A Model of Digital Inequality in the Knowledge Society: The Case of Slovenia

The knowledge society defines information technology (IT) as the crucial factor in accessing knowledge today. At the same time, knowledge itself represents the precondition for using technology. This paradox is linked with the concept of digital inequality, which examines the difference between people in society and includes various levels, such as physical access to technology, possession of the skills to use it, social and cultural influences, and relations between and within these levels. Although the phenomenon of digital inequality is at least two decades old, it has an important role even today. The following paper discusses the notion of digital inequality and links it to information technology access and use in the society. Using the results of 1568 questionnaires completed by a representative sample of Slovenian citizens in 2016, it develops a five-level model that indicates the factors influencing the reasons for the inequalities. The results show that the survey misses the top two levels of the model, but indicate that gender differences are diminishing while income differences significantly influence internet availability, digital skills, and IT use. The results suggest changes in policies that countries should implement to achieve digital inclusion for everyone and consequently the highest possible use of IT and the benefits for society that come with it

The Analysis of E-Government Services Adoption and Use in Slovenian Information Society between 2014 and 2017

With the increasing role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the society, ICT’s role is gaining importance in the aspect of provision and use of the public sector services for the citizens. Especially in the European Union different activities have been conducted through the years to promote ICT use in the society. It has been mainly based on the Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE), which underlines the key role of ICT in the efforts to achieve its strategic objectives. Slovenia as an EU member state follows these directions but positions itself among less successful states in the EU. The well-known European Digital Economy and Society Index ranks Slovenia to the lower half of member states indicating possibilities for improvement. Although much can be said and done about the service-providers side this paper focuses on the users’ side and especially on their digital inequality. The lack of studies in the area of digital inequality and online government services adoption and use is the main motivation for this research. The research uses the data provided by Slovenian annual survey Use of Information and Communication Technology in Households and by Individuals of the last four years. The analysis of this data, presented in the paper, exhibits that changes for the better are detected in Slovenian society, but the situation in public-sector services is not optima. The results demonstrate the existence of digital inequality considering the income level of households and education level of individual users. The synthesis of the data demonstrates that the Slovenian government and its ministries should consider adding tangible actions to the already set strategies if the country wants to catch up with the leading countries of the EU and achieve goals, set by the DAE

E-public services: the case of e-taxation in Slovenia

The paper discuses e-taxation, one of the services offered by many governments in the world today. It argues that although this service can be developed well, according to the many benchmarking models in the world and become very familiar to members of the public , it can also be used poorly. The empirical results in the paper prove this. The case of Slovenia is presented, with a placement of Slovenia on the European map of e-government and a thorough description of the different electronic taxation services available to Slovenian citizens. Slovenia ranks above the EU average in online availability and in sophistication. The supply side of e-taxation services is then compared to the demand side and the results of different research studies and questionnaires are discussed and compared. Since e-taxation services, especially concerned with personal income tax, are still to be used more widely by Slovenian citizens, different existing approaches that have tried to correct the situation are analysed and new possibilities are suggested

Collaborative Governance in the Digital Transformation Age: A Systematic Literature Review with Bibliometric Mapping

Purpose: The article aims to provide an updated and comprehensive overview of academic research in the field of collaborative governance and digital transformation, with an emphasis on the emerging topic of collaborative digital transformation. Digital transformation is a recurrent theme in today’s society, fuelled by events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, global climate challenges, and other crises reshaping the world. As societies increasingly rely on digital platforms and online communication, the prime urge and necessity of the human race – i.e., to communicate and collaborate in tackling these challenges – puts collaborative governance in digital transformation high on the agenda of governments, the private sector, and citizens.Design/Methodology/Approach: To address this topic, we performed a bibliometric analysis using various analytical and visualisation tools to evaluate and visualise existing scientific bibliographic materials. The analysis covers 286 articles published in the Scopus and Web of Science databases over the past two decades in the area of collaborative governance and digital transformation, employing established and innovative bibliometric approaches. Graphical analyses are used to illustrate co-authorship, keywords co-occurrence, research topics evolution, and the network of influential researchers within collaborative governance and digital transformation.Findings: The results show that the relationship between collaborative governance and digital transformation is still limited and needs further study, considering that these two concepts have been emerging trends in public administration over the past two decades. In addition, the findings reveal a significant growth in research of these topics over time, although not specifically focused on collaborative digital transformation.Practical Implications: The article provides a summary of key aspects of collaborative governance and digital transformation research and helps lay the foundations for shaping the future of this evolving field of public administration. Thus, it helps researchers understand the development of collaborative digital transformation research over the past two decades, as collaborative digital transformation is a relatively new field of research characterised by rapid growth and evolution.Originality/Value: The research contributes to the understanding of collaborative digital transformation as a distinct research area within the broader concepts of digital transformation and collaborative governance, which is still seeking its own identity in academic literature, and offers a definition of collaborative digital transformation (CDT)

Elektroničke javne usluge: e-oporezivanje u Sloveniji

U članku se raspravlja o elektroničkim uslugama oporezivanja kao o jednoj od usluga koje danas nude mnoge elektroničke vlasti (e-vlast). Iako je tu uslugu u javnoj upravi pojedine države moguće uspješno razviti prema jednome od brojnih postojećih model u svijetu i premda je građanima dobro poznata, ona se ipak rijetko koristi. Empirijski rezultati u članku to i dokazuju. Slovenski je primjer predstavljen u usporedbi s drugim europskim e-vlastima te s opisom različitih elektroničkih usluga oporezivanja kojima raspolažu građani Slovenije. Slovenija je prema kriterijima dostupnosti online usluga i njihovoj sofisticiranosti iznad prosjeka EU. Ponuda usluga e-oporezivanja uspoređuje se s potražnjom dotičnih usluga te se raspravlja o rezultatima raznih istraživačkih studija. Budući da usluge e-oporezivanja, posebice poreza na dohodak, još čekaju širu primjenu u Sloveniji, analiziraju se različiti postojeći pristupi kojima se pokušava poboljšati postojeće stanje te se predlažu nove mogućnosti

Civil Servants’ View of the Development of e-Government in Slovenia

The paper presents the results of a study focused on the so-called internal aspect of e-government – i. e., the aspect of the civil servants. It is wellknown that in both Slovenia and most other countries there is a significant discrepancy between the selection and the actual use of the possibilities that e-government provides. A substantial number of researchers have been intensely engaged in the study of factors inciting (mainly) the citizens to use e-government. In our belief, those factors need also be searched for within the internal e-government users, i.e. the civil servants. In this perspective, we have examined: (1) their use of, and satisfaction with, information technologies in the job context; (2) their skills required for e-government; (3) the effect of e-government on their job, their organisation, and public administration in general; (4) their views of further development of e-government within the public administration. A number of results indicate that responsibility for the low use of e-government by citizens and enterprises can in fact be partly ascribed to the civil servants. Further, the research has revealed that the surveyed civil servants lacked sufficient skills required for an active participation in the development of e-government, and that this development has not resulted in any vital changes in the operations of the public administration

Dolgoročna elektronska hramba v e-upravi

The use of information and communication technology and its widespread presence cause a vast amount of data to be created in the public and private sectors every day. The widespread presence of e-government sites, services and communication in the developed world add even more data. This digital data does not only represent the accountability and reliability of the processes, steps and decisions taken by organisations, but also a source of information for future generations. This paper discusses the issue of long-term digital preservation with a special focus on long-term digital preservation in public administration. It analyses problematic issues, current development trends in this area, and principles and solutions that can be found around the world. The paper focuses on Slovenia as one of the EU countries that has most effectively developed its e-government during the last decade. It analyses the situation in Slovenia through legal, organisational and other changes that have appeared over the last few years, and considers this as a model for possible long-term digital preservation. To describe the situation for digital preservation in Slovenian public administration, the results of empirical research made in 2007 are used. The paper uses theoretical background from the field of digital preservation and empirical results to show the important link between e-business, e-government, e-governance and digital preservation. It demonstrates that since Slovenian public administration has strictly specified business processes, the task of implementing digital preservation is much easier. The same concepts can be transferred to the private sector in Slovenia or anywhere else in the world.Vsakodnevna in globalna uporaba informacijske in komunikacijske tehnologije povzroča nastajanje ogromnih količin podatkov v elektronski obliki, ki se pojavljajo tako v javnem kot v zasebnem sektorju ter v zasebnem življenju posameznika. Na področju javne uprave elektronski portali, elektronske storitve, komunikacije ter druge aktivnosti in moderne rešitve e-uprave povzročajo ne samo nastanek velike količine podatkov, temveč predvsem vprašanja glede njihove verodostojnosti ter hkrati zanesljivosti procesov v katerih so bili ustvarjeni. Ti elektronski podatki ne predstavljajo le dokazov za odločitve in korake posamezne organizacije, temveč dolgoročno tudi pomembnih vir informacij za bodoče generacije. Zato ima njihov kratkoročna in dolgoročna hramba izreden pomen za organizacijo, javno upravo in državo kot celoto. Članek obravnava področje dolgoročne elektronske hrambe s posebnim poudarkom na njeni uporabi v javni upravi. Analizira problematiko dolgoročne elektronske hrambe, trenutne razvojne trende in koncepte ter rešitve, ki jih opažamo v svetu. Članek se osredotoči na slovensko javno upravo in na Slovenijo kot članico EU, ki je v zadnjih letih na področju razvoja e-uprave dosegla zavidljive rezultate. Analizira se situacija v Sloveniji skozi pravne, organizacijske in druge spremembe, ki so se zgodile v Sloveniji na tem področju v zadnjih letih in jih analizira kot možen model razvoja dolgoročne elektronske hrambe v državi in njeni javni upravi. Za opis stanja v Slovenski javni upravi so uporabljeni rezultati empirične raziskave iz leta 2007. Članek uporabi teoretično podlago s področje dolgoročne elektronske hrambe in rezultate empirične raziskave, da pokaže povezavo med e-poslovanjem, e-upravo in e-hrambo. Demonstrira in dokazuje, da je slovenska javna uprava na dobri poti do učinkovite uporabe dolgoročne elektronske hrambe v njenem poslovanju, saj je njeno poslovanje (tako s klasičnega kot elektronskega vidika) dobro urejeno z natančno definirani poslovni procesi. Le uspešno urejeno (e-)poslovanje je namreč garancija za uspešno dolgoročno elektronsko hrambo. Enak koncept in model razvoja bi bil tako lahko uporabljen tudi v slovenskem zasebnem sektorju ali kjerkoli drugje v svetu

Dolgoročna elektronska hramba v e-upravi – primer Slovenije

The use of information and communication technology and its widespread presence cause a vast amount of data to be created in the public and private sectors every day. The widespread presence of e-government sites, services and communication in the developed world add even more data. This digital data does not only represent the accountability and reliability of the processes, steps and decisions taken by organisations, but also a source of information for future generations. This paper discusses the issue of long-term digital preservation with a special focus on long-term digital preservation in public administration. It analyses problematic issues, current development trends in this area, and principles and solutions that can be found around the world. The paper focuses on Slovenia as one of the EU countries that has most effectively developed its e-government during the last decade. It analyses the situation in Slovenia through legal, organisational and other changes that have appeared over the last few years, and considers this as a model for possible long-term digital preservation. To describe the situation for digital preservation in Slovenian public administration, the results of empirical research made in 2007 are used. The paper uses theoretical background from the field of digital preservation and empirical results to show the important link between e-business, e-government, e-governance and digital preservation. It demonstrates that since Slovenian public administration has strictly specified business processes, the task of implementing digital preservation is much easier. The same concepts can be transferred to the private sector in Slovenia or anywhere else in the world.Vsakodnevna in globalna uporaba informacijske in komunikacijske tehnologije povzroča nastajanje ogromnih količin podatkov v elektronski obliki, ki se pojavljajo tako v javnem kot v zasebnem sektorju ter v zasebnem življenju posameznika. Na področju javne uprave elektronski portali, elektronske storitve, komunikacije ter druge aktivnosti in moderne rešitve e-uprave povzročajo ne samo nastanek velike količine podatkov, temveč predvsem vprašanja glede njihove verodostojnosti ter hkrati zanesljivosti procesov v katerih so bili ustvarjeni. Ti elektronski podatki ne predstavljajo le dokazov za odločitve in korake posamezne orgaOrganizacija, Volume 43 Research papers Number 2, March-April 2010 75 nizacije, temveč dolgoročno tudi pomembnih vir informacij za bodoče generacije. Zato ima njihov kratkoročna in dolgoročna hramba izreden pomen za organizacijo, javno upravo in državo kot celoto. Članek obravnava področje dolgoročne elektronske hrambe s posebnim poudarkom na njeni uporabi v javni upravi. Analizira problematiko dolgoročne elektronske hrambe, trenutne razvojne trende in koncepte ter rešitve, ki jih opažamo v svetu. Članek se osredotoči na slovensko javno upravo in na Slovenijo kot članico EU, ki je v zadnjih letih na področju razvoja e-uprave dosegla zavidljive rezultate. Analizira se situacija v Sloveniji skozi pravne, organizacijske in druge spremembe, ki so se zgodile v Sloveniji na tem področju v zadnjih letih in jih analizira kot možen model razvoja dolgoročne elektronske hrambe v državi in njeni javni upravi. Za opis stanja v Slovenski javni upravi so uporabljeni rezultati empirične raziskave iz leta 2007. Članek uporabi teoretično podlago s področje dolgoročne elektronske hrambe in rezultate empirične raziskave, da pokaže povezavo med e-poslovanjem, e-upravo in e-hrambo. Demonstrira in dokazuje, da je slovenska javna uprava na dobri poti do učinkovite uporabe dolgoročne elektronske hrambe v njenem poslovanju, saj je njeno poslovanje (tako s klasičnega kot elektronskega vidika) dobro urejeno z natančno definirani poslovni procesi. Le uspešno urejeno (e-)poslovanje je namreč garancija za uspešno dolgoročno elektronsko hrambo. Enak koncept in model razvoja bi bil tako lahko uporabljen tudi v slovenskem zasebnem sektorju ali kjerkoli drugje v svetu

Začetek dolgoročne elektronske hrambe v slovenski upravi: trenutno stanje in scenariji prihodnosti

Vedno večje število dokumentov v digitalni obliki ob vsakodnevnem poslovanju javne uprave povzroča, da bo treba razmisliti o uvedbi ustreznega načina dolgoročne hrambe digitalnih dokumentov ob upoštevanju vnaprej določenih rokov hrambe. Ti roki so v slovenski javni upravi dokaj natančno določeni, saj temeljijo na klasifikacijskih načrtih, ki so za organe javne uprave obvezni po Uredbi o upravnem poslovanju. Zakonodaja, sprejeta v letu 2006, je slovenski javni upravi in zasebnemu sektorju dokončno odprla pot v popolno elektronsko poslovanje in dolgoročno hrambo ter postavila podlago za dokončno zmanjševanje ali ukinjanje papirne dokumentacije. Kako je slovenska javna uprava ob taki pravni podlagi pripravljena na omenjene izzive, kažejo v članku predstavljeni rezultati obsežne empirične raziskave, izvedene v letu 2007. Le-ta opozarja na korake, ki jih bodo morali tako organi javne uprave kot vlada napraviti v bližnji prihodnosti za uspešno uvedbo dolgoročne digitalne hrambe v javni upravi