In the Techniques section:
Techniques
Avoiding eTransparency Failure: Ideas About Project Drivers
This page offers ideas about how to address one factor identified as important to the success or failure of e-transparency projects. Follow this link for more information about such factors (and some related case examples).
Idea 1: Balance External And Internal Drivers
Without external encouragement, e-transparency projects may never be contemplated or started. Without internal ownership, e-transparency projects may never be developed. Without external facilitation, e-transparency projects may never be successfully implemented. eTransparency proposals must grapple with the difficult business of balancing and integrating these three forces.
eTransparency projects risk being too external: many initiatives in developing countries are donor- or vendor-led. The latter is particularly problematic given often conflicting objectives between vendors and governance, and the poor quality of some vendors. Care must be taken that both initiatives and institutions relating to e-transparency do not become vendor-dominated.
But e-transparency projects also risk being too internal: for some ruling elites in developing countries, 'it seems that governance is seen as a tool for serving personal, then ethnic, then social affiliation and last the national interest. All state machinery, institutions and mechanisms are viewed and used in this light.' [1] eTransparency projects can be just the same: with senior public officials bending those projects to their own ends. One symptom of this has been senior officials making a big show of initiating e-transparency projects, but then ignoring their actual implementation. External drivers are needed to push such project beyond just symbolism into actual implementation.
It is very difficult, but a balance must be struck between external and internal drivers. One lesson from a Zambian e-government initiative was that an independent project team was required 'so that government cannot intimidate team members and that donor countries cannot hijack the project for their own benefit.' [2]
(From: Richard Heeks)
Idea 2: Meet A Senior Official's Agenda
eTransparency projects must have an internal driving force if they are to succeed. To work with this fact, you must therefore understand the agendas and interests of relevant senior officials. This may go as far as explicitly designing e-transparency projects to ensure that they meet at least one senior official's own agenda. This may create the necessary drive and championing for the project.
One way to do this is to focus the project on some other goal that is attractive to senior officials, such as cost saving or improved services. Transparency can be slipped in as an apparent by-product of the main focus. Another way is to develop a pilot e-government project that is under your complete control: one that is small but includes transparency as one of its deliverables. If you can make it a real success, then senior officials will be willing to drive forward a broader roll-out of such projects.
(From: Helga de Torres & Richard Heeks)
[1] Adeboye, T.O. (1995) Governance and Economic Development , paper presented at Good Governance for Africa conference, Maastricht, 23-24 November
[2] Njelesani, B.C. (1999) Zambia Health MIS , IICD http://www.iicd.org/base/stories_overview