This article outlines the definition of "E-government", its content, and describes what services are provided in the framework of e-government in the Republic of Belarus and in foreign countries

Kulabukhova, E.

Yarmots, E.

Digital Library of Polotsk State University (Репозиторий Полоцкого государственного университета)

ELECTRONIC COLLECTED MATERIALS OF XII JUNIOR RESEARCHERS’ CONFERENCE           2020 Edication, Social Studies, Law, Gender Studies  128UDC 347.96  E-GOVERNMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES   E. KULABUKHOVA, E. YARMOTS Polotsk State University, Belarus   This article outlines the definition of "E-government", its content, and describes what services are provided in the framework of e-government in the Republic of Belarus and in foreign countries.  The term “e-government” appeared in the 90-ies of the twentieth century. E-government projects were based on the model of interaction between the state, business and a client (citizen) in the electronic space. To this end, various international and national programs for the development of the information community have included provisions for expanding the use of information and communication technologies (hereinafter-ICT) to improve the efficiency and quality of public services. These initiatives are called “e-government”.  The task of organizing effective electronic interaction between citizens and state bodies remains relevant to this day, both in the world and in the Republic of Belarus. In the context of the information and communication technologies development, all areas of state bodies activity in electronic form are in demand by citizens and organizations of various forms of ownership. The term “e-government” in this study is understood as a set of processes, methods and tools that ensure, through the use of digital technologies, the interaction of authorities and power structures, on the one hand, business and civil society, on the other, in order to meet public needs and develop socially significant solutions [1, p. 107]. This set of measures includes electronic services, digital signatures, electronic document management, public administration automation system based on automation of all administrative processes. This interaction also includes the provision of public information and services using the Internet and other computer resources. For example, in the United States, the Federal register, a legal newspaper that publishes daily accepted and proposed decisions of Federal agencies, Executive orders, and other presidential documents, performs the function of access to government information [2, p.43]. An important component of e-government is the “Single Window” principle. It is characterized by the fact that any services provision is concentrated in one place, from filing an application to issuing the results of a decision of an Executive or other body. This is achieved by creating a well-developed infrastructure for effective interdepartmental interaction both at the same level of government (horizontally) and at the same level of interaction between levels (vertically). E-government is not an extension or analogue of traditional government, but only defines a new way of interaction based on the active use of ICTs to increase the efficiency of public services. The United Nations conducts a global e-government survey every two years. According to the results of the study “The E-Government Survey 2018: Gearing E-government to Support Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies” Denmark is named the leader in terms of e-government development. The ranking ranks countries based on a weighted rating index taking into account three main components: the scale and quality of online services, the level of development of ICT infrastructure, and human capital. The ranking includes 193 countries. The top 10 countries with developed e-government include Australia, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, France, and Japan [7]. The international community has already achieved considerable success in providing citizens with various electronic services in the public sector. In many countries of the world, such as the United States, Canada, Singapore, Korea, and Malaysia, information development strategies have been designed and implemented for both society as a whole and individual areas of activity. When implementing the reform in the sphere of public services, it is necessary to develop infrastructure elements. This implies the creation of a network of organizations and institutions that simplify the process of providing public services through the creation of certain information bases, consultations and training of civil servants and consumers of services. Similar organizations exist in many foreign countries. For example, in Canada, there are "1-800 Canada" centres that provide the necessary information about receiving any services. There are also centres that advise budding entrepreneurs. These centres are located in government offices throughout Canada. The peculiarity of these centres is that in addition to consultations, entrepreneurs can get a significant number of public services on the “Single Window” principle. In Greece, as part of the reform of the administrative system, a “Quality Programme” has been developed, which provides for the creation of consulting centres for public services, united in a single information network.  ELECTRONIC COLLECTED MATERIALS OF XII JUNIOR RESEARCHERS’ CONFERENCE           2020 Edication, Social Studies, Law, Gender Studies  129In Australia, a government Agency called “Centrelink” has been established. It provides public services on behalf of and in partnership with 25 Federal ministries and government agencies via the Internet, telephone customer service centres, and in regular offices. Information on the site is available in 56 languages. In Kazakhstan, in January 2016, the “Government for Citizens” state corporation was created according to the “Service Canada” model, with the main mission to become a single service provider. Today, in Kazakhstan, you can get more than 530 public services for collecting and issuing documents and more than 300 through front offices [3]. On the portal of electronic services in Kazakhstan, all services are ordered, there is a version for the visually impaired, there is information about open data, the phone number of the contact centre. One of the successful solutions for Georgia e-government was Public Service Hall. Public Service Hall operate on the principle of a “Single Window”, where all services are combined in one space. There, any citizen can get a full range of public services - from issuing an identity card and marriage certificate to registering a business or property. Each operator in Public Service Hall acts as an information intermediary. Its function is to determine what a citizen needs, accept documents, convert them into digital form and deliver them to the executors. As for the Republic of Belarus, in the above-mentioned ranking on the level of e-government development in 2018, it rose by 38 points, having improved its position by 11 points compared to 2016. In general, Belarus belongs to the group of countries directly following the leaders, which have great potential and demonstrate the dynamics of information and communication technologies development. For the first time in its history, Belarus moved to the group of countries (top 40) with a very high e-government development index (Very-High-EGDI).   Creation of “Electronic government” system in the Republic of Belarus began with the adoption on 9 August 2010 the “Strategy for Information Society Development in the Republic of Belarus for the Period up to 2015” approved by the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of August 8, 2010 No. 1174 [4]. The national centre for electronic services operates in the Republic of Belarus. It is responsible for the development and implementation of electronic services, electronic document management systems, and other technological innovations implemented within the framework of e-government. There you can make a digital signature, get the necessary certificates and order other services provided by the centre. The core of the e-government infrastructure of the Republic of Belarus is actually the National Automated Information System (OAIS), a state information system designed to integrate state information resources, implement administrative procedures in electronic form and other electronic services through a common portal of e-services [5]. Accordingly, there is a common portal of state electronic services at the following address: portal.gov.by. Today, news about advanced electronic services and the development of various types of digital signatures appear in the media every week. According to the plan, by the end of 2019, all departments were supposed to switch to electronic document management. However, there is no specific studies on how electronic services are in demand among the population and how often they are used. When referring to the official websites of various government agencies, the information posted there is often incomplete and does not meet user needs. In the Republic of Belarus, there is no specialized body that would deal with the development of e-government. Ukraine has an e-government Agency, Russia has an e-government technology Centre, and Belarus has only a few expert groups that are engaged in research on this topic, but do not have mechanisms of influence. Viktor Prokopenya, an entrepreneur and founder of VP Capital investment company, took the initiative to create a Digital Economy Ministry in Belarus. In his opinion, such a Ministry could become a kind of Central headquarters and as a state body close all the processes of informatization in the country. Now, according to Viktor Prokopenya, these functions are performed by the High-Tech Park administration, but this is not entirely true, since private structures work in HTP. In October 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Turchin announced that the Digital Economy Ministry will be created on the basis of the Ministry of Communications and Informatization. It is possible that the Digital Economy Ministry will deal with e-government issues in Belarus if it is created. So far, the country has a “State Program on Development of Digital Economy and Information Society in Belarus for 2016-2020” [6]. It notes that the goal is to increase positions in the UN ranking, as well as introduce e-government technologies, establish digital trust and improve the quality of services provided. However, the program does not contain a definition of e-government. First of all, the issues of e-government should be resolved at the legislative level, the basic conditions of e-government, specific goals and objectives, as well as the body that will deal with this issue should be determined. Such concepts exist in many countries, including Ukraine and Russia. In Belarus, e-government issues are often discussed, but there is still no clear concept or responsible agency. All ELECTRONIC COLLECTED MATERIALS OF XII JUNIOR RESEARCHERS’ CONFERENCE           2020 Edication, Social Studies, Law, Gender Studies  130over the world, large IT companies are interested in getting government orders, because they have experience, status, and money. Also, state projects are the most ambitious and targeted on the largest audience. After all, the potential customers of electronic services are all country citizens. E-government is a social project aimed at improving the lives of citizens, IT companies are interested in its development, you should only contact them.  It is also necessary to ask the public opinion. Using the "feedback" principle in practice is a proven and effective method of studying the current state of service provision and formation of a strategy for further improvement, taking into account the needs and expectations of citizens. Reforms include comprehensive transformations aimed at creating a new generation of public servants, breaking down stereotypes in society and creating a positive image of public service, as well as developing new forms of interaction between the state and citizens. An important role is played by the factor of technical progress, which is a powerful incentive for the introduction of new approaches, mechanisms and principles in the field of public sector management. Thus, in the Republic of Belarus it is important to create a specialized e-government body that will be responsible for this area; involve IT companies in the implementation of projects and establish “feedback” with the public. E-government makes our life easier and at the same time is an inevitability, a sign of modern culture and high civilization. In any case, you will have to adapt to life in the new conditions and it is better to do it as quickly as possible.  REFERENCES  1. 1.Чугунов, А. В. 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E-Government in the Republic of Belarus and Foreign Countries

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E-Government in the Republic of Belarus and Foreign Countries

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