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 — […]
The bill for private consultants hired by the government to help combat the coronavirus pandemic has climbed to £175m, as the chair of an influential parliamentary committee revealed that MPs would investigate the multimillion-pound use of management consultancies. The government has bought consulting services from almost 90 different companies as it scrambled to fill gaps […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, federal government employees across the country had to make dramatic changes to the way they operate. The country’s largest workforce shifted toward telework, and citizen services moved to being digital-first or in many cases, digital-only experiences. Government digital service delivery, while ramping up before the pandemic, has […]
The U.S. government is awash in more official forms than any organization in the history of civilization. A review of the websites where the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration keep official form libraries suggests there are well over 10,000 forms poised for download. With this staggering volume of forms, one might imagine […]
Denmark leads in the United Nations’ E-Government survey 2020, according to the embassy of Denmark in Myanmar’s announcement on 14 August 2020. The E-Government survey by the United Nations’ Department and Economy and Social Affairs ranked 193 countries in terms of digital government readiness and implementation has given Denmark the highest score for the second […]
The global pandemic has affected our world in more than just health or economy. It is well understood that COVID-19 has forced industries around the world to look internally (if they want to exist) and find ways to provide their services safely, efficiently, and remotely. Additionally, the pandemic has shown us the importance of community […]
TOKYO — Two decades after Japan rolled out an ambitious plan to go digital, the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the government’s deeply rooted technological shortcomings as ministries remain stuck in a paper-driven culture that experts say is hurting productivity. While Tokyo has made “digital transformation” its main policy plank this year, the switch may not […]
Estonia built one of the world’s most advanced digital societies long before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing services such as electronic voting, online learning in schools, digital bureaucracy, and healthcare. When the coronavirus crisis struck, this investment paid off as Estonia’s digital public services continued mostly uninterrupted. Public-private partnerships and trust in public institutions are the […]
According to USA Today, Americans are struggling just to start the process of applying for unemployment, as overwhelmed state computer and phone systems have been under siege by an unprecedented 10 million Americans – and counting – seeking assistance all at once after losing their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. In Michigan, where unemployment claims […]