Executive Summary on E-Government as a Unit PAFF 6315: Management of Government Information Systems

1. E-GOVERNMENT
A Unit of Governmental Transparency
OBJECTIVE
To analyze how E-Governmentisusedasa unitof
governmental transparency.
E. Rey Garcia, MPA Candidate
The Universityof TexasRioGrande Valley
September13,2015

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E-Government – A Unit of Governmental Transparency
An Executive Summary
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Author: E. Rey Garcia, MPA Candidate
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)
September 13, 2015
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Master of Public Affairs - Administration
PAFF 6315: Management of Government Information Systems
Fall 2015, Module One
Lecturer: John Milford

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Objective
To analyze how E-Government is used as a unit of governmental transparency.
Executive Summary
E-Government or Electronic Government is defined by The White House as a tool that “develops
and provides direction in the use of Internet-based technologies to make it easier for citizens and
businesses to interact with the Federal Government, save taxpayer dollars, and streamline citizen
participation.” E-Government is a unit of the government that is used for governmental
transparency, and allows for open data, public information, citizen engagement, Gov 2.0, etc.
thus, allowing the public to have access to all open public records. This privilege is made
possible by such Acts as the Freedom of Information Act or the Public Information Act.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The United States Department of State - Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, is a federal
freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased
information and documents controlled by the United States government.
The Public Information Act or Open Records Act
The Public Information Act (Formerly Open Records Act) -Texas Government Code, Chapter
552, gives citizens the right to access government records.

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E-Government Services
E-Government provides services to four main customers: citizens, the business community,
government employees, and government agencies. E-Government provides digital one-stop
customer self-services accessible from any computer, laptop, or smart device. Its primary goal is
to allow for the government to engage with the community and to allow access to public records
via a secure encrypted data network and servers.
E-Government System
An E-Government system is predominantly self-service and does not involve face-to-face
interaction between the government employee and the citizen requesting the public data. It is
usually initiated via the Internet, where individuals request for a particular government service
and then receive that government service through the Internet or some computerized mechanism.
In some cases, the government service is delivered through one government office, instead of
many.
E-Government, Now Open 24 Hours
Because of the Internet, E-Government has evolved in this digital era as a must-have for citizens
to communicate with their governments and leaders. It allows 24-hour, round the clock access to
public data via blogs, websites, social media, email, and texting, all from a computer or smart
device. Governments who adopt E-Government methods, set both moral and ethical standards,
thus, generating a trend of success stories, involving respect, public trust, credibility from the
community.

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References
Office of E-Government & Information Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2015, from
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/e-gov
The Public Information Act. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2015, from
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/faq/og-frequently-asked-questions
U.S. Department of State - Freedom of Information Act. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2015,
from https://foia.state.gov/