The News General DM News UK jumps to fourth and heads Europe in World eGovernment development table
04 February 2010
The UK has jumped several places up the table of eGovernment development, according to the United Nations.
In the United Nations 2010 e-Government Development Index, the UK has jumped from tenth place in 2008 - the last time the index was published - to fourth in 2010.
The latest table shows the UK is ahead of all other European countries, and only behind South Korea (first), the US (second) and Canada (third).
"The public trust that is gained through transparency can be further enhanced through the free sharing of government data based on open standards," says a UN overview of the report.
The UN said, "Whilst technology is no substitute for good policy, it may give citizens the power to question the actions of regulators and bring systemic issues to the fore. Similarly, e-government can add agility to public service delivery to help governments respond to an expanded set of demands, even as revenues fall short."
The UK government recently launched a huge online database to allow citizens to view government data held by its various departments.
