The Study On The Problem Of "Isolated Information Islands"in E-government Of China

"Isolated Information Islands" has been a heatedly discussed topic in the present information construction, the solution of which has become an important factor for the further development of e-government. Given the present situation and problems faced in e-government construction in China in a background of its rigorous development, and drawing on relevant experience of developed countries, the essay approaches the problem of "Isolated Information Islands" in e-government from both objective and subjective perspectives. The essay falls into three parts:Part Ⅰ The emergence of the problem of "Isolated Information Islands"A.The history, reality and problems of e-government development in China. China starts e-government early and the construction has taken shape. However, as e-government continues to develop further, it has been confronted with prominent problems because of various reasons. The accumulation of such problems has led to the "Isolated Information Islands."B.The formation, types, reality and harm of "Isolated Information Islands" in e-government. This part mainly discusses its reality and harm. By briefly introducing some features of the "Isolated Information Islands," the essay illustrates the problem and the great importance of its solution.C.The definition of "Isolated Information Islands" in e-government. The arguments have been elaborated through logical analysis. There is certain inevitability in the emergence of "Isolated Information Islands" in e-government of China. It is decided by the system and national conditions of our country and many other factors. Only by embracing the actual situation of China, can we solve the problem through careful analysis. Narrow-minded solutions will definitely bring more and greater problems.Part Ⅱ Analysis on the reasons for the emergence of "Isolated Information Islands" in e-government of China"Isolated Information Islands" is not a natural occurrence, but rather a result of information development. An deep analysis is helpful for thesolution of the problem.A.The gaps between the construction of e-government and people's mentality are expressed in 3 aspects: The barrier of traditional perception on government administration; Emphasis on "electronics" while neglecting "government;" Lack of collaboration across departments.B.Incompatibility of traditional government system and e-government. The division and separation of different departments in China's government administrative system becomes the greatest barrier of e-government. Without powerful coordination and planning from the government, the lack of immediate communication and cooperation between government departments and across different government organizations has resulted in new "Isolated Information Islands," which leaves e-government to stay on skin-deep.C.The economic reason of the emergence of "Isolated Information Islands" —Information Rent Seeking. It means that government departments make use of administrative and legal means to restrict free information mobility artificially so that they can protect their present benefits. China's government holds 80% valuable information of social resources across different government departments. Such monopolization becomes the basic resources and origins of Government's Rent Seeking, and then leads to the Information Rent Seeking and the economic reason of "Isolated Information Islands."D.The legislative reason of "Isolated Information Islands"—outdated legislation. Obviously the legislation on the openness, sharing, safety and validity of the e-government information lags behind the requirement. As a result, the information sharing and openness needed by e-government construction cannot really come true, information flow needed by the construction of government website can not be found, and information update and openness can not be realized in time. As a result, "Isolated Information Islands" emerges.E.The regulation and standard for e-government construction. The standards for e-government need to be unified, formal and cater to the need of the time, because the rampancy of standards has seriously impeded the development and efficient utility of information resources.F.The security aspect of the causes of "Isolated Information Islands." Information in e-government concerns national secret and national security, but the technology and law construction in information security cannot catch up with the speed of development in the area.By analyzing the above reasons, we can tell that "Isolated Information Islands" is a reflection of the accumulated problems in e-government in our country under certain stage of development. The causes are complicated, some are caused by voluntarily choosing not to act, others are restricted by objective circumstances. A comprehensive analysis on the formation of "Isolated Information Islands" would benefit the resolving of the problem in the long run.Part III Solution to the problem of "Isolated Information Islands"A.To draw on the experience of developed countries to solve the problem.A guiding strategy for development at the national level and the leadership's emphasis on such importance helps to unify various departments and integrate the resources.To specify the rights of the public on the access of government's information by law and pave the way for e-government construction with the formulation of relevant laws and regulations.To optimize the government business process.To establish a central portal connecting department websites.To emphasize information security and privacy protection.To emphasize performance evaluation of e-government construction and the training of public servants.B.Ways to solve the problem. The emergence of the problem of "Isolated Information Islands" has a lot of reasons, the analysis of which has provided us with a clue; by comparing the construction of e-government of our country with that of the developed countries, we can find that there exists a gap between two. Therefore we categorize the solution into two phases, the transitional solution and the long-term solution, according to the degree of difficulty and the time length required.Transitional solution includes: to establish a central portal; to unify...