To many, the road to e-governance may seem rocky. Not only during some client meetings, but also in seminars and just conversations in general, an age-old question is often brought up: “Digitalization, okay, great. But there are too many legal obstacles to implement it in our country.” Today, we get this one off the board too.

Katrin Nyman-Metcalf, Senior Expert on Legal Framework at e-Governance Academy, addresses the legal obstacles to e-government that, as it turns out, basically do not exist. Easier said than done? 

Are you interested in starting your country's digital transformation despite the pandemic? Wondering where you should begin? Listen to our new episode of the Digital Government podcast where Annela Kiirats, Programme Director of e-Governance Training explains the benefits of the e-governance training group courses, offline and online, where all team members are included.

Having more than decade of experience in advising various organisations in digital transformation, Annela shares the examples of the best trainees and what they have achieved so far. Tune in!

In this podcast, Kristina Reinsalu, e-democracy programme director, sheds some light on e-participation. She explains what makes ‘e-participation’ similar to ‘participation’ and why they differ. The use of ICT-solutions in decision-making processes is more and more popular in the world, but does it motivate people to participate more and are they heard by the government? She shares examples of various countries on how to make people’s engagement in decision-making processes more efficient and enjoyable for both citizens and officials.

As the UN e-Government Survey 2020 was recently published, Kristina digs through the e-participation rankings and explains what the survey measures. You will hear why the countries at the top have reached these positions and what the Estonian government has done differently to be ranked first in e-participation. Additionally, you’ll be aware of why there are only European, Asian and North-American countries at the top, but no African or South American countries. Does the ranking describe the local reality truthfully?

And as the cherry on top, Kristina lists e-participation best practices from Finland, Spain, USA and the UK. 

Tune in and find out why they are worthy to be followed by your government!

eGA's Digital Government Podcast is focusing today on Ukraine’s digital developments. Linnar Viik and Hannes Astok shed some light on the latest digital developments and challenges in one of Europe's biggest countries. In the last few years, Ukraine’s government has endeavoured incessantly to detach itself from paper-based procedures, to enable and provide e-services, and to reduce corruption with the help of IT-solutions and of the secure data exchange platform 'Trembita'. 
How has Ukraine managed so far? What are the highlights of success and what setbacks materialised in its digital transformation journey? Tune in to find out!

Hannes Astok and Linnar Viik continue examining the DESI - the Digital Economy and Society Index. This time they focus on how citizens use internet services, how businesses are moving towards digital, and on the development of e-government in different European countries. They look behind the numbers and explain where EU's national governments have succeeded and where they have failed. 

There are many ways to measure the progress and impact of digital transformation in societies. Today, Hannes Astok and Linnar Viik make a deeper dive into DESI - the Digital Economy and Society Index. They look behind the numbers and explain where EU's national governments have succeeded and where they have failed. In this episode, they focus on digital skills and connectivity in EU countries. Moreover, Linnar explains what the European digital paradox is. Tune in to find out!

In today's episode, Hannes Astok and Linnar Viik shed light on the world's best driver of digital transformation - the COVID19 pandemic. They talk about the main obstacles in the way of epic digital transformation in many countries. We know that paper-based public services are practically useless when whole countries are shut down because of the pandemic. Why does it require governments so much effort to start providing public services online? How can governments build on the momentum? 
Tune in to our podcast and find out!  

In this week's intro episode Hannes Astok and Linnar Viik take you through the last four decades that shaped Estonian e-governance, share flashbacks about the early years and take a peek into the future. 

Tune in every Wednesday to hear our experts' insights and worldwide examples on how digital technology could benefit every society.