# Digital Governance for Sustainable Development

Luís Soares Barbosa

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Luís Soares Barbosa. Digital Governance for Sustainable Development. 16th Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society (I3E), Nov 2017, Delhi, India. pp.85-93, 10.1007/978-3-319-68557-1_9 . hal-01768507

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# Digital governance for sustainable development

Luís Soares Barbosa

UNU-EGOV, United Nations University
Campus de Couros, Guimarães, Portugal
barbosa@unu.edu

**Abstract.** This lecture discusses the impact of digital transformation of governance mechanisms as a tool to promote sustainable development and more inclusive societies, in the spirit of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Three main challenges are addressed: the pursuit of *inclusiveness*, *trustworthiness* of software infrastructures, and the mechanisms to enforce more transparent and *accountable* public institutions.

## 1 Introduction

*The answer is yes, but would you mind to repeat the question?* This excited reply ver-
balised in a scene of a famous Woody Allen’s movie from the Eighties, sums up quite
precisely the way societies, States and citizens face the tide of digitization with its ever-
growing spectrum of applications and possibilities.

Actually, governments cannot ignore the huge potential of digital technologies and of
their progressive integration with unsuspected social dynamics. In particular, new tec-
nologies provide innovative tools to enhance communication, coordination, and partic-
ipation in social and political life [8]: their effective harnessing will indeed shape the
future of governance and democracy in the years to come.

On the other hand, the global spread of digital technologies has often increased inequal-
ity, and the poorest and most marginalised have frequently failed to benefit from it. For
example, the absence of a reliable internet infrastructure can further entrench inequal-
ity and exclusion, as it is increasingly difficult for people to participate in the digital
economy and new forms of civic engagement without proper internet connection, and,
of course, without the corresponding literacy.

The Sustainable Development Goal 16 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda calls for ef-
fective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels in the framework of peaceful
and inclusive societies [14]. We believe that digital transformation of governance pro-
cesses and procedures has a role to play in achieving such a goal. After reviewing what
electronic governance (EGOV) means in the current context, and highlighting some
characteristics of digitization in sections 2 and 3, this lecture opens the discussion on
digital transformation as a tool to promote sustainable development and more inclusive
societies. Three main challenges are discussed in section 4: the pursuit of inclusive-
ness, the trustworthiness of software infrastructures, and the mechanisms to enforce
accountability of public institutions.
Although the views expressed below are strictly personal, they are based on empirical evidence collected from our current work within UNU-EGOV, the new United Nations University unit on *Policy-Driven Electronic Governance*<fnref n="1" />, established in Guimarães, Portugal, in 2014. As part of the ‘research branch’ of the United Nations, the Unit aims at transforming the mechanisms of governance through the strategic application of digital technologies, and building effective capabilities for technology-enabled governance at the global, national and local levels. It takes an integrative, holistic view of governance networks focused on articulating macro-level development policies with micro-level, bottom-up participation.

## 2 EGOV: From electronic government to digital governance

The reader is certainly familiar with standard definitions of EGOV: for the World Bank it refers to *the use of information and communication technologies by government agencies that have the power to transform the relations of citizens, businesses and other government sectors*; for the European Union it focuses on the use of such technologies *in public administrations combined with organizational change and new skills to improve public services, democratic processes and increase support for public policy*.

In practice, EGOV is a main component in the process of strengthening the performance of government and public administration [16]. Traditionally associated with the (digital) provision of public services, it also relates directly to questions of democracy, leveraging new information, consultation, or communication possibilities, for example, in regard to proposed legislation or in planning processes. Actually, its impact on the reorganization of public services and participation processes cannot be underestimated. For example, the separation between *front* and *back* offices, a typically favoured EGOV service structure, not only requires a readjustment of working processes, but leads to numerous institutional changes. In particular, this makes possible to reduce or eliminate the institutional fragmentation of public administration, giving citizens access to public services from a single location and interface.

Over the past two decades, EGOV both as an application area and a research domain, evolved from a straight use of technology in public administration, to a multidisciplinary understanding of governance, and an integrative, holistic view of administrative processes. Its initial focus on establishing and maintaining a technological environment in government quickly evolved into the use of technology to transform its internal working and organization, and later expanded to also cover transformation of the relationships between government and citizens, businesses and other non-state actors [7]. New designations such as *digital governance* or *policy-driven electronic governance* are currently used to highlight its broad scope, encompassing the impact of emerging technologies, in the former case, or to emphasise that investment into technology is expected, not only to transform the working of government, but also to directly support public policy goals in specific contexts, in the latter.

<footnote n="1">¹ egov.unu.edu</footnote>
At the verge of such new development, EGOV becomes a catalyst for change with the public administration and its relationships with the civil society [20], raising the overall efficiency, effectiveness, and legitimization of administrative structures and decision-making processes.

## 3 The rise of everyware

At different levels, governance and public administration, and consequently EGOV processes, are facing the huge impact of ever new digital technologies and the progressive integration of digital, physical and biological systems [10, 5, 11]. The rise of everyware, an expression capturing the fact that our devices are increasingly part of our personal ecosystem, is leading not only to flexible production schemes, customization of products and highly competitive markets operating via digital platforms [19], but also to a huge manancial of data, as well as new ways of living [4], heterogenous societies, and better informed citizens, increasingly demanding in their expectations.

In particular, as noticed in [12], digitization is removing from the State the information monopoly, which was once one of its main sources of power. At the same time it acts as a catalyst of change in the nature of the relationships between the civil society and the State, enforcing their evolution from a hierarchical to a network structure. The impact of social media [1], defining new, unsuspected forms of socio-interaction at all levels of society, should not be underestimated. In such a context, in an increasing number of countries, governments are regarded as public-service centers, and evaluated on their abilities to deliver through the most efficient and individualized channels.

The governance function and, consequently, EGOV processes, need to follow or, better still, to anticipate such moves to be able to harness digital technology to address really complex problems and permanently assess and control its side-effects.

Clearly, such technologies are a source of empowerment for citizens, providing new ways to voice their opinions, coordinate efforts, and possibly circumvent governmental supervision. As for the reverse of the coin, new surveillance systems and data mining, if uncontrolled, may give rise to all-too-powerful public authorities.

Yet a more precise example is given by the blockchain technology, which enables a network of computers to jointly verify a transaction before it can be recorded and approved. As such, blockchain has the potential to create trust between independent, non familiar actors which become entitled to collaborate without requiring any kind of central authority. Currently its most common use is on recording financial transactions made with digital currencies. However, if blockchain-based, descentralised payment systems can lead to easier and more transparent transactions, they could also hinder the ability for public authorities to trace their origin and destination. Notice, in passing, that other application areas for blockchain are emerging, namely in the EGOV domain, to record different sorts of administrative transactions, such us certificates of birth, academic degrees or ownership.
Indeed, when essential public functions and data migrate to digital platforms, clear regulatory frameworks need to be enforced to guarantee reliability, trustworthiness and, in general, the defence of public interest. The process, however, is never linear: most of the time new policies are triggered by the rapid pace of change and the dynamics of societies<fnref n="2" />.

# 4 Challenges

In a changing world, no *one-fits-all* recipe [6] can be suggested to strengthen EGOV processes and ensure their articulation with more general societal aims of sustainable development. Digitization itself has different faces and impacts in different regions of the world. This section discusses three challenges which are, from our perspective, critical for the future.

## 4.1 EGOV for Inclusiveness

We do not live in inclusive societies nor in an inclusive world. The statistical evidence is overwhelming: Half of all assets around the world are controlled by the richest 1% of the global population, while the lower half own less of 1% of global wealth. Extreme poverty places a challenge to the way governance is conceptualized: good governance should provide for the basic human needs of everyone, in particular to people and communities extremely vulnerable to poverty. And yet digital transformations may be a net contributor to meet the sustainable development goals. Thus the challenge to EGOV systems and policies is to pursue a rights-based approach to service delivery and universal access [16, 13].

In the developing world this means first of all the ability to set up processes and services supporting the State activity and society dynamics under the rule of law. However, it also means to harness technology to facilitate access to public services over rent, distance, and literacy rates. The use of mobile channels in regions whose first, and often unique, contact with the Internet is precisely the mobile phone is a classical example. Mobile devices acting over a reliable, extensive and, of course, affordable communications infrastructure help marginalised communities build stronger networks, open new opportunities, and eventually find their way out of economic hardship. For example, mobile banking, providing mobile money for 'unbanked' people<fnref n="3" />, can foster new localised services to e.g. facilitate family remits or micro-credit which is consensually an important catalyst in alleviating poverty. A specific, associated technology, that of voice recognition as a certification device, has been successfully and widely implemented in

<footnote n="2">² An illustrative example is provided by the fragmented emergence of data protection laws in most countries, somehow pushed by the growing digital, global economy.</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³ People who lack bank services in their communities or even fail have a home address or other documents required to open an account.</footnote>
rural areas in India, allowing to overcome low literacy rates still dominant in several
regions of the planet.

Designing EGOV for inclusiveness also means a progressive involvement of commu-
nities in the construction of relevant EGOV processes to improve access to sustainable
livelihoods, entrepreneurial opportunities and information resources. For example, our
experience in Africa shows the relevance of digital platforms for land registration and
price alerts for framers, as well as for promoting bottom-up participation in community-
level development plans.

## 4.2 Trustworthy infrastructures

The existence of a reliable and effective communications infrastructure is a precondition to any EGOV development project, namely within the developing world where cost is the biggest obstacle to access digital technologies and the internet. Actually, broadband access must be viewed as the most critical resource within an ecosystem that touches all aspects of life (devices, skills, infrastructure).

But technological infrastructures, to begin with the EGOV platforms at national, regional and local levels, also need to operate in a reliable, trustworthy mode. This concerns general issues on the top of the mediatic agenda, such as security and data privacy, but goes beyond. Puting it simple, the software underlying EGOV processes and platforms cannot fail and should ally simplicity of use with reliable operation.

In Computer Science this calls for software design and development methodologies in which the correctness of a system, i.e. its strict conformance with the specification of the intended behaviour, is established and checked in a rigorous way by mathematical reasoning. This is an area of research, going back to the Seventies, suggestively entitled *formal methods* [1, 2]. There is nothing surprising here: the engineering of a complex software system requires the same level of rigour necessary to build a bridge or establish an electric network.

Indeed, the use of precise and mathematically sound techniques to design and engi-
neer software is advantageous for a variety of reasons. A well-defined notation allows
an expression of requirements in a manner that is both clear and comprehensive, re-
sulting in a formal specification. A model of the system can then be developed and
checked for correctness with respect to it. This is achieved by a variety of means. One
approach is to use theorem-proving where logical axioms and inference rules are used
to construct a proof, usually in a semi-automatic procedure. Another approach is to use
model-checking whereby an exhaustive search of all possible states of the system is
performed to demonstrate whether it is correct; one advantage of this approach is that
in case the system is flawed then a counter-example is produced, which can be helpful
in determining where the flaw is in the system. Of interest here is not only correctness,
but also (usually intricate) properties of the system that need to be established. For ex-
ample, system designers are often interested to check whether a concurrent system is
deadlock-free. Such questions have to be answered before a system is implemented and
operational, and, in most cases, this can only be done if the system is modelled and
designed formally.

As a research agenda, trustworthy development of software is at the centre of a debate which is no longer a technical one. Actually, for ICT industry correctness is not only emerging as a key concern: it is simply becoming part of the business. Companies are becoming aware of the essential role played by proofs and formal reasoning in this process. At present, at least in what concerns safety-critical systems, *proofs pay the rent*: they are no more an academic activity or an exotic detail.

The same applies to State run information systems which more and more can be re-
garded as critical infrastructures providing resilient platforms for connecting the State
and citizens, public administration and the private sector.

4.3 Accountable institutions

It was already mentioned in the Introduction that Sustainable Development Goal 16 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda calls for effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Actually, it marks the recognition that institution-building for sustainable development is critical for realizing the Agenda's underlying vision.

The impact of digitization at this level should be made clear. There are, of course,
direct benefits in terms of efficiency of service delivery and the potential to increase
transparency at all levels of administration. To be effective, however, an objective and
intentional course of action is required to enforce the necessary re-organization of pro-
cedures and processes, and build on the move to develop a new institutional culture.
Digitization can make public administrations more responsive through new participa-
tion channels. Citizen participation, for example in city-level budgetary decisions or the
development of land-use plans, also contributes to legitimization of political decisions
and adds credibility to public institutions.

The digitization of service processes in public administration also requires a degree of formalization, which may may act as a mechanism to impose a certain level of formalization upon the work of State institutions. In countries where informal, poorly controlled administrative behaviours are one of the essential problems, this sort of EGOV ‘side-effect’ becomes particularly important. A specific relevant example comes from the introduction of electronic procurement, which is not only a way of combining purchases, thereby reducing expenditures, but has also the potencial of reducing the possibility for corruption in the tendering process.

In general, as recent research at UNU-EGOV has shown [17], EGOV offers a particular potential to improve financial and taxation systems. The introduction of integrated tax systems not only allows to control expenditures, but also to better supervise taxpayers, increasing internal revenues, dramatically reducing the shadow economy, and better monitoring financial flows within the State.

Nevertheless, technology, as such, has a limited direct impact upon the organization
change towards more transparent and accountable institutions. It has all the potential,
but real impact depends on the way it is introduced and managed by political actors whose ways of thinking often reflect power interests (e.g. neopatrimonial leadership styles, rent-seeking behaviours, etc). Some experience reports on EGOV remark that *although process transparency and reducing the autonomy of offices which deal directly with citizens could reduce corruption, new channels of corruption could also arise, in particular through the delegation of front office functions to third parties*. [18].

A low-performance, rigid, and centralised public administration with correspondingly low resources is a typical problem in several developing countries. Within a proper environment, EGOV development may contribute to its development and democratization, which is a necessary prerequisite for economic and social development. A word of caution makes sense here: digital technology cannot compensate for weakly developed administrative and management capacities, unmotivated, poorly-trained staff or for a poor democratic culture.

# 5 Conclusions

In a famous, lucid essay, Ha-Joon Chang, a Korean economist, argues that in relative terms, digitization has not yet proved as revolutionary as what happened in the late nineteenth century with wired telegraphy and later with the emergence of household appliances, as well as electricity, piped water and piped gas, which *totally transformed the way women, and consequently men, live* [3]. This is certainly a most interesting debate, but clearly, in pragmatic terms digitization opens the opportunity to ‘do government better’ and, if correctly planned, contributes to achieving the sustainable development agenda which is crucial in the years to come [15]. In particular, it can put more power in the hands of citizens and communities, starting with so simple things like allowing people to rate their health or educational services, as well as building a direct, suitably formalised relationship with the State.

The State itself is becoming less uniform, with a diversity of internal organizations, dynamics and culture. Local administration, namely at city level, is increasingly determinant, as the proportion of the world's population living in urban areas has grown from 14 to 50 percent in about a century. As always, their best regulators are the citizens themselves. We have already illustrated this by mentioning the potential of EGOV in procurement to promote accountable procedures. But it also helps to increase supplier diversity so that local suppliers can be provided with business opportunities and communities actively involved.

On the other hand, and although digitization is a global phenomenon, simply transferring EGOV solutions from developed to developing countries seems inappropriate. Actually, the different initial institutional, cultural, and wider administrative contexts must be considered to avoid unintended effects. In particular, the development potential of digitization in public administration can only be realized in the presence of certain preconditions, and may therefore require longer implementation periods for pilot projects and a stronger focus on capacity building. In any case, almost irrespective of geography,
it requires strong political initiative and a serious debate on the different roles the State
may play and the corresponding understandings of governance.

We believe that the retreat of governments from many areas where they used to play a
major role in the past, and their redefinition as enablers of private initiatives, may limit
their impact on leading a sustainable development agenda and supporting the poorest
segments of the population. Digital technologies may bring new instruments to this
arena, catalysing new alliances within societies, reinventing the State roles and helping
us formulate new answers to old, pressing problems, such as development, environmen-
tal sustainability, and the eradication of poverty.

*Aknowlegdments.* This paper is a result of the project SMARTEGOV - Harnessing EGOV for Smart Governance (Foundations, methods, Tools) / NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (EFDR).

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