E - government : A Comparative Study of the Multiple Dimensions of Required Regulatory Change

To date, governments across the world have widely recognised the potential of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to bring about fundamental renewal in not only government and public sector processes, but also in their relationship with civil societal groups, the private sector, citizens, and various other actors. In the governmental relationship with citizens, civil society and businesses (for instance: democratic processes, public service delivery, or policy implementation), inter-organisational arrangements (for instance: policy co-ordination, policy implementation, or public service delivery), and in intra-organisational activities (for instance: policy development, operational activities, or knowledge management), ICT offers a wide range of opportunities to increase effi ciency, effectiveness, transparency and participation in all kinds of policy sectors. Clearly, ICT will affect government services, the terms and conditions under which political actors and civil servants operate, and more in general the manner in which public bodies function. Illustrative is the development mentioned by Trudel in his Canadian country report, that ICT breaks down and increasingly makes obsolete traditional compartmentalized operations, whether they belong to government itself or to civil society. This general report brings together and discusses the various e-government developments analysed in the country reports prepared for the E-Government session of the XVII World