What should we understand from the term e- government in the most general sense?

E-government is a term that is used widely to basically describe the digitalization of government services for the interaction between government to citizens, businesses, and between other government agencies. So basically it was making government services online so that they could be accesses from anywhere anytime with the objective of being more efficient, cost effective and transparent. However, the promise of e-government is yet to be fulfilled, and we are now in a new era where it is not only about “access” but also about “participation” and “collaboration” for the improvement of these services.

Should the social media tools be related to e- govenment? If yes, how?

Social media is definitely related to e-government. The way I see the progression of e-government is going from government TO you, to government WITH you, and this is where social media tools can make a big difference. The original concept of e-government is about only generating online transactions and it’s rigid and one way communication. With the advent of social media tools applied to the government context or Gov 2.0, we see the opportunity of more flexibility, two way communication in real time, where participation and co-creation are key. So basically what I am saying is that I see a transition from e-government to Gov 2.0.

What do you think about will be in term of e- participation and e- democracy?Is it possible to achieve them by today's e- government practices?

I think technology is always a means to an end, but it’s not the end. Democracy and participation can be definitely improved and promoted by the use of technology. There are several examples of this from around the world. Technology has allowed more people to be involved in the governance process, just look at what happened recently in Iceland where they decided to “crowdsource” (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/iceland_pursues_user-generated_constitution.php) a new constitution by using technology,

this very recent example cannot be clearer, technology can help improve participation and democracy and yes this can be done using today’s e-government practices.

What do you see in the future of e- government?

Well this is the one million dollar question, but in essence I think that e-government will continue to change into Gov 2.0, where participation, collaboration and transparency are at the core of any initiative. I also think that now more than ever, political leaders really want to use technology not only as a utility but as a key component of their public policy agendas. So with this in mind I think that e-government will have to be closely linked to public policy initiatives that help solve national problems.