SOCIAL: PROPOSED POLICY CHANGES/ DIGITALIZATION OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES

SUBJECT:  DIGITALIZATION OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES

PURPOSE:  This briefing note is a recommendation for changes in policy pertaining to the digitalization of government services.
ISSUE:  There is not enough action by the government to digitalize its services.  

Background:


Technology can be defined as the application of science for practical use.  Technology has served to make things easier for people.  Through this, it has increased efficiency.  Looking at the printing press, it becomes evident that monopolies of knowledge were created through the emergence of publications.  The need for scribes was no longer necessary as the printing press cannibalized the job market.  The printing press is an invention that was tireless and innate.  The benefits of this technology can be seen today, as we rely on paper to be able to formally convey information to one another.  However, the rise of computers has had an impact on the paper society.  With the invention of computers, we can see that our reliance on paper has slowly been diminishing.  Coupled with the internet of things, the combination is well poised to eliminate paper entirely.  The majority is not all people in Canada now have access to a computer whether it be their desktop, laptop or phone.  Through Wi-Fi technology, these computers can convey information to peers instantaneously.  Through social media, we can see massive collective action being taken in the real world with pertinence to several movements which serve to change the perspective of these people.  

The computer has become a daily necessity for the everyday person.  The internet is on the verge of becoming a human right as its deemed an essential service.  Like water, the internet serves to sustain people.  It does so by providing the vehicle for communication.  Both the computer and the internet are essential to the modern persons life.  Numerous tasks can be accomplished with greater efficiency as a result of the computer and the internet.  Many jobs require the network in order to be functional.  The rise of artificial intelligence and automation will cause even more of an increase in efficiency.  Although, many jobs will be at risk, new job categories will emerge.  One such job is the maintenance of these technologies.  The government needs to adjust its services to be well positioned in a computer dependent society.  These services that they provide need to be more streamlined.  They need to look at innovative ways in which they can use technology to provide their services.  The digitalization of government services could reduce the need for a larger employee base.  It could also reduce the work load of each employee.  Through the digitalization of government services, we can see that there will be reductions in the budget of the government for employees as a result of a reduced need.


Considerations:


According to the New York Times in a 2007 article entitled, “Study Says Computers Give Big Boosts to Productivity,” specifies that computers transform industries by collecting data more efficiently.  As a result this can boost worker productivity three to five times more that other investments can.  The emergence of computers have allowed people to be able to multitask on the job.  Through this multitasking, attention is being diverted from one task to another.  Not all of this multi tasking is beneficial however, as when one switch from one task to another, their brain needs to do a reorientation to the task at hand.  This takes several seconds to do so.  What actually happens is their attention is being diverted from one task to another, which is what we call multi tasking.  With the emergence of the internet of things, we can see that people are able to quickly communicate with one another online.  This has many benefits which the government can use to streamline its services.  When people interact with the government, it usually consist of going to a government building and managing ones self through the enormous and sometimes daunting bureaucracy.  This task, the would only take several minutes online, has now cost this individual the entire afternoon.  Through the use of computers and the internet of things, the government can make their services readily available while reducing the amount of employees they higher which in turn will benefit the budget.  The main stakeholders for the digitalization of government services are the citizens, the employees, the government and private businesses who create such programs for the computer.


Options:  


Option 1:  Full digitalization of all government services.


The feasibility of this option is moderate.  It is a tremendous task to be able to digitalize all the government services.  It would require massive efforts from the government to tackle such endeavor however if this option is selected it would increase the accessibility to all its services, thus benefiting the citizen.  This is the most sustainable and future proof option available to the government.  This will reduce the amount of employees needed in government offices which in turn will reduce the cost allocated to employees.  For example, the Ministry of Transportation has an application that is mandated to be installed in each phone or computer sold in every jurisdiction.  This application is used to be able to report potholes on the road and it uses GPS technology to specifically map out the pothole.  Rather than having employees patrol the streets, the government can just look at the data collected on the application to find out which roads need to be serviced.  Another example is the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation.  An application that can be a possibility is that applications for income assistance can be processed via the application.  Through applying online, it would reduce the time needed for the citizen to go I to the office.  Once the government has processed the application they then can call to book an appointment to verify the identification and such.  What an application for this Ministry entails is the streamlining of the service.  What seems to be common in both situations is the fact that these applications need to be mandated to be installed in each device sold within participating jurisdictions.  This could increase awareness of the government services available which would then result in better availability.  The negative is that there would have to be collaborations with private corporations and the government in order for this to come to fruition.  Lastly, I would like to raise the concern of security.  Being online puts the government at risk of hackers which is a very large liability.  The government needs to secure security that is very reliable.  What is being used in sophisticated technology is block chain.  This technology can aid the government in keeping its obligations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Privacy Act.


Option 2:  Partial digitalization of government services.


This option is very feasible.  The government can slowly start to digitalize its services and at a latter date make all services digitalized.  This would allow people to adjust adequately to the government.  This would increase accessibility to the government services which would allow people to reduce wait times in government offices.  This option is very sustainable as it will only require a partial investment rather than a full investment if option one is selected.  


Option 3:  Education on government services.


This option is very costly and not certain.  It is uncertain because how sure can the government be that each and every citizen has adequately understood the terms and conditions of the details of their services.  In contrast to the first two options, it becomes evident that their services are available in full or partially online at which point citizens can easily access the information the need online.  Educating citizens requires a lot of money to be allocated to secondary institutions.  If this option is selected, it is advised that perhaps a course be designed to administer it to grade 12 students just before they go out into the community on their own.  


Option 4:  Status quo:  Not working which is why we have options.  


Maintaining the status quo is the most feasible option.  It however, is not a sustainable choice.  This is because society is becoming more technologically dependent.  If the government maintains the status quo they will not be poised to be resilient for the future.  The bloated bureaucracy is going to become too expensive to maintain and the government may collapse.  Action needs to occur now.  However one benefit of this option is the precedent involving the salaries of many public servants on the Phoenix system can be avoided.  Canada had previously partnered with Intel to modernize its employee payout system.  This emerged as the Phoenix system.  This was a disaster that had employees getting misspayed and on some accounts not paid for months.  If the government is serious about digitalization, they will look closely at what has transpired in this incident.


Recommendation:


Option two is recommended.