Description
all the instructions and supporting material are attached.
1. https://e-estonia.com/
2.
3.4.
https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/A…
6. https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/R…
7. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/oecd-digi…
8. https://www.oecd.org/publication/government-at-a-g…
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Reading & Discussion 4 – Individual Assignment
Due NOVEMBER 12th – Short Paper (~2-3 pages)
Note: – Follow the writing guidelines provided in section Writing and Grading Details.
Read/watch the material for Case 4 and submit a 2 -3 pages paper on E-Government.
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Introduction: In your view, what are the most important aspects of E-Government/ Digital
Government?
What’s in the news? Share the most interesting news about “E-Government”.
Share the highlights from your homework reading. What made you stop and think?
Share some trends and thoughts on how the world is changing, especially during/after the
COVID-19 pandemic. Brainstorm on how the future might look like.
Discussion work:
Think about emerging technologies and their potential impact on E-Government
frameworks and services 5-10 years into the future. Exchange your views.
Give feedbacks to two peoples post and reply two peoples feedback on your post.
Reflections: Did your thoughts about E-Government change?
Some Highlights of Estonian Digital
Transformation Experience
Sherif Hashem
Estonian Information System
X-Road was launched in 2001
ID-Card
• 2002 – introduction of national electronic ID-Card
• 1 163 917 active ID-Cards
• Compulsory for all residents
• Contains:
•
Information shown on the card
•
Certificate for authentication
(along with e-mail address [email protected])
•
Certificate for digital signature
Mobile-ID
Population: 1,340,415
• Introduced 2007
• Penetration (20K) 3.1%
e-Services
• e-Banking
• e-School
• ID-Ticket
• State Portal
• Digital Signature
• Land Register
• Business Register
• e-Police
• Customer Self
Service Portals
• Tax and Customs
Board
• i-Voting
• e-Health
• e-Pension Account
• …
SK: Certification Center
• Certificates for National ID-cards
• Innovative Mobile-ID for any mobile operator
• Certificates for Tachograph cards
• Value-added services to use certificates
• Server Certificates
• CA hosting
• Time stamping
• Only certification service provider in Estonia
• Established in February 2001
• SK is privately held company with 4 shareholders having
25% each (Swedbank, SEB, emt, Elion)
1
DIGITAL GOVERNMENT
#wdr2016
www.worldbank.org/wdr2016
2
Digital revolution has brought many private benefits
A typical day in the life of the internet
SOURCE: WDR 2016 team; http://www.internetlivestats.com/one-second/ (As compiled on May 29, 2015)
3
But are countries reaping sizable digital dividends?
DIGITAL DIVIDENDS
Growth
Jobs
Services
Business
People
Government
AGENTS
Are the benefits reaching everyone, everywhere?
4
The main mechanisms to promote development
Expand the information base, lower information costs and create information goods
SOURCE: WDR 2016
6
1. A significant digital divide remains
6 BILLION without BROADBAND
4 BILLION without INTERNET
2 BILLION without MOBILE PHONES
0.4 BILLION without A DIGITAL SIGNAL
Divides persist between and within countries—in access and capability
SOURCE: WDR 2016 team based on Research ICT Africa and ITU data
Digital Divide and Dividends
DIVIDE
DIVIDENTS
Inclusion
Access
Affordability
Security
RISKS
growth
Efficiency = jobs
Innovation
services
Control
Inequality
Concentration
ANALOG COMPLIMENTS: a favorable business climate, strong human capital, and good
governance
8
… between and within countries—in access and capability
SOURCE: WDR 2016 team, based on Research ICT Africa surveys (various years) for 10 African
countries.
10
Digital technology can accelerate growth …
TRADE
The internet increases trade
between countries, 2001-12
PRODUCTIVITY
COMPETITION
Vietnamese firms using ecommerce have higher total factor
productivity growth, 2007-12
Average monthly trips per traditional
taxi in San Francisco after Uber
started operation
SOURCE: Chapter 1, WDR 2016 (http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2016)
14
Digital technology can improve service delivery…
CAPACITY
Complaints were resolved quickly in the Nairobi water
utility after the introduction of digital customer feedback
SOURCE: Chapter 3, WDR 2016 (http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2016)
TRANSPARENCY
e-government systems increase the
transparency of government budgets, 2014
17
Digital development strategies need to be broader
Connectivity + Complements è Digital Dividends
• Regulations that allow firms to connect and compete
• Skills that leverage technology
• Institutions that are accountable and capable
Match policies to the level of digital development
• Emerging: Lay the foundations by promoting digital adoption
• Transitioning: Enable everyone to take advantage of new technologies
• Transforming: Deal with the wicked problems faced in the new economy
The payoff
• Increasing digital dividends:
Faster growth, more jobs and better services
Principles of Digital Government
Infrastructure:
Trends we are seeing today:
• Single, integrated, platform for government services(Build once, re-use always)
• Mandated use of cross-government shared service components Unified data shared
across public sector, and beyond
• New supply models (service contracts, PPPs)
• Integrated cyber-security and privacy
• Integrated sensors, IoT, Precision Agriculture, Smart Cities
• Data analytics
• eServices:
• Transformational by design
• Open and secure by design
• Digital from end to end
• User-centered service design (customer as a focus, Identity-based)
• Mobile-centric – and able to accommodate new devices too
Elements of successful digital development
Leadership
Technology/
Infrastructure
Successful
Digital
Government
program
Innovation
Support
Policy/Legal
Framework
Institutional
set up
Partnerships
Citizen
engagement
E f f e c t i v e
communication
C a p a c i t y
Building
Policy Products
for Digital Platforms and Solutions
Products
Descriptions
National ICT strategy
• National strategy for using ICT to further national development
• Assessments and Gap analysis
• Methodology and toolkits developed by unit
• Governance and institutions
IT policies, laws and regulations
IT standards and Enterprise Architecture
Cybersecurity and Privacy
• Priority ICT applications for country’s development
• Monitoring and results
• Policies, laws and regulations for digital government
• Capacity building and institutional strengthening
• Technical and industry standards
• Guidance towards open standards and interoperability
• Open system architecture and interfaces
• Data and analytics
• Policies, laws, and regulations for cybersecurity
• Governance and institutions
• CERT building and management
21
• Cybercrime policy advise
• Capacity building
• Monitoring and results
Holistic approach is needed to effectively deliver public services
Servic es
Stakeholders
verticals Shared Services–People Registries (ID), Maps
(GIS), Authentication, Payments, Document/Records
Mgmt
Government
Health
Nutrition
Citizens
Businesse
s
Education
Learning Citizen/Bus
Social
Transactions
Protection
Revenue&
Trade
Facilitation
Donors/NGO/CSO
Finances
Banking
Public Works
Utilities
Transport
6
22
B4A- Infrastructure (EN), Cloud, Data Centers, Mobile Platforms, Security,
Laws, Regulations, Governance, Standards, Inter-Operability
Infrastructure Products
for Digital Platforms and Services
Products
Descriptions
Examples from ICT Unit Portfolio
Digital
•Shared services platforms for service
Kenya, Rwanda, Burkina Faso
government
delivery
Moldova, Bangladesh, Burkina, Mongolia
infrastructure • Cloud computing platforms, data centers All
Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, Philippines
• Government portals and online services
•Management Information Systems
Sri-Lanka, Mongolia
(eProcurement, eID, IFMIS, Trade
Vietnam, Gabon, Afghanistan
Facilitation..)
Vietnam
Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mongolia
• eHealth, eEducation
• Local Government support (smart cities) All
West and East Africa Regional eID, Nigeria,
• Open Government/Data
Ghana
• Cybersecurity
East & Central Asia
• Digital identity
Kenya, eGabon, eBurkina, eAgric (CI,
• Big data analytics
Benin)
• Innovation Ecosystems
Mexico, Sri-Lanka, Vietnam, Rwanda
• Capacity building & Skills development
Mexico, Afghanistan, Ghana
• ICT Industry, ITES
All
•Knowledge exchanges (for further
23
Senegal, Lebanon
discussion)
• Digital Economy
2020 UN E-GOVERNMENT SURVEY
Leading Countries In E-government Development In 2020
Country
Rating class
Region
OSI
value
HCI
value
TII
value
EGDI
value (2020)
EGDI
value (2018)
Denmark
VH
Europe
0.9706
0.9588
0.9979
0.9758
0.9150
Republic of Korea
VH
Asia
1.0000
0.8997
0.9684
0.9560
0.9010
Estonia
VH
Europe
0.9941
0.9266
0.9212
0.9473
0.8486
Finland
VH
Europe
0.9706
0.9549
0.9101
0.9452
0.8815
Australia
VH
Oceania
0.9471
1.0000
0.8825
0.9432
0.9053
Sweden
VH
Europe
0.9000
0.9471
0.9625
0.9365
0.8882
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
VH
Europe
0.9588
0.9292
0.9195
0.9358
0.8999
New Zealand
VH
Oceania
0.9294
0.9516
0.9207
0.9339
0.8806
United States of America
VH
Americas
0.9471
0.9239
0.9182
0.9297
0.8769
Netherlands
VH
Europe
0.9059
0.9349
0.9276
0.9228
0.8757
Singapore
VH
Asia
0.9647
0.8904
0.8899
0.9150
0.8812
Iceland
VH
Europe
0.7941
0.9525
0.9838
0.9101
0.8316
Norway
VH
Europe
0.8765
0.9392
0.9034
0.9064
0.8557
Japan
VH
Asia
0.9059
0.8684
0.9223
0.8989
0.8783
Ireland
COVID-19 Pushing More Government Activities Online Despite Persistent
Digital Divide, Annual E-Government Survey Finds
https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Reports/UN-E-Government-Survey-2020/
International Cases
• Estonia –
https://e-estonia.com/ &
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaU7IPlg9PA/
• Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqVSyhoROcs/
• United Kingdom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8_xn5JerXY/
Mission-oriented R&I policies: In-depth case studies
Case Study Report
e-Estonia
Virginia Castaños
March 2018
Case Study Report: e-Estonaia
European Commission
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Directorate A — Policy Development and Coordination
Unit A.6 — Open Data Policy and Science Cloud
Contact Johan Stierna
E-mail
[email protected]
[email protected]
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
Manuscript completed in March 2018.
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu).
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018.
© European Union, 2018.
Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by
Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39).
For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EU copyright, permission must be sought directly
from the copyright holders.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Mission-oriented R&I policies: In-depth case studies
Case Study Report
e-Estonia
Virginia Castaños
A Study coordinated by the Joint Institute for Innovation Policy (JIIP)
February 2018
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Table of Contents
1
Summary of the case study ……………………………………………………………………….. 3
2
Context and objectives of the initiative …………………………………………………………. 8
2.1
2.2
3
Contextual factors and origins of initiative ………………………………………………. 8
Strategic and operative objectives and milestones of the initiative ………………. 11
Resources and management …………………………………………………………………….. 13
3.1
Governance and management model …………………………………………………… 13
3.2
Financing model…………………………………………………………………………….. 14
3.3
Key actors involved in the initiative …………………………………………………….. 15
3.4
Monitoring system and evaluation of the initiative …………………………………… 16
3.5
4
Level and type of citizen engagement in the initiative ………………………………. 16
Policy instruments and wider policy-mix used for implementing the initiative …………. 17
4.1
Description of the R&I policy instruments used for implementing the initiative … 17
4.2
Connections with other policies ………………………………………………………….. 20
4.3
5
Key turning points of the initiative and policy adaptation measures. …………….. 22
Realised or expected outputs, outcomes and impacts ……………………………………… 23
5.1
Outputs and new instruments ……………………………………………………………. 23
5.2
Outcomes ……………………………………………………………………………………. 23
5.3
Impacts ………………………………………………………………………………………. 25
5.4
Summary of the key indicators ………………………………………………………….. 26
6
Conclusions and lessons learned ……………………………………………………………….. 28
6.1
Identification and assessment of key strengths and weaknesses of the initiative 28
6.2
Lessons learned and key messages for European R&I policy ………………………. 28
References: …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 31
2
1
Summary of the case study
Summary fiche
Title:
Country:
Thematic area:
Objective(s):
Main governing body:
Timeline:
Budget:
Brief description of the
case (250 words)
Implementation and
organisation (a brief
description of the
governance and policy
instruments used)
Observed / expected
outputs, outcomes, and
impacts
1
e-Estonia
Estonia
e-Society, e-Government
e-Estonia aims to make the government more efficient and transparent
as well as boosting economic growth and increasing the overall
wellbeing of the people of Estonia.
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication
1996-2020
The e-Estonia policy has been running for more than 20 years and it
has been implemented through various types of policy instruments in a
distributed form. Hence there is not any official estimation of the overall
budget used for it.
Estonia has been named ‘the most advanced digital society in the
world’, Estonians have built an efficient, secure and transparent
ecosystem that saves time and money.
“e-Estonia” is a formidable success story that grew out of the
partnership between a forward-thinking government, a proactive ICT
sector, and a switched-on, tech-savvy population.
When Estonia started building its information society about two decades
ago, there was no digital data being collected about their citizens. The
general population did not have internet access or even devices with
which to use it. It took great courage to invest in IT solutions and take
the information technology route.
As a result, e-services have become routine for citizens of Estonia: ivoting, e-taxes, e-police, e-health care, e-notary, e-banking, e-census,
e-school and much more. e-Estonia’s success relies on a clever
infrastructure that has made it possible to build a safe e-services
ecosystem. Estonia sees the natural next step in the evolution becoming
a safe e-state with automatic e-services available 24/7.
Essential e-solutions in Estonia that enable the e-society to function
smoothly were all built by local Estonian companies. Estonia IT sector
has over 20 years of expertise and experience in automating public and
private sector services. Today, Estonia has shared its e-governance
journey with 60 governments and exported its solutions to over 130
countries around the world.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication developed the
principles of information policies and the supportive legislation, also
took responsibility for the supervision of relevant state organisations
starting from 1993.
e-Government developments have been done mainly by responsible
ministries and state agencies. Every government department, ministry
or business, gets to choose its own technology, based on commonly
agreed principles. Estonia has established the role of a government
chief information officer (CIO), who reports to the minister of economic
affairs and communication (and effectively also to the prime minister,
through the e-Estonia Council), to help oversee the coordination of
digital projects, including IoT across government while maintaining the
independence and uniqueness of each department’s digital needs.1
Nowadays in Estonia, every person can provide digital signatures using
their ID-card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID, so they can safely identify
themselves and use e-services. (98% of Estonians have ID-card).
World Bank Group (2017). Internet of Things Report.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/610081509689089303/pdf/120876-REVISED-WP-PUBLICInternet-of-Things-Report.pdf
3
Estonia’s solution for maintaining a modern State is X-Road, it allows
the nation’s various public and private sector e-Service databases to
link up and function in harmony or in other words able to work together
so that data only needs to be requested from the citizen once.
(over 900 organizations and enterprises in Estonia use X-Road).
After Estonia’s experience with the 2007 cyber-attacks, scalable
blockchain technology was developed to ensure integrity of data
stored in government repositories, and to protect its data against
insider threats. Estonia became host to the NATO Cooperative Cyber
Defence Centre of Excellence and the European IT agency.
Thanks to a safe, convenient and flexible digital ecosystem, Estonia has
reached an unprecedented level of transparency in governance and built
broad trust in its digital society (30% of Estonians use i-voting and 99%
of public services are online 24/7). As a result, the Estonian Information
Society Authority2 claims savings of over 800 years of working time
annually and that Estonia has become a hassle-free environment for
business and entrepreneurship.
Each person in Estonia that has visited a doctor has an online e-Health
record that can be tracked and where data privacy is guaranteed. (95%
of health data digitized and 99% of prescriptions are digital)3
The educational digital revolution in Estonia aims to implement modern
digital technology more efficiently and effectively in learning and
teaching, and to improve the digital skills of the entire nation. For
example, it includes ensuring that every student receives the necessary
knowledge and skills to access modern digital infrastructure for future
use.
Estonia’s success in the digital revolution can be seen in the educational
landscape since twice as many students pursue IT careers in Estonia
than the average in other OECD countries.
Modern e-solutions make setting up and running a business in Estonia
quick and easy. Estonia is one of the countries with most start-ups
launched per capita in Europe, (98% of companies are established
online, 99%of banking transactions are online, and 95% of tax
declarations are filed online).
Assessment of the main elements of mission-oriented R&I initiative4
Directionality (links to
societal challenges,
industry transformation):
2
3
Yes: Following regain of its independence in 1991, Estonia
tremendously advanced in guaranteeing a societal challenge of the
democratic society. The Estonian government turned to ICT solutions to
enhance dialogue between the governors and the governed. The earliest
and most notable actions were the introduction of the TOM (Today I
Decide) system in 2001 (a system for citizens to submit ideas and
proposals in the policymaking process), the introduction of e-voting in
2005 (an ID-car based system allowing citizens to vote online in local,
national and European consultations) and the OSALE.EE platform in
2007 (a platform for public consultations and getting inputs on draft
policy documents from individuals and interest groups)5
The initiative can be also connected to the UN Goal 9 related to industry,
innovation and infrastructure. e-Estonia is also key to finding lasting
solutions to economic challenges, such as providing new jobs and
promoting the ICT sector and significantly increase access to
Information Society Authority (2018). https://www.ria.ee/x-tee/fact/#eng
e-estonia (2018). https://e-estonia.com/solutions/healthcare/
Joachim Astrom, Hille Hinsberg, Magnus E.Jonsson, Martin Karlsoon. Praxis Center for Policy Studies, Örebro
University (2013) Citizen centric e-participation Sweeden. Estonia and Iceland.pdf. ISBN 978-9949-507-20-7
5
4
information and communications technology and strive to provide
universal and free access to the Internet.
Additionally, like many developed nations, Estonia has introduced a
number of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) solutions designed to
make travel safer and logistics more convenient. For example, in March
2017, Estonia made it legal to test self-driven vehicles on all national
and local roads in the country. Work is underway to create a full legal
and cyber-risk management framework for using fully autonomous
vehicles in regular road and traffic conditions.
Intentionality (specific,
well-articulated goals):
Clearly set timeline and
milestones:
Yes: The goals of e-Estonia have been quite clearly articulated and
quantified. Estonian politicians recognised that investing money in
internet and ICT, would be the most efficient way to reduce government
costs while simultaneously improving the quality of life for citizens.
To certain degree: The e-Estonia is further developed with every
legislation period. There have been the overall goals and targets for the
information society policy. Every adjustment builds on the effort
undertaken in the previous period. On the basis of the available
material, it is difficult to assess whether the milestones have been
clearly set on the outset. Some of those fundamental legislation
milestones are the following:6
•
Databases Act (1997/ 2006)
•
Public Information Act (2001)
•
Digital Signatures Act (2000)
•
Act on Intellectual Property (applicable also for state databases)
•
Principles of Estonian Information Policy (1998, 2004)
•
Action Plan of Estonian Information Policy – (e-Estonia) (1998,
1999, 2000, 2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006…)
•
Personal Data Protection Act (1996)
•
Creation of the necessary e-government infrastructures to support
the services:
–
Digitalized information: information systems and databases in
all levels of government.
–
Formalized exchange: X-road, the connection of public and
private sector e-Service databases by a data exchange service
layer (2001- ..)
•
Electronic Identity: Authentication of a user by digital certificate
embedded in the ID card or SIM card.
Establishment of services:
–
Mobilises public and
private investments:
6
e-banking, e-cabinet, M-parking, e-tax (2000)
e-Geoportal (2001)
Digital Signature (2002)
e-School (2003)
e-ticket (2004)
i-Voting (2005)
e-Notary (2006)
e-Police, e-business (2007)
e-Health system (2008)
e-Prescription (2010)
e-Residence (2014)
To certain degree: Public investments in e-Estonia have been
significant in particular those made by the central government but also
by the banking and telecom sectors.
Arvo Ott PhD (2012) eGovernment Academy. Estonia2.Arvo Ott_interoperability.pdf
5
Focused on new
knowledge creation
(basic research, TRLs 14):
Due to the diversity of the sectors the digital solutions have been
implemented in (education, health, tax, government, bank, security,
business, etc) it is difficult to estimate the total budget for the e-Estonia
initiative.
To certain degree: KSI Blockchain technology developed by the
Estonians is also being used by NATO, U.S. Department of Defence, as
well as European Union information systems to ensure cyber security.
Although blockchain has only become hot technology in recent years,
Estonia is leading the way in the blockchain revolution. Estonian
government has been testing the technology already since 2008. Since
2012, blockchain has been in operational use in Estonia’s registries,
such as national health, judicial, legislative, security and commercial
code systems, with plans to extend its use to other spheres such as
personal medicine, cyber security and data embassies.
Focused on knowledge
application (applied
research, TRLs 5-9):
Yes: Applied research and application of knowledge have had an
important role in this initiative. X-Road is the secure backbone of eEstonia, the Estonian “protected territory” in the cyberspace. It is the
environment that allows the nation’s various databases, both in the
public and private sector, to link up and operate in harmony.
Estonians have an official ID-card and Mobile ID, which allow them
to identify themselves in an online environment and provide legally
binding digital signatures worldwide.
Estonians have maximized the potential of an already existing
technology, the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), to help people
from all parts of the world to be connected in a faster and cheaper way
via Skype.
Demand articulation
(involves instruments for
inducing demand):
Yes: Demand articulation has been carried out mainly through digital
education plus accessibility. The following demand-side instruments
have been used:
•
Tiger Leap Foundation to support ICT in schools (1996)
•
Look@World project, establishment of 500 Public Internet Access
Points all over Estonia (2001)
•
Computer usage courses for 10% of adult population under
Look@World project (2002. 2009-2010)
•
Free WIFI “movement”- the entire country of Estonia has managed
virtually universal wireless Internet access through community
participation7.
•
Come Along, computer usage courses for 100,000 citizens
(2009/2011)
•
SmartLabs to support and promote IT-related after school activities
among the youth in order to improve IT awareness and increase the
number of youth choosing to study science or IT (2012-..)
•
Estonian smart device security project “NutiKaitse 2017”. By using
Nutikaitse 2017, at least 300,000 people in Estonia will use secure
Mobile- ID for electronic authentication and digital signatures.
Multi-disciplinary (interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary):
Yes: e-Estonia is a collection of different project initiatives spreading
through a number of sectors (education, banking, health, security,
business, tax administration, etc.) All of them need access to
infrastructures, security layers, identification and interfaces.
Yes: e-Estonia can be seen as a continuous national policy. The Ministry
of Economic Affairs and Communications is responsible for the
Joint coordination (multilevel and/or horizontal
Indrajit Basu (2008) Estonia Becomes E-stonia. http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Estonia-Becomes-Estonia.html?topic=117673
7
6
governance of
policies/finance):
development of the State Information Policy.8 The central government
is responsible for setting strategic direction, priorities and providing
finance but at the same time the Estonian government is quite
decentralised, leaving a lot of the implementation responsibilities to IT
managers in ministries, county governors, boards and inspectorates.9
Cyber Security is one of the most important topic in Estonia. Estonia
has developed its information society highly dependent on its ICT
infrastructure and electronic services. Therefore, Estonia has ensured
that electronic solutions are not the Achilles heal for the society but vice
versa the enabler of digital innovation and smart solutions.10
Reflexivity (flexible policy
design, timely
monitoring):
Yes: e-Estonia’s success relies on a clever infrastructure that has made
it possible to build a safe e-services ecosystem. An important part of
this ecosystem is flexibility, and the ability to integrate its different
parts, while improving the e-services and allowing government systems
to grow.
To certain degree: The Ministry of Economic Affairs and
Communications received a permit from the government to create a
joint non-profit foundation between Estonia and Finland to develop the
X-road. This NGO was called Nordic Institute for Interoperability
Solutions (NIIS).
In the future, the cross-border cooperation will make the development
of X-Road more promising for Estonia, as NIIS is financed out of the
budgets of both countries. By 2017, a membership fee of EUR 920,500
has been agreed upon.11
A series of Russian cyber-attacks began 27 April 2007 that swamped
websites of Estonian organisations. The direct result of the cyberattacks
was the creation of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of
Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia: its mission to enhance the capability,
cooperation and information sharing among NATO, its member nations
and partners in cyber defence by means of education, research and
development, lessons learned and consultation.
Due to the attacks, the Tallinn Manual on the International Law
Applicable to Cyber Warfare was also developed.
To certain degree: e-Estonia’s success relies on an open-minded
citizenship, who are eager to use e-solutions, and a strong
infrastructure that has made it possible to build a safe and user-friendly
e-services ecosystem.
The successor to citizen participation portal TOM «« Today I decide »
(2001) was launched in 2007 (osale.ee), and is now the central
consultation-participation portal for the Estonian Government. The
portal, managed by the State Chancellery, is connected to the interministerial electronic documentary system EIS. It aims to facilitate
wider participation of citizens and civic organisations in politics, and also
to draft legislation through discussions and consultation in accordance
with relevant development plans. The portal is still operational,
although several studies have been critical and consider osale.ee a
failed e-democracy tool.
Openness (connected to
international agendas
and networks):
Involvement of citizens:
Joinup (2016) eGovernment in Estonia. https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/inlinefiles/eGovernment%20in%20Estonia%20-%20February%202016%20-%2018_00_v4_00.pdf
9
World Bank (2006), “EU-8. Public Sector Capacity in the EU 8. E-Government in Estonia: Development and
Best Practice. Background Paper”, Report Number: 36930-GLB, available at
siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSLOVAKIA/Resources/eGovernmentEstonia.doc
10
Sandra Roosna, Raul Rikk (2015) eGovernance Acad emy Foundation, e-Estonia-e-Governance-inPractice.pdf
11
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. https://www.mkm.ee/en/news/estonia-and-finland-setnon-profit-organisation-development-x-road
8
7
Number of sustainable services co-designed by the public and the
private/third sector was 0 in 2013 and the target level is 15 for 2020 12
The X-Road Community was created in 2013, and meets twice a year.
They discuss issues related to the X-Road, and seek solutions to these
issues. The community is made up by developers, administrators and
business process managers who are interested in being involved in the
development of X-Road.
2
Context and objectives of the initiative
Estonia has a population of nearly 1.3 million inhabitants. Not long after its independence
from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country decided that the online economy and massive
technological innovation was the way forward for a tiny country with no natural resources
to fall back on. IT solutions developed within the construction of the e-State constitute a
part of the Estonian state administration. Estonia uses information technology as an
instrument for increasing administrative capacity and ensuring an innovative and
convenient living environment for citizens. That means a lifestyle that values simplicity,
speed, comfort and economic savings. Therefore, the keywords behind the development
of the e-State in Estonia are sustainable development and high-quality environment.
Since the 1990s Estonia has had a remarkable success in the development of the
information society. The major factors that have influenced the evolution of the information
society include economic factors, the active role of the public sector, the technological
competency, and socio-cultural factors.
2.1
Contextual factors and origins of initiative
In 1996 a cooperative project named Tiger Leap13 was launched between the government,
the business sector, and the citizenship. Tiger Leap helped prioritise the development of
an information technology infrastructure and initially provided educational institutes and
public agencies access to computers and the Internet. Five years later, ten private and
public companies formed a strong public-private partnership, creating the Look@World
Foundation14. Supported by telecom and banking interests, the project raised digital
aware
