments, whether they are developed or developing countries.

Report number five, which is to follow will be an analysis and assessment of the e-
democracy and e-participation movement and how government is responding to this new
trend. Networked communities are quickly evolving through the Internet and,
increasingly, citizens are using the new technologies to organize themselves so their
voices can be heard and also to develop tools to attempt to influence government policy
and programs at the political and public administration level.

The current report was prepared under the auspices of the Commonwealth Secretariat,
London, UK and the Telecommunications and Informatics Services of Public Works and
Government services Canada. William Sheridan, policy analyst, Informetrica Inc,
Ottawa and Research Fellow for CCEG, and Cathia Gilbert, of CCEG, are thanked for
their contributions to the preparation and writing of this report.