E-government refers to the application of e-commerce technologies to government and public services. In the same way that e-business can be understood as transactions with customers (citizens), suppliers and internal communications, e-government covers a similar range of applications:
- Citizens – facilities for dissemination of information and use of online services at local and national levels. For example, at a local level you can find out when refuse is collected and at national level it is possible to fill in tax returns.
- Suppliers – government departments have a vast network of suppliers. The potential benefits (and pitfalls) of electronic supply chain management and e-procurement
- Internal communications – this includes information collection and dissemination and e-mail and workflow systems for improving efficiency within government departments.
E-government is now viewed as important within government in many countries. The European Union has set up ‘i2010’ (European Information society in 2010)