On the frontiers of electronic governance: a report on the United States and Canada

A great deal of activity that goes under the rubric of electronic governance is occurring in the United States and Canada at both the service delivery and political levels. This article will attempt to make sense of this activity by outlining the major directions in the evolution of electronic governance, in terms of both service delivery and the political process. It will speculate on implications for the work of public servants and politicians, and the relationship of both groups with one another and with the public. Electronic governance depends on the use of information technology (IT) by the general population. Here, the US and Canada are in the forefront. In both countries, approximately 70 percent of households now have a personal computer and the rate of internet access is over 60 percent (Brethour, 2001; Governing, 2001). Both economics and public policy are driving these percentages higher. The steady decrease in the price and increase in the capacity of personal computers is making them more accessible to people of lower incomes, thus narrowing the digital divide. The governments of both countries are encouraging universal internet access. The Canadian Government is providing internet access in all schools, libraries and small towns. The United States, which is more inclined to use earmarked taxes than Canada, has instituted the e-rate, a small surcharge on the telephone bills, and designated the funds it raises to pay for internet service at schools, libraries and health centres in poor and rural areas. By the end of this decade, computer use and internet access will likely exceed 90 percent of the adult population in both countries. In less than 20 years, personal computers and internet access will have become almost as ubiquitous as telephones and television. In addition, the internet is now becoming accessible by devices other than PCS such as pagers, TVS and wireless telephones (Caldow, 2001). These developments create the conditions for extensive growth of electronic governance.