A Framework For Increasing Participation In e-Government

The Internet potentially provides government with great opportunities for delivering services, encouraging democracy and promoting economic vitality. E-government is regarded with such importance that the UK Prime Minister has set various targets that ensure all UK citizens have access to the Internet by 2005 (www.e.envoy.gov.uk). However, with these opportunities come many problems. This paper will concentrate on the problem of a lack of public participation in e-government and in particular the exclusion of certain groups of society from using technology, known as ‘the digital divide’. This paper will then suggest a framework for involving the public in e-government services. Three different examples of e-government services will be assessed to see how they compare against the framework and finally some conclusions are drawn as to how this framework can help bridge the digital divide.