For many jurisdictions, moving citizen services online was a long-term, “nice-to-have” project, but the pandemic forced new ways to bring city hall to the people, rather than the people to city hall. So much of American life was pushed out of physical spaces and onto the Internet this year, including the vast majority of local […]
A tongue-in-cheek question that has been doing the rounds on social media – “Who led the digital transformation of your company? A) the CEO; B) the CTO; or C) COVID-19” – could equally be applied to the public sector, according to city Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and Chief Data/Digital Officers (CDOs) […]
The response from governments around the world to the threat of COVID-19 has been one of the biggest public service challenges in decades. The use of digital tools has played a key role in protecting citizens, with governments having to turn quickly deploy welfare systems, distribute information, and scale up contact tracing. The British government’s […]
Earlier this year, Norton Bonaparte predicted a permanent end to a foundational element of how government leaders and employees engage with constituents. “I talked to a newspaper reporter in March, and I said ‘I don’t think I’ll ever shake your hand again,’” says Bonaparte, city manager of Sanford, Fla. “People talk about going back to […]
State and local government leaders should lean on advances to cloud made during the pandemic to accelerate digital services that will provide additional benefits in a post-pandemic world, Okta’s Kelsey Nelson says. “Many of the IT leaders we talked to within state and local agencies had been starting along a lot of these modernization paths […]
Either by necessity, design, or other reasons, the COVID-19 crisis challenged cities to work smarter, and in many cases, become more resilient. The changes brought by the pandemic have been as small as getting rid of the old timeclock in the public works department in Spokane, Wash. — it encouraged too much close gathering — […]
Canadians who have an immediate need for a passport can once again apply by mail, as of July 31. If Canadians are travelling in less than 30 days, or need their passport urgently, they can now request in-person appointments. If Canadians do not have travel plans, the government media release recommends waiting before applying for […]
Ministry of Economy and Finance secretary of state Vongsey Vissoth called on relevant officials and working group members to expedite the completion of the draft concept note on “Digital Government Policy” and to design it in consonance with the Digital Economy Policy. He said this at a meeting held at the Ministry of Posts and […]