According to the UN Global E-Government Survey, the Dutch government rose three places in the rankings to 2nd place this year. Only South Korea had a more advanced online system for access to government services.
The Netherlands was praised for the secure connection of its communication, and the streamlined process in which information is sent. Information sent to one government source is shared with other departments, to avoid duplication when using different services. Dutch people also benefited from good broadband connections, and excellent co-ordination between the central and local governments on online services.
Elsewhere in the world, the U.K rose by one position to become the third most advanced e-government in the world, with Denmark, the United States, France and Sweden following closely behind. Israel, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, which have invested considerable resources in e-government in the last few years, made the top 20 for the first time.
There is no one-size-fits-all model, with online government services developing alongside a country's needs and capabilities. Overall however, governments are moving from a decentralised and fragmented model of e-government, to a unified point of access for all government services.
United Nations E-Government Survey 2012
The survey recommends that governments invest more in online government services for greater integration, efficiency and quality. For now however, the Netherlands appears to be leading the way in developing governance for the future.
About the survey
The UN Global E-Government Survey 2012, prepared by UN DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management, assesses government web portals with a focus on the provision of e-information and e-services; these services include interactive, transactional, and e-participation features that connect governments and citizens.