Concepts of e-Government and Information Society
E-Government can be seen as a tool for economic development and more efficient government. An essential part of e-Government should be managing information resources and associations and giving citizens easier access to that information. Technology can help in two respects: storing information effectively and providing means for communication.
The concept of information society is widely argued and in some cases quite hard to define. In general, information society is a form of modern society, where information is the most valuable asset and most people work with information related tasks. In information society, everyone is empowered with the ability to communicate and access information.
The role of computer technology is significant. However, technology as such is only a part of the whole. It is the usage, understanding, skill levels, and supply of adequate support and infrastructure which will allow for an Information Society to develop effectively. One of the best terms for information society that fits in the picture of e-Government is "communication society".
e-Government
E-Government can be seen as a tool for economic development and more efficient government. The concept of e-Government holds great potential in helping citizens and businesses find new opportunities in the world's knowledge economy. In a working e-Government the maturity and competence of the organisations and their people are highly valued.
E-Government success requires changing the way government works and how officials interact with the public. Issues such as how government and society process and use increasing amounts of information and how government can be more responsive to citizen needs and input should be focused on. However, often the development directions emphasise the building of technology infrastructure and system development, which should not be the primary goal for e-Government.
Linking e-Gov and Information Society
It is often seen that key to better government leadership is increased public participation in decision-making. New sources of relevant ideas, information and resources are important for the governance when making decisions. Public participation can be achieved by strengthening relations between citizens, government and municipalities.
To enable active public participation, one of the primary functions of e- Government is the creation and dissemination of information. Making use of public services is improved when people can easily find and use information and services across government and municipalities based on their needs and interests. As for the concept of information society, improving on-line access to large amounts of government information is important.