{"id":20529,"date":"2016-11-18T17:53:27","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T22:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/how-advances-in-technology-advance-governments-u-s-government-digitalization-and-challenges\/"},"modified":"2016-11-20T23:31:52","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T04:31:52","slug":"how-advances-in-technology-advance-governments-u-s-government-digitalization-and-challenges","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/how-advances-in-technology-advance-governments-u-s-government-digitalization-and-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"How Advances in Technology Advance Governments: U.S. Government Digitalization and Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"potusphone-sm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Government’s\u2019 job is to provide all citizens with safe, reliable and cost effective information and services. From that perspective, technological innovation is helping \u00a0in creation of government\u2019s value proposition<\/em><\/strong><\/span> from two angles:<\/p>\n

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  1. Efficiency<\/b>. \u00a0The government should enable its citizens to do all \u00a0government transactions digitally, where, for example, citizens and businesses only have to provide their information once. Therefore, the administrative burdens are reduced, decreasing time and money required from both parties. <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Citizen-friendliness<\/b>. Government looks at citizens as consumers\/users, therefore it should strive to make all aspects of citizens\u2019 interactions with government frictionless. Experience improvements should take place while maintaining fundamental requirements of privacy, security and integrity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While it started with the introduction of basic transactions online, Government Digitalization has now transformed into innovative transaction services, mobile apps, social media, and interactive responsive website.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The <\/span>operational model<\/strong><\/em><\/span> of digital government is based on <\/span>three foundational elements<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Security.<\/b> Protecting the information, identities and payments transactions of users, while maintaining compliance with payment card industry standards.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Mobility.<\/b> Delivering efficient government services that work seamlessly on any device.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Transactional Services.<\/b> Completing end-to-end transactions through self-service platforms and providing a variety of secure payment options.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      And just like we see in a technology company, \u00a0government\u2019s digital promise relies on the <\/span>operational components <\/strong><\/span><\/em>that include engineering, product, design and marketing. New government operations should have the following components in place:<\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. Technical infrastructure<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Content Management<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. User Engagement<\/span><\/li>\n
      4. Design<\/span><\/li>\n
      5. Customer service<\/span><\/li>\n
      6. Staffing<\/span><\/li>\n
      7. Promotion<\/span><\/li>\n
      8. Market Research<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        With that in mind, let\u2019s look at what the the U.S. Government has accomplished on its path towards digitalization and the challenges it faces ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

        The U.S. Government has been pursuing digitalization for over a decade now, starting with <\/span>Clinton-Gore administration<\/b>. One of the most noticeable digital projects was the launch of first ever <\/span>site with data on toxic waste locations<\/span><\/a> in the US in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This site put basic information about toxic waste areas in the US into the hands of citizens. As a result communities started pressuring companies in their neighbourhoods to clean up and stop contributing to toxic waste in order to improve health and increase property values in their districts. During the Bush administration the site was taken down for security reasons post 9\/11.<\/span><\/p>\n

        During the Obama presidency, and with the acceleration of technology innovation, digitalization of the government took on new level of rigor and transparency. Obama personally made a big contribution to adopting modern digital trends. He was the first \u201csocial media\u201d president: he claimed <\/span>@POTUS <\/span><\/a>on Twitter and did the first <\/span>live on Facebook<\/span><\/a> from the Oval Office. He also was the first to answer <\/span>questions from citizens on Youtube<\/span><\/a>, he even was the first to set a <\/span>filter on snapchat<\/span><\/a>. Additionally, from a platform perspective, Obama was quick to adopt governmental content properties to how people consumed media:<\/span><\/p>\n