Measuring E-Government in Italy

Abstract

This chapter describes our experience in establishing an Observatory for the measurement of the impact of e-government policies onto the efficiency and the effectiveness of the Italian public sector. Such an Observatory is based on evaluation procedures different from those used in other measurement exercises, such as e-Europe or those belonging to the Big Five consultant groups. Moreover, the adopted definition of “e-government” is slightly different than the usual one, as it takes into account not only the mere providing of e-services, but also the whole impact of ICT in terms of transformation of Public Administration — both at a “front-” and at a “back-office” level. What has made us think about a new evaluation method is the desire for a standard, transparent (i.e., one that everyone understands) system, which, while it takes into account the overall level of e-government, the type and number of online services, and their ease of access and quality, also considers policy actions which flavor the spread of electronic government applications, both inside and outside the public sector.