Digital dreams: the future of e-government

Mr. Eisner will discuss the real world of digital government -how the Interand intranet are being used by the Federal government, what the challenges have been to increasing the use of electronic technology, and what he thinks needs to be done in the future. His primary emphasis will be rulemaking, a process that involves significant public participation. He will provide specific illustrations of the way the government uses electronic technology to do everything from researching the need for a rule, to managing the rulemaking process and allowing the public to participate more effectively, to allowing those who violate rules to pay penalties on the internet. He will talk about what works well and what does not and provide his thoughts on why – raising some of the challenges that the government faces in increasing its use of digital technology. Finally, he will also give his ideas on the future – the social science and technological research that is needed to ensure even more effective digital government. He will note some specific areas where there are questions about what works or why the digital services are used the way they are, so that the government can make more informed decisions. In addition, he will provide examples of specific technological improvements he thinks would be especially helpful.