E-Government: challenges of public services' development

Abstract

The main obstacle for the development of electronic public services is the small number of Internet users in Lithuania. Hopefully, the successful implementation of information society development projects, especially in rural areas, will result in the increased number of Internet users. A clear indication of that is the fastest growth of the number of Internet users in Lithuania among all Baltic States in recent years. On the other hand, public institutions are slow to implement electronic public services and fail to take proper care of their websites Public institutions must be by all means encouraged to improve the quality of online information and communication provided to the citixens. Electronic public services must be developed as fast as possible. The use of modern information technologies in public sector enables the government to act in a transparent way and be more open to citizens, to involve them into the decision-making process related to important issues. The use of technologies is the main tool to provide information to citizens and ensure the necessary public services as well as the Involvement of people into the management of the state. Essentially, rather than being treated as customers, the population must be regarded as active citizens of the state able to exert influence on the content of decisions of the government.