The Implementation Of E-government In The United States: More Opportunities Or Risks?

With the rapid advances in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), the Industrial Age has been substituted by Information Age. Being the biggest possessor and user of information resources, governments around the world are seeking to have a revolutionary reform to adapt to the growth of new productive force. Consequently, e-government strategies have been widespread among both developed and developing countries since the early 1990s. Among them, the American e-government always plays the role of pioneer and innovative leader. To examine the feasibility of e-government initiatives, this thesis conducts a case analysis of the implementation of e-government in the US, from both positive and negative perspectives. Based on the critical analysis, the research aims to address some practical suggestions for Chinese e-government development, and proposes to reinvent Chinese government to be efficient, effective, honest, and citizen-centered with the application of e-government.Besides Introduction and Conclusion parts, the thesis is composed of four chapters.The Introduction concisely illustrates the background, target, purpose andstructure of the research.Chapter 1 gives a comprehensive definition of e-government and documents the process of American e-government practice. Particular attention is given to: for what objects e-government has been used, how it has evolved and by what means it works. Specific goals and approaches of American e-government at different period are outlined.Chapter 2 studies the distinctive features of American federal, state and local government websites, and explores the benefits and impact of e-government on good governance. This section selects 10 government websites from all tiers of American administration as case studies, and details the significant effects of e-government applications on reduction of cost, enhancement of transparency, increase of business opportunities, improvement of service delivery, and promotion of information exchange and share.Chapter 3 looks into challenges American e-government may face and examines relevant solutions applied for solving the problem. Issues covered in this part include security and privacy, digital divide, online voting, being short of qualified human resource, sponsorship of e-government and physical communication.Chapter 4 portrays the current status of Chinese e-government, summarizes the useful lessons and strategies Chinese government can learn from American e-government implementation, and further suggests how to develop a practical e-government within the context of Chinese national conditions.Finally, based on a good understanding of e-government issues, the conclusion sums up the main ideas of this thesis, affirms the desirable opportunities held by e-government outweigh the potential risks it faces, and highlights the need for a fundamental ideological change in modern government management as the root ofe-government.