Local e-Government in the Netherlands: from ambitious policy goals to harsh reality

The Netherlands took up e-Government development relatively early and was considered to be one of the leading nations in e-Government developments. In recent years, it has slipped back in the various international benchmarks, and also other signs show that the country no longer is at the front of e-Service development. This paper discusses possible causes for the decline of Dutch e-Service delivery development. Important factors in the explanation can be found in the structure of the Dutch public sector which can be characterized as fairly decentralized. The central government sets ambitious policy goals, but lacks the means to have them realized on the local level which is the primary level at which public service delivery takes place. The municipalities on the other hand are incapacitated by relatively small scale, the large number of services they provide and the lack of real incentives to move service delivery online. As a result, e-Service development on the local level is inefficient and progresses relatively slow. There are signs though that things are changing: the central government takes on a more active stance, and local authorities join forces to develop services together.e-Government, e-Government policy, electronic service delivery, public service delivery maturity, the Netherlands

Electronic Services in a Decentralized State

The Netherlands puts much effort in establishing itself as a modern country and as on of the leading coutries in the information age. At the same time, however, it has been losing its positoin as a forerunner in the electronic delivery of public services. This is mainly due to the fact that most pulic services are delivered at the level of the Dutch municipalities. At this level eService development is almost stagnant because of a) lacking nunicipal resources and limited potential benefits and b) a reserved, soft attitude by central government which has adhered to the Dutch institutional principles of municipal autonomy and the consensus model. In recent years, however, we see some developments which may help to solve the existing stalemate ans may indeed bring the Netherlands back on track.

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Fundamentals of Providing Negotiation Advice Online:the Need for Developing BATNAs

However, in order to determine BATNAs online, we need a proper understanding of exactly what is a BATNA. This paper argues that current understanding of what comprises BATNAs is insufficient for the intended purposes.

Monográfico "VI Congreso Internet, Derecho y Política. Cloud Computing: El Derecho y la Política Suben a la Nube"

L'any 2010 és l'any cloud computing. Així ho afirmen nombrosos analistes i especialistes que veuen que s'expandeixen aplicacions que, en lloc de ser executades a l'ordinador de sobretaula o al portàtil, són hostatjades en un servidor, i a les quals s'accedeix mitjançant un navegador qualsevol. Aquesta expansió és facilitada per la massiva adopció d'ordinadors ultraportàtils i telèfons mòbils intel·ligents, així com per la creixent realitat del teletreball i la col·laboració en xarxa entre administracions, empreses i ciutadans.Tenir les dades, els documents de text, els fulls de càlcul, les aplicacions de gestió de clients o d'estocs, i la coordinació de processos i projectes emmagatzemats en servidors de tercers; fer passar les comunicacions personals i professionals per un navegador, o obrir la nostra participació ciutadana a tothom són possibilitats que ens ofereixen noves oportunitats, però també nous reptes sobre com entenem la feina, les relacions professionals o l'exercici de la democràcia.Aquests reptes i oportunitats van constituir el punt de trobada de la sisena edició del Congrés Internacional IDP - Internet, Dret i Política, que es va centrar a analitzar i debatre els diferents problemes jurídics i polítics que planteja o pot plantejar la massiva extensió del cloud computing tant a escala professional com personal i ciutadana.2010 is the year of cloud computing. This is what a great number of analysts and specialists believe as we witness the growing number of applications that are hosted on servers, rather than running on desktop or laptop computers, and accessed via the browser. This growth is aided by the mass adoption of ultra-portable computers and smartphones, and by the rise in teleworking and networking between administrations, companies and citizens.Having data, text documents, spreadsheets, customer or stock management applications, and the coordination of processes and projects stored on third-party servers; channelling personal and professional communications via a browser, or opening citizen participation for everyone are possibilities that provide new opportunities, but they also bring with them new challenges as to how we understand work, professional relationships or democracy.These challenges and opportunities represented the focus for the sixth International IDP (Internet, Dret i Política - Internet, Law and Politics) Conference. The conference analysed and debated the different legal and political problems raised, or that might be raised, by the mass spread of cloud computing, both at a professional, and personal and citizen level.El año 2010 es el año cloud computing. Así lo afirman numerosos analistas y especialistas que ven que se expanden aplicaciones que, en lugar de ser ejecutadas en el ordenador de sobremesa o en el portátil, son alojadas en un servidor, y a las que se accede mediante un navegador cualquiera. Esta expansión se ve facilitada por la masiva adopción de ordenadores ultraportátiles y teléfonos móviles inteligentes, así como por la creciente realidad del teletrabajo y la colaboración en red entre administraciones, empresas y ciudadanos.Tener los datos, los documentos de texto, las hojas de cálculo, las aplicaciones de gestión de clientes o de stocks, y la coordinación de procesos y proyectos almacenados en servidores de terceros; hacer pasar las comunicaciones personales y profesionales por un navegador, o abrir nuestra participación ciudadana a todo el mundo son posibilidades que nos ofrecen nuevas oportunidades, pero también nuevos retos sobre cómo entendemos el trabajo, las relaciones profesionales o el ejercicio de la democracia.Estos retos y oportunidades constituyeron el punto de encuentro de la sexta edición del Congreso Internacional IDP - Internet, Derecho y Política, que se centró en analizar y debatir los diferentes problemas jurídicos y políticos que plantea o puede plantear la masiva extensión del cloud computing tanto a escala profesional como personal y ciudadana