E-government will fail unless an integrated and co-ordinated approach is adopted across government agencies and public sector bodies, according to research published last week.

A study of individuals involved with e-government projects, conducted by the University of Brunel and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPF), has concluded that successful projects require initiatives that appeal to all cultures and races.

Participants of the Virtual Research Institute into e-Government study believe that e-government should not be viewed as a collection of isolated projects, and

that activity and co-ordination between local and central government must be addressed if technology is going to engage local communities.

Paul Jackson, of CIPF, says the project will help direct future research into e-government.

‘There is a need to capture the learning and experiences of e-government more rigorously and scientifically,’ he said.

‘E-government should not be about thrusting technology in people’s faces, but trying to meet citizens’ needs. Technology should improve social inclusion and appeal to different ethnic groups,’ he said.

Tony Lock, programme director at analyst group Freeform Dynamics, says it is often difficult getting different parts of the same organisation together.

‘An integrated approach is great in theory, but you must be able to turn the strategy into individual discreet elements that can be implemented on their own in a framework,’ he said.

Team work

•  E-government initiatives must adopt a co-ordinated approach to be successful.
•  Focus must be on improving services not on technology.