E GOVERNANCE CASE STUDY (BSCCSIT/BCA /MASTERS)
E-government has made good achievements in China and played a major role in improving administrative institutions and provision of public services. In China, the applications of e-government increased since 2001. The application of e-government in China was intended, in part, to accelerate the government's pace of implementing and using information and communications technologies (ICTs) to improve administrative efficiency and effectiveness and, through this administrative reform, to promote economic development and the administrative capacity (Hongguan Tiaokong Nengli) of the central government in China. While Chinese leaders also emphasize the importance of providing a better quality of public services to their citizens, the major goal of e-government seems to be interestingly different than in western countries. Some critical problems have arisen at the same time as in many other developing countries, such as institutional inertia, over expenditure, lack of use, lack of knowledge, lack of infrastructure, asymmetry of regional development, etc. China should consider formulating effective e-government policy as well as creating an institutional mechanism in various government departments for integrating and sharing e-government applications across provinces and local governments. This could prove especially helpful to those citizens who are living in the less developed regions and provinces lacking e-government delivery of public services.
In China, the focus of e-government has mainly been on administrative reform (Xingzheng Guanli Tizhi Gaige) which has to enter into other areas. As a consequence of a deeply centralized and often inefficient administrative management system, China has faced critical problems including over bloated structures, overstaffing, confusion between government and enterprise management, and the often unhelpful intervention of the central government in the economy (Lianjie, Chung & Thorson, 2005).
The application of e-government in China was intended, in part, to accelerate the government’s pace of implementing and using information and communications technologies (ICTs) to improve administrative efficiency and effectiveness and, through this administrative reform, to promote economic development and the administrative capacity (Hongguan Tiaokong Nengli) of the central government in China (Lianjie, Chung & Thorson, 2005).
In an age of information expansion, the Chinese government has actively encouraged and invested in the growth of the Internet to capture the technology's vast commercial potential while exerting state control over the ways that this “network of networks” is accessed by Chinese citizens. The central government has encouraged the competing state-owned telecommunications providers, such as China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, China Netcom, JiTong Communications Company, and China Railway Telecom, to build their own networks. Faced with the potential political or social challenges that the new medium may bring, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has utilized multiple control strategies to maximize official authority.
The Zhongguanccun Science Park (ZSP), the biggest National Science Park in China was established in 1988, in the North-Western part of Beijing City, the capital of People's Republic of China.
The Park spans over 100 square kilometers comprising of more than 600 companies in Hi-tech areas as IT, Biology, Medicine, etc. Large multinationals such as IBM, Microsoft, Lucent, HP, and Epson have thri R & D institution here. Thirty-nine prominent universities and colleges such as Beijing University and Tsinghua University are also located within the park.
The ZSP Administrative committee which is the local government body that regulates, controls and administers all activities in the park has twelve departments, each looking after functions as Company Certification, Taxation and the like.
The administration of the park formed a strategic partnership with a local private application software company, Beijing Beauty Bearrl limited which started the system study and completed the software development by the end of the year 2000.
In the new system the central database and web site allow data sharing and workflow integration among all the departments. Thus the administration functions are a single integrated body showing only one face to the public. The system includes five functions, all accessed from the web site homepage of the web site.
The following are the five functions of the system.
This is a web based software that provides the applicants with all form and documents required, along with rules and regulations, and also procedure for setting up a company in the Park. After login with the user ID and password the users can fill up the files directly on the web or download the forms, fill them up on the computer, and upload them into the web. The form will depend upon the nature of the company. Almost instantaneously, the ZSP Administration committee receives the applications and beings approval procedures online. Two or three layers of approval are processed by the Administration. In each layer the Administration sends its comments/feedback/objectives to the company online. The company will make corrections online and submit immediately.
This process of submitting, correcting and resubmitting will proceed until the final approval is granted online. The applicant company will then take a printout of the approval file and submit all the original documents to ZSP verification, the licence certificate will be issued to the applicant.
As can be seen above only once there is a physical visit by the applicant to the administration office, i.e. for the final approval. Till then all the steps are automatically online.
After obtaining approval for establishing the company, additional information is required to be provided to the administration in order to register with other department of ZSP. e.g. Statistical Bureau, Finance Bureau and Quality Control Bureau. All these now can be done through Internet.
Every company has to report every month to the ZSP administrations and other appropriate governments offices various information parameters such as the company revenue, tax, costs, cash flow, etc. All these can now be done online.
Other administrative information leading to tax cut, tax assessment, and subsidiaries, are all calculated on the web in the new systems. Financial and other information also will be submitted by the companies online.
Government official can provide online interactive consultation regarding any of these procedures, and replies can be sent by Fax and Email.
A very impressive benefits list of the system can be made, Since operatioalization in August 2000 several hundred thousands people have visited up to 5000. Several thousands of companies' licence and approvals of various kinds have been issued through the systems. They have all submitted their financial returns through the online web based system. Other benefits are, transparency, speed, and efficiency, added to interactive, session.
REF: E GOVERNANCE BOOK BY CSR PRABHU