Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

2004 key findings
2003, setting five new strategic priorities that stress
exploiting the strong eGovernment foundations put
in place between 2000 and 2003, and translating
them into real benefits for individuals and businesses.
The United States, while still a steady and strong
performer, seems somewhat less ambitious in
comparison. Electronic government continues
as one of the five key elements of the President’s
Management Agenda for improving the management
and performance of the US federal government
as a whole (see sidebar, eGovernment for service
transformation, on page 13). In a broader context,
eGovernment is considered to be integral to the
US Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
of 1993, which marked the country’s shift in focus
away from a preoccupation with activities undertaken
to a focus on the results of those activities.
However, the current eGovernment strategy continues
to build off a vision first articulated three years ago.
The country had below-average improvement in
its overall customer relationship management
score and seemed to show more improvement at
the agency level, rather than through governmentwide
initiatives.
Even Canada seems to recognize that it is reaching
the limit of what it can achieve with its current
program. While its performance is strong, the pioneering
country is now looking at what lies beyond
its current level of success and likely will help define
new eGovernment standards for the world over the
next few years (see sidebar, Reflections from a world
leader, on page 14).
The growth patterns within the approximate bottom
third of the rankings are somewhat more fractured,
but still indicate some countries worth noting (see
Figure 5).
Spain will be a country worth watching over the next
12 months. The country developed a new strategy
and action plan in 2003 that demonstrates a real
interest in customer-focused services and in building
collaboration among different public authorities.
Malaysia continues to make steady progress year
after year and has been slowly climbing through the
rankings. While Malaysia is still playing catch-up with
countries in the top half, for the first time it is challenging
those that started out strong several years
ago but have made relatively minor changes since.
Figure 5: Growth rates: Less than 50 percent overall maturity
a. Overall maturity 40%–49%
b. Overall maturity below 40%
20
15
10
5
0
20
15
10
5
0
-5
Y2001
OM Change
Y2002
OM Change
Y2003
OM Change
Y2004
OM Change
Y2001
OM Change
Y2002
OM Change
Y2003
OM Change
Y2004
OM Change
Italy
Spain
Brazil
South Africa
Malaysia
Average
Mexico
Average
Portugal
12