E-government for women’s empowerment in Asia and the Pacific

- Presentation of key findings

Oct 4, 2016

Background Builds on a previous study by UNPOG that sought to examine e-

government readiness for gender equality.

Study identified four key areas in which e-government could make a difference for women: “access to ICTs, information literacy, effective service delivery, and participation in the online public sphere.”

Main finding was that “e-government provisions for women still remain an emerging policy issue” in the Asia-Pacific.

Background (contd.) ESCAP research was launched in 2015 to fill this gap in

understanding – what do policymakers need to do in order to bring gender perspectives into e-government?

Gendering e-government involves ‘thinking gender by design’ - Designing specific strategies for women’s inclusion in

digitally mediated state-citizen interactions - Dealing with exclusions caused through digital-by-default

systems

What is E-government? The use of ICT and its application by the government for the

provision of information and public services to the people (UN Global E-government Readiness Report 2004).

E-government can be referred to as the use and application of information technologies in public administration to streamline and integrate workflows and processes, to effectively manage data and information, enhance public service delivery, as well as expand communication channels for engagement and empowerment of people (UN E-government Survey 2014)

E-government and E-governance Terms often used interchangeably, but there are some differences.

- E-government is a paradigm of public administration in digital times. - E-governance is a much broader concept that focuses on the shifts in the way citizens relate to the state and to each other.

As public administration moves from legacy systems into digital platforms, addressing both demand and supply side issues becomes imperative.

E-government in this context is about systemic processes - digital and otherwise- which are implemented by governments, to reach public information and services to citizens.

E-government components UN E-government Development Index includes sub-indices on

online services, telecommunication infrastructure and human capital.

To get closer to the idea of ‘state-citizen relationship’ one will need to also account for e-participation supplementary sub-index that includes e-information, e-consultation and e-decision making.

Starting point of the research therefore is this comprehensive definition of e-government – the 3 components of service delivery, citizen uptake and connectivity architecture.

A framework on gender and e-government Is e-government making a difference to gender equality?

This will call for evaluating the critical constituents of e-government systems- service delivery- citizen uptake- connectivity architectureon their ability to deliver good governance – efficiency, transparency, accountability, effectiveness, responsiveness that works for women and improve women’s status.

Institutional ecosystem analysisAnalytical framework

1. How are emerging norms impacting women's empowerment and gender equality?2. How do new rules legitimizing the structures and procedures of e-government impact women's empowerment and gender equality?3. How do everyday practices and cultures of e-government impact women's empowerment and gender equality?

E-government ecosystem matrixInstitutional dimensions

Norms

Rules

Practices

E-government ecosystem matrixE-government components

Service Delivery

Citizen Uptake Connectivity Architecture

E-government ecosystem matrix

Components Service Delivery

Citizen Uptake

Connectivity Architecture

Dimensions

Norms

Rules

Practices

Service delivery

Service Delivery

Norms - Approach to gender mainstreaming and women-focused services.- Governance of new partnerships and boundary spanning - Convergence in service delivery

Rules - Transparency in work flows and predictability- Data security and privacy

Practices - New forms of human mediation (room for local flexibility to address gender justice concerns)- Equity considerations in service delivery at the last-mile

Citizen uptake

Citizen uptake

Norms - Proactive outreach to ensure women’s engagement in e-participation platforms- Design choices that are responsive to affordability and accessibility considerations

Rules - Gender lens in Open Data policy and programming and freedom of information legislation (including proactive disclosure) - Policies on technical openness to prevent vendor lock-ins

Practices - Mediation of online citizen engagement platforms to create safe spaces for women- Digital literacy programmes specifically geared at enhancing women’s active citizenship

Connectivity

Connectivity Architecture

Norms - Gender lens in connectivity and broadband policy frameworks

Rules - Gender-responsiveness in the implementation of public access programmes

Practices - Use of multiple ICT platforms for gender-inclusive citizen outreach (such as mobile platforms to reach out to non-literate women, last-mile citizen facilitation centres that mix online and offline information strategies etc.)

Scope of the study Australia, India, Fiji, Philippines, South Korea (subsequently

extended to Malaysia and Sri Lanka)

Country overview in each site, focusing on historical trajectory of the evolution of e-government from a gender perspective and a state-of-art mapping of gender-inclusiveness of service delivery, citizen uptake and connectivity architecture

2 to 3 case studies on good practices in each country: - initiatives with a clear vision/mandate for women’s empowerment- initiatives which use gender mainstreaming - initiatives covering a large proportion of women beneficiaries

Country case studies Australia

Our Watch Uses a combination of traditional and social media outreach, and community events, to create an alternative discourse on gender and sexuality and break the silence on domestic violence.

SA Community A public information directory created through community crowd-sourcing, linked to public libraries. Main constituency for this service: older women.

Country case studies (contd.) Fiji

mWomen Subscription-based SMS service on women’s legal rights, especially in the context of GBV. Run in partnership with Vodafone.

Fiji Government Telecentre Initiative

Telecentres that focus on facilitating free access to IT services for rural and remote populations, especially those living in marginalised areas.

Country case studies (contd.)

SreeSakthi Portal Safe spaces for women’s collectives to build solidarities and forge a political community.

IVR based reporting system on GBV, Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty

Reporting system that helps women community volunteers track GBV cases effectively.

India

Country case studies (contd.) Philippines

Blended Learning programme

Using ICT possibilities for hybrid learning for enskilling of women to open up new opportunities for employment and enterprise

Grievance Redress System of CCT programme

Reporting system that helps women community volunteers get grievances pertaining to conditional cash transfers solved on time.

Community eCentres

Telecentres that provide access to public information, alternative learning systems and digital skills for women.

Country case studies Republic of Korea

Cyber-mentoring Portal

Web-based service to help women in the early stages of their careers find mentors

Sex Offender Alert An alert service that notifies members of the public when convicted sex offenders move into their neighbourhoods – on mobiles and internet. Delicate balance between public safety considerations with offenders’ right to privacy.

Safe Return Home Safety that uses spatial GIS data created and put out in the public domain by the government.

Sex Offender AlertSexoffender.go.kr

Country case studies Malaysia

eKasih Integrated national databank for poverty alleviation that includes women through a gender-sensitive data taxonomy

Country case studies Sri Lanka

Mobile learning for rural women farmers

Financial literacy programme targeted at women farmers that innovatively uses mobile IVR. Connectivity costs subsidised as part of a partnership between a state open university, the public telecom provider and a non-governmental organisation

Findings – the basic building blocks of gender-responsive e-government

Dedicated resources/budget for women in service delivery, citizen participation and connectivity (Philippines and Republic of Korea)

Robust legal and institutional scaffolding for the gender equality agenda (Magna Carta for Women 2009 in the Philippines that institutionalised gender mainstreaming)

Findings – the basic building blocks of gender-responsive e-government

Inter-ministerial mechanisms for effective coordination (Republic of Korea’s early initiatives in digital literacy – involvement of women’s machinery)

Need for sex-disaggregated data (on women’s use of the internet, online services, m-services, level of ICT skills, VAW online etc.)

Service Delivery

Findings: Service Delivery Balance between standardisation of digital processes and agility

of human mediation critical for women (Conditional Cash Transfers, Philippines)

Making boundary spanning work for gender equality – ensuring accountability and sustainability- Optimising contracts with technology providers (SERP, India)- Effective role division in interdepartmental convergence (Sex Offender Alert, Republic of Korea)-Prioritising domain expertise rather than IT expertise (Cybermentoring portal,Republic of Korea)

Findings: Service Delivery Data governance frameworks: Some key considerations

- balance public disclosure obligations with (offenders’) right to privacy (Sex Offender Alert, Republic of Korea)- promote the creation and consolidation of the digital knowledge commons (SA Community, Australia)- create robust public data systems (Safe Return Home, Republic of Korea piggy-backed on the open GIS of the early 2000s) - data taxonomies that reflect gender realities (eKasih, Malaysia)

Citizen uptake

Findings: Citizen uptake Leadership of national women’s machineries to encourage efforts

towards promoting women’s uptake (Philippines, Republic of Korea in the early 2000s)

Innovations in access needs intermediation (ground-level facilitators) to make e-Government meaningful and transformative for women (Community eCentres, Philippines)

Connectivity Architecture

Findings: Connectivity architecture Connectivity is not just a technical consideration for e-

government; it is equally about promoting context-appropriate cultures of use (Sri Lanka’s mobile learning project)

Free public access is important for gender responsive e-Government, since Internet and smart phone use among women is still low in many developing countries (Public Library Network in Australia)

RecommendationsService Delivery

Norms Promote e-government as a public policy instrument for pro-poor, gender-sensitive development Guarantee women’s digital citizenship

Balance effectively technology and human elements in service delivery design

Rules Formulate clear rules to safeguard e-services from political volatility

Institutionalise involvement of women’s machinery in e-government

Implement robust data governance

Practices Build gender perspectives of public authorities

Monitor e-government for gender-inclusion

RecommendationsCitizen Uptake

Norms Guarantee women’s rights to fully participate in the information society

Rules Ensure that online citizen engagement is tied to women’s ‘right to be heard’

Actively involve women not only in implementation, but also design and co-production of e-government services

Practices Promote digital literacy as a strategic pathway to women’s citizenship

RecommendationsConnectivity

Norms Promote universal access to the Internet

Rules Deploy multiple policy instruments towards universalizing Internet access

Make connectivity policies gender-responsive

Practices Promote the effective use of mobile phones in citizen outreach

Catalyze meaningful cultures of use through a public access, telecentre model

http://egov4women.unescapsdd.org/report/key-recommendations

Empowerment outcomes

Internalized attitudes, values, practices

- Self-esteem- Enhanced personal security- Active citizenship agency

Access to and control over public and private resources

- Access to public information on entitlements.- Increased trust in claims-making.- Access to redress for GBV

Socio-cultural norms, beliefs and practices

- Gains in public recognition- Strengthening of public solidarities

Laws, policies, resource allocation

- Higher systemic capability for gender-inclusive service delivery - Techno-learning platform responsive to women’s needs

Individual

Systemic

Informal Formal

Thank You!!