E-government initiatives and service delivery in the United Arab Emirates

¶ … e-Government Initiatives on a Nation's Citizenry

This paper examines the increasingly application of computer-based online technologies that are used to deliver governmental services to a country's citizenry in ways that have traditionally required face-to-face or mail transactions in general and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in particular. With almost three million Internet users in the country, the UAE is especially well situated to take advantage of e-government initiatives today and in the future. Unlike many of its neighbors, the UAE has a sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure and a relatively free society where personal computers and Internet access are widely available. According to Hundley, Anderson, Bikson and Neu (2003), "With a few notable exceptions, information technology penetration is low (i.e., below world averages) in most Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) nations. The exceptions (with penetration well above world averages in 2001) are Bahrain, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for telephones; Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE for PCs; and Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, and the UAE for Internet use (113). In addition, the country enjoys a healthy economic base and, despite its relative small size, has become a major player in the international community. In this regard, U.S. government analysts emphasize that, "The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region" (United Arab Emirates 2009:3). Indeed, in sharp contrast to many of its neighbors, the UAE enjoys a reputation for progressive governmental policies and moderation that have attracted an increasing number of joint ventures with foreign companies and a flood of expatriates in recent years. For example, Katsioloudes and Brodtkorb (2007) emphasize that, "In a region that makes headlines for wars and political turmoil, the United Arab Emirates is an oasis of political and economic stability rarely found in the Middle East. This stability, among other factors, has allowed the UAE to carve a place among the world's most significant business centers, with impressive multinational corporations such as DHL, Shell, Intel, and many others establishing their offices in the country" (9).

For large and small countries, though, the techniques used to provide e-governmental services remain in a state of development and transition since there are few solid guidelines available and a set of best practices depends on a country's specific goals. As Kiggundu (2002) points out, "Since globalization involves changes in priorities and the demands of the external environment, the structuring and organization of government and its relationships with the rest of society also must change. Most globalizing societies face challenges of managing multiple transitions with little or no prior experience and limited resources" (31). On the one hand, the UAE possesses both the requisite resources as well as the commitment to integrating e-government services, but on the other hand, like many other countries, it has "little or no prior experience" with these techniques.

Structure of Argument: The paper begins the examination of e-government in a general fashion, providing a definition of the term, how the technologies are typically used and what features are common to most e-government arrangements. The paper then focuses on how e-government technologies are being used specifically in the United Arab Emirates and what initiatives have been undertaken in recent years to promote their services. Finally, a summary of the research and salient findings are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Background and Overview

The term "electronic government" ("e-government") refers to the use of electronic information and communications technology in order to integrate the customer into the activities of government and the public service (Knaack and Gottsche 2004). For instance, Graafland-Essers and Ettedgui (2003) define the term thusly: "Generally, e-government designates any transaction that involves the government and that is carried out, even partially, using electronic means" (5). More specifically, Davidsson (2008) emphasizes the online nature of e-government: "E-government is the use of technology, especially the Internet, as a means to deliver services to citizens, businesses, and other government or organizational entities" (16). In addition, e-governmental techniques are not restricted to the delivery of governmental services to citizens only, but can involve government to government functions, the provision of services for business organizations, or the coordination of governmental services within the same government institution using, for example, an Intranet system (Kiggundu 2002). According to Kuggundu, e-government services can be conceptualized in a number of ways, including the following:

1. E-government can be seen as a communications tool for the delivery of information, product/services, or payments over telephone lines, a computer network, or other digital means.

2. It can be seen in terms of business processes, in which case the emphasis is on the use of technology to automate office transactions and workflow.

3. It can be seen as a service provider whereby the new technology is used to cut service costs and improve the service and quality of service delivery to meet changing citizen expectations.

4. E-government can be conceptualized as an online facility providing citizens opportunities to use the Internet to transact public services (2002:48-49).

In order to realize the "most bang for the e-government buck," Kiggundu suggests that a determination must be made by a governmental agency's top management concerning the relative importance of each of these conceptualizations at any given point in time. When this determination is made effectively, e-government promises to provide a wide range of benefits for the governmental agencies using these technologies, as well as the beneficiaries involved, and these issues are discussed further below.

E-Government in the United Arab Emirates

The government of the UAE has embraced e-government in major ways, and an increasing number of national and local government departments have integrated their Web sites with Dubai eGovernment's portal in an effort to deliver e-government services from the single portal that only requires a single sign in on the part of the user Dubai eGovernment to conduct usability audits to ensure uniform standards for government departments' websites 2004). A listing of UAE ministries and federal government entities that have already implemented e-government online portals linked with the Dubai eGovernment's Web site is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Ministries and Federal Government Entities with e-Government Online Portals Available

Ministries

Federal Government Entities

Ministry of Finance

National Media Council

Ministry of Interior

Central Bank of the UAE

Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Real Estate Bank

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Federal Customs Authority

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (Awqaf)

Ministry of Public Works

Federal Environmental Agency

Ministry of Defense

Federal Electricity and Water Authority

Ministry of Foreign Trade

Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme

Ministry of Cabinet Affairs

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority

Ministry of Energy

General Transport Authority

Ministry of Economy

General Civil Aviation Authority

Ministry of Social Affairs

Civil Service Council

Ministry of Education

Zakat Fund

Ministry of Health

Marriage Fund

Ministry of Culture, Youth & Community Development

General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare

Ministry of State of Federal National Council Affairs

Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology

Ministry of Labor

Institute of Training and Judicial Studies

Ministry of Justice

Red Crescent for the UAE

Ministry of Environment and Water

General Pensions and Social Security Authority

Source: UAE e-Government Portal, 2009 at http://www.government.ae/gov/en/index.jsp

At the national level, e-government initiatives in the UAE have mirrored those that have been implemented elsewhere and focus on providing ease of access to information and provision of the ability for citizens to accomplish interactions with governmental agencies online rather than requiring a face-to-face transaction or by mail. In fact, more than 1,400 services are available via electronic channels to date and more are planned (Sudanese officials visit Dubai eGovernment to get first-hand knowledge of eServices 2009) For example, the UAE's Department of Economic Development (DED) now provides online access to information through multiple channels on two key areas: Licenses and Commercial Permits. According to press release from the UAE's e-government Web site, the Department of Economic Development ". . . is the seventh government department to go live on the AskDubai platform for providing a more dynamic and interactive communication channel to the public" (Department of Economic Development joins Dubai eGovernment's AskDubai platform 2009:3). Using this e-government portal, UAE citizens and businesses can obtain information on a wide range of topics, including licensing (including applicable fees, changes of trade name, registration amendments, renewal requirements and cancellation of licenses) and registration of companies (i.e., professional business company, capital requirements, branch of a foreign company, representative office of a foreign company or banking liaison office) (Department of Economic Development joins Dubai eGovernment's AskDubai platform 2009). As part of its e-government strategic plan targeted for completion by 2015, the UAE government has also implemented a federal Employee Performance Management (EPM) system. The recent press release announcing the launch of the EPM states that its goals are to:

1. Facilitating procedures electronically via self-service and covers aspects such as aligning team and individual goals with organizational goals;

2. Promoting a culture of distinguished performance;

3. Defining a clear vision for the employees and communicating to them as to what is expected from them; providing efficient mechanisms to appreciate and reward distinguished performance;

4. Establishing an enhanced channel of communication between managers and employees; and,

5. Creating opportunities to improve performance (Dubai eGovernment launches Employee Performance Management system and electronic training program 2009:2).

At the local level, e-government initiatives in the UAE have received enthusiastic reception by citizens and businesses alike. For example, the Dubai Municipality's e-government initiative was ". . . dubbed as one of the most successful online initiatives in the region as most of the civic services are now online and customers are increasingly dealing with the Municipality electronically rather than visiting its offices" (Lootah 2004:3). Yet another local governmental initiative that has been received with growing enthusiasm has been an e-learning program designed to help government employees as well as the country's citizenry become more skilled at using online resources; the program also provide instruction in English and specific training on how to deliver governmental services in an online setting. The eEmployee program is a Dubai e-government initiative that has partnered with various educational institutions and corporate partners to develop a comprehensive set of curricular offerings that can be readily accessed by government employees or ordinary UAE citizens seeking to improve their computer fluency (First group of government employees completes Dubai eGovernment's eEmployee programme 2005). According to a press release published by the Dubai eGovernment portal, "The topics covered in the program include Basic Concepts of computer, Using the PC and Managing Files, Word processing, Spreadsheets and Introduction to e-learn. The program is designed to enhance the ability of government departments to deliver improved eServices to the public and the business community" (Dubai eGovernment's eEmployee initiative evokes good response from government employees 2004:3). The program content is provided in both Arabic as well English and consists of four 48-hour long modules that are required to be completed in order to attain a certificate of completion which is termed the "International Computer Driving License" (Dubai eGovernment's eEmployee initiative evokes good response from government employees 2004).

Although UAE citizens can complete this online program of instruction, the Dubai eGovernment initiatives have also included an initiative termed "eCitizen," which targeted specifically at UAE citizens and expatriates living in the UAE. This initiative is described by the press release announcing it as "an instructor-led cost effective certification program, designed to increase the level of e-literacy among Dubai public. The 16-hour programme aims at increasing the level of awareness and usage of Dubai government's online services apart from teaching basic e-mail and Internet fundamentals to the nationals and expatriates living in Dubai" (Dubai eGovernment launches eCitizen initiative to increase level of e-literacy among Dubai public 2004:2).

Based on a survey of what types of services its citizenry and businesses wanted, the UAE government responded by launching the first mobile e-governmental portal in the Middle East in September 2005. According to Lootah, the UAE's e-government services director, the mobile portal currently provides access to about 1,550 of the total 1,900 public services provided by the UAE government, including payment of utilities bills and traffic fines, job searches, flight information and public transport information; the mobile portal also provides for airline bookings, stock quotes, entertainment and Dubai city information in a partnership arrangement with industry and business communities (Lootah 2007). According to Lootah, "Our pioneering portal http://mobile.dubai.ae has increased channels for people's interaction with the government and lowered administration costs while at the same time ensuring higher levels of public participation in governance" (2007:52). By providing access to its e-governmental services with either personal or laptop computers, handheld peripherals and mobile telephones, the UAE e-government initiative is truly in the vanguard in the Middle East as well as in the international community. In this regard, the e-services director emphasizes that, "The Dubai government now bills its service as a multi-channeled approach because in addition to e-government, a bilingual call-centre and the mobile-based Internet portal, it also offers a mobile channel where customers can get personalized information via SMS 'push' and 'pull' text messages, which let them receive and initiate communications" (Lootah 2007:53). Based on their success in implementing various e-government initiatives to date, several representatives from neighboring countries seeking to launch comparable e-government services of their own, including Jordan and the Sudan, have visited the UAE in recent months to gain some first-hand observations concerning the methods being used by the UAE to streamline its governmental services and to provide it employees and citizens alike with valuable training opportunities.

Conclusion

The research showed that e-government is the use of technology, particularly the Internet, to deliver governmental services to citizens, businesses, and other government or organizational agencies. These methods of providing important governmental services to citizens, businesses and other governmental agencies have assumed increasing importance in recent years because properly implemented, they can help save money, increase efficiency and improve the delivery of services. The research also showed that while many nations in the West have embraced e-government programs in major ways, the United Arab Emirates is at the forefront of e-government in the Middle East and top officials have mandated a number of ambitious initiatives for completion by 2015 as part of its e-government program. Finally, the research showed that the UAE has made significant progress in achieving these goals already, with more than 81% of all governmental services currently being available in an online setting. In the final analysis, although a set of best practices for e-government initiatives continues to be defined, many observers are looking to the UAE for the best way to launch and administer e-government services today.