Assessing The E-Goverment Development Performance of Southeast Asian Contries: Based on the 2003- 2016 E-Goverment Survey

In the Information Age we live in, governments around the world are prov’ded with a variety of tools to aid their practices. Traditionally deemed as a bureaucratic practice, the incorporation of information and communications technologies (ICTs) allows governments to easily share public information. Egovernment allows citizens to claim an active role in the governing process. The practice of e-government is also seen to be more cost-efficient, as the government can reach its citizens in just a click. Naturally, e-government will continue to develop,adjacenttothe development oftechnology itself.

In 2001, the United Nations (UN) started an exhaustive attempt to measure the global practice of e-government. The series of surveys began with an eightyone paged report, titled “Benchmarking E-Government: A Global Perspective.” These surveys would later be known as the UN E-Government Survey. As stated in their 2003 publication, “information technology applications, especially egovernment programs, are increasingly becoming the cornerstone of government operations” (p. 4). One of the primary outcomes of the first UN EGovernment Survey was the E-Government Readiness Index, a treasured instrumentthe UN would later use in theirsubsequent research projects.

Until December 2016, the UN has released nine survey reports on global egovernment. The reports were published respectively in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. However, the 2001 issue was not included as data for this monograph, as it remains to only be an early effort in benchmarking the global progress of e-government. Each report addresses specific issues, such as e-inclusion, sustainable development, connected governance, etc. The world rank of e-government practice measured by the EGovernment Development lndex (EGDl) is included in each report. The EGDI was developed using the same components of the E-Government Readiness index butdifiersinthenumberofquestions.

Although the report doesn't address the thorough practice of e-government in all countries, it offers insight on the global, regional, and sub-regional digital government trends. Naturally, American and European countries appear frequently on the survey's top ranks. However, some Asian countries were starting to claim their place amongst the world's best e-government practices, with the Republic of Korea beingthe bestworldwide in 2010,2012, and 2014.