The amazing productivity growth of the U.S. economy is mainly
attributed to investment in information technology. The rise of e-mail has
also greatly reduced the friction costs of communication within industries.
All of this is well-known, but what about one of the largest sectors of the
economy - the government?
Government efficiency has traditionally been an oxymoron, but
with the advent of the internet things are changing rapidly. Singapore has
led the way with its "eCitizen" initiative. Scoff-laws can pay parking
tickets, military reservists conduct training on-line, job-seekers can
search for employment, people can change their postal addresses, reports of
crime can be made to the police, debtors can petition for bankruptcy, and
public trustees can file an application for estate administration.
Arizona is leading the way among U.S. states with "ServiceArizona", and
California has quickly followed with its "CA.GOV" site. Next is the
possibility of online voting. Arizona is already experimenting with it, and
many states and governments watched the March 2000 election in Arizona in
order to take back lessons learned.
While this is preferable to standing in line at the DMV, there
are drawbacks. The point of the web is that it is a two-way street.
E-governments may be more transparent and accountable than the old-fashioned
kindÑa risk Singapore seems willing to runÑbut they will also know far more
about their citizens than they do now, and have much more efficient ways of
putting to use what they know. The specter of OrwellÕs "Big Brother" is
frightening.
This privacy threat, however, must be balanced against the fact that
information can also be used against the government itself. In January
2000, for example, text cell-phone messages helped to topple Philippine
president Joseph Estrada. The crowds were raised with the message: "Full
mblsn tday Edsa". It was short for "full mobilization today at the Edsa
shrine in Manila". Opposition leaders sent it to every cell number they
knew. Recipients passed it on to every number they knew. Within minutes
millions knew what was going on and the crowds gathered.
Modern communications can also make dissent safer. In 1986, when Filipinos
threw out an even worse president, Ferdinand Marcos, it took months to
organize rallies. Messengers had to catch ferries between the archipelago's
2,000 inhabited islands to spread the word. If the secret police caught
them, the message did not get through. In 2000 the messages were
unstoppable, and their senders were untraceable. Most were using prepaid
cards to charge their phones, which allowed them to remain anonymous.
Authoritarian regimes from China to Saudi Arabia still silence subversion,
but they cannot always stop people from visiting banned websites.
Technically skilled dissidents can download software that routes them around
government firewalls.
The changes that internet communications have made in the private sector are
now taking place in the government sector, with possibly larger consequences
- stay tuned, or perhaps better, logged on.
Slovenia online: Brave new world - Slovenia may be Europe's most Internetted
government, ECONOMIST, Oct. 18, 2001, available at
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=824803.
Worldwide Governments on the WWW, at http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/world.html.
Survey: Government and the Internet - The Next Revolution, ECONOMIST, Jun.
22, 2000, available at
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=80746.
Survey: Government and the Internet - Handle With Care:
E-government is Mostly a Good Thing, But It Needs Watching, ECONOMIST, Jun.
22, 2000, available at
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=80866.
Survey: Government and the Internet - No Gain Without Pain: Why the
Transition to E-government Will Hurt, ECONOMIST, Jun. 22, 2000, available at
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=80764.
Survey: The Near Future - The Way Ahead, ECONOMIST, Nov. 1, 2001, available
at http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=770887.
Survey: The Near Future - The Next Society, ECONOMIST, Nov. 1, 2001,
available at http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=770819.
Surveillance technology: Uncle Sam and the Watching Eye - Will terrorism
change Americans' minds about surveillance technology? ECONOMIST, Sep. 20,
2001, available at
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=789515.
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