E- Government To Mobile Government Research Papers Example

Discussion

With the current high rates of technological advancement in the communication sector, most governments have shown a paradigm shift from manual modes of operation to a concept of mobile government (West, 2012). It is also referred as electronic government in some cases; it facilitated an interaction between governments and their citizens and in some case, enhances interaction between government and other international stakeholders (Henman, 2013). Digital government has been majorly associated with various benefits; however, most evident benefit of mobile government is the enhanced efficiency of service provision. Certain institutions are currently focusing on a shift from e-governance to m-governance. Basically, this entails introduction of applications on smart phones and other forms of communication rather the direct use of internet services. These applications are universally accessible and can be installed in any smart-phone, thus enhancing connectivity between governments and citizens. In this regard, the concept of m-government focuses on enhances communication between government and citizens through smart-phone application rather than online websites as evident in e-government.
The United States Arab Emirates commonly known as Dubai is one of the few developed economies that have shown a high level of appreciation and application of the concept of mobile government. This is a major move made by the government that is, a major shift from the e-government or m-government as referred in some cases. The concept of m-government in Dubai basically involved the use of smart-phones and other communication applications to facilitate inter-connectedness between citizens and the government (Wang & Rubin, 2014). However, with the increased accessibility to internet services and the need to enhance government service provision among its citizens, the UAE government has initiative mobile government services that would enhance its connectivity with its citizens through mobile application.
This initiative is expected to commence as from May, 2015 through platforms such as the Smart City Initiative and “My Window to Dubai”, that will ensure that United Arab Emirates citizens have access to information pertaining to schools, health care services and the economic situation of the nation (Mouakket, 2014). The government also plans to improve Wi-Fi access in public places such as parks and transport sector i.e. in public service vehicles as a means of ensuring accessibility of mobile government services (Mouakket, 2014). The concept of mobile government is to be adopted by Dubai government mainly as a result of reduced costs of government operations. That is, this initiative is expected to reduce costs associated with manual-paperwork that the government incurs as it provides public service. In addition, m-government will enhance government-citizen connectivity as well as government-government interconnectivity. This is expected to enhance collaboration and participation in socio-economic development processes. The United Arab Emirates believes that introduction of mobile government services will lead to a centralization-decentralization approach where shared services are easily accessible to its citizens on an equal basis (Mouakket, 2014).

Reference

Henman, P. (2013). Mobile Government, Service Efficiency and Accessibility. Journal of E-Government, 79-98.
Mouakket, S. (2014). The motivations for citizens' adoption of e-government: An empirical study in the UAE. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 240-240.
Wang, H., & Rubin, B. (2014). Mobile Government in Dubai: An Analysis of Percieved Benefits. Electronic Government, an International Journal, 362-362.
West, D. (2012). Equity and Accessibility in E-Government. Journal of E-Government, 31-43.