March 1, 2005

The United Nations just released its Global e-Government Readiness Report 2004. The report evaluates the U.N.'s 191 member states' technological readiness to offer citizen-facing services, via an online portal.

It also measures participation, defined as the breadth of services a state offers via e-government. For example, a state that offers no public website would rank last in participation while one that offered advanced services like online tax filing would rank much higher.

This is how the U.N. ranked states:

E-Government Readiness:
1. United States
2. Denmark
3. United Kingdom
4. Sweden
5. Republic of Korea
6. Australia
7. Canada
8. Singapore
9. Finland
10. Norway

E-Participation:
1. United Kingdom
2. United States
3. Canada
4. Singapore
5. Netherlands
6. Mexico
7. New Zealand
8. Republic of Korea
9. Denmark
10. Australia

The U.N. concluded, on the basis of these results, that the "basic platform" for the e-government lead enjoyed by North America and Europe was "provided by the advanced communication infrastructure in place in these in industrialized countries and their commitment to education and knowledge."

As such, e-government success may be a mere byproduct of existing infrastructure and attitudes.

Source: Line 56