A researcher’s perspective
of regulatory issues
Dr. Maria A. Wimmer
Professor and Head of Research Group eGovernment
[email protected]
http://www.uni-koblenz.de/agvinf/
Agenda
 Current context of regulations in cross-sectorial
relationships
 Future visions of society, State and governments
 The impact of technology on society and States
 Keeping pace with the fast technological evolution
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Sectors of Society
Civil sector
Public sector
Private
sector
Not-for-profit
sector
Parliaments
Citizens
Companies
Non-Profit
Organisations
Governments
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Traditional relationships among
actors in the public sector
Civil sector
Public sector
Policies
for implementation;
Private
Not-for-profit
Laws and directives
as
sector
sector
regulatory body framing
government activity
Parliaments
Citizens
Companies
Non-Profit
Organisations
Feedback from
Governments
implementation,
Demands for regulation,
4 Statistics, …
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Traditional relationships among
the public and the other sectors
Civil sector
Public sector
Governments regulate
society and demand
citizens to fulfill their
duties towards the State
GovernmentsNot-for-profit
regulate the market
Private
and the third sector through
sectorintervention
sector
in the market and in
community business
Parliaments
Citizens
§
5
Governments
§Companies
§
Non-Profit
Organisations
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
The sectors enacting their rights in
Companies and NPOs express their
democracies
needs and demands in shaping society
Civil sector
Public sector
and markets through lobbying,
Private
Not-for-profit
community groups,
unions, etc.
sector
sector
Parliaments
Non-Profit
Organisations
Citizens
Governments
exercise
their rights
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Citizens
in democracy through voting
and democratic deliberation
Companies
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Agenda
 Current context of regulations in cross-sectorial
relationships
 Future visions of society, State and governments
 The impact of technology on society and States
 Keeping pace with the fast technological evolution
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Scenario example: Ambient government
[Stable environment, trust in government,
government focus on inclusive services]
Abstract: Government is all around. Citizens have a high confidence in
government to effectively and efficiently settle issues for the common good. They
are helped by a stable development of key environment variables.
Society and context
Government
ICT
Europeanization
Cooperation between Europe’s
governments
Communication across cultures
Standardisation
ICT as driver e.g. economic
growth
High investments into
education as prevention
measurement
Central EU eProcurement
No physical contact (high
quality of eServices)
Universal wireless networks
Internet communities
Political power at EU and local level
raises, decrease at national level
Sector-specific regulation
Security standards
Service-oriented architecture
Transparent decision-making
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Public-Private Partnerships
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Scenario example: Incident politics
[Disruptive environment, distrust in government,
government focus on core business]
Two-class- society: On one hand young, well-educated citizens always on the move and always
on the run. On the other hand old citizens with only little understanding of existing ICT. Society
has become largely individualistic, with only a small role for government that is distrusted. A
disruptive environment is the reason why citizens demand security, and ICT is deployed for that
purposes, as well as to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government.
Society and context
Government
Social exclusion, digital divide Problems with providing essential
services
Instable environment
(terrorism, wars, etc.)
Ageing society
Restricted role in legal &
governmental issues
Privacy subordinated to
security
Simplification of procedures and
organisational structures
Individualism and selfresponsibility
Cooperation and common policy
Depersonalised interaction between
government and citizens
ICT
Remote monitoring
Implanted devices
eParticipation
eServices
Ubiquitous Digital Right
Management
Nationalism, Europe breaks
down
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Agenda
 Current context of regulations in cross-sectorial
relationships
 Future visions of society, State and governments
 The impact of technology on society and States
 Keeping pace with the fast technological evolution
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
The impact of technology on
society and States
 Internet as a global virtual space without borders
 Anywhere and any time
 Whatever one is searching for
Do we need to regulate the virtual space ???
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
The impact of technology on
society and States
 Full electronic markets and eBusiness
 Technology has become an ordinary means of business
 Business processes have been streamlined
 Regulation? Transformation of traditional practice, some
digital rights, driven by demand and offer …
 Social life gets more and more onto virtual spaces
 Social networks and communities such as youtube, Flickr,
Facebook, etc.
 Self-regulation, everywhere present, any information you
want to provide …
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Public sector online services
 Government eServices improving
 Regulated mostly in existing laws, some new eGov acts
 Law becomes accessible for free via the internet
 Do citizens understand the laws without translation into
their daily language?
 Jurisdiction becomes accessible
 Parliaments provide in part eVoting mechanisms
 Parliaments start to get citizens more engaged through
online media
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
What is the role of Parliaments and
Governments in a virtual world?
What happens in a virtual world?
Civil sector
Citizens
Public sector
Parliaments
Governments
Virtual
communities
eDemocracy &
eGovernment
Second life
Virtual State?
Social networks
eCitizenship?
15
Private
sector
Companies
Not-for-profit
sector
Non-Profit
Organisat.
eBusiness
eCollaboration
eCollaboration
Virtual
communities
Virtual
organizations
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
What happens in a virtual world?
Civil sector
Citizens
Virtual
communities
Public sector
Parliaments
Governments
eDemocracy &
eGovernment 
Second life
Virtual State?
Social networks
eCitizenship?
16
Private
sector
Companies
Not-for-profit
sector
Non-Profit
Organisat.
eBusiness
eCollaboration
eCollaboration
Virtual
communities
Virtual
organizations
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
What happens in a virtual world?
Civil sector
Citizens
Virtual
communities
?
Public sector
Parliaments
Governments
eDemocracy &
eGovernment 
?
Second life
Virtual State?
Social networks
eCitizenship?
17
Private
sector
Companies
eBusiness
?
eCollaboration
Virtual
organizations
Not-for-profit
sector
Non-Profit
Organisat.
?
eCollaboration
Virtual
communities
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Agenda
 Current context of regulations in cross-sectorial
relationships
 Future visions of society, State and governments
 The impact of technology on society and States
 Keeping pace with the fast technological evolution
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Some thoughts on interdependent
aspects
 Regulatory frameworks are heavily impacted by the
emerging technologies and the fast adoption by the civil
and the private sector
 Regulations are often constraining the application of
newly emerging technologies and applications for citizen
participation in democratic processes
 Mismatch between the stability of regulatory frameworks
and fast advancements of technologies, and the private
communities and markets adopting them
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
13 Crucial Themes for Future
eGoverment Research

 Trust in eGovernment

 Semantic and cultural
interoperability of public services
 Assessing the value of government 
ICT investments

 E-participation, citizen engagement
and democratic processes

 Mission-oriented goals and
performance management

 Cyber infrastructures for
eGovernment

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Information quality
Ontology and intelligent information
and knowledge management
Governance of public-private-civic
sector relationships
Government’s role in the
virtual world
Crossing borders and the need for
governance capabilities
eGovernment in the context of
socio-demographic change
Data privacy and personal
identity
Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Government’s role in the virtual
world

Abstract: Global electronic markets, virtual organizations, virtual
identities, virtual products and services, and Internet-related crime
are growing in prominence and importance. In a world that is
increasingly non-physical and borderless, what are government’s
roles, responsibilities and limitations?

Key words: intellectual property, government in cyberspace,
regulating the virtual world
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Government’s role in the virtual
world
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Data privacy and personal identity

Abstract: Data privacy and personal identity have become
important aspects in the Information Society. On the one hand, the
potential of modern ICT could be exploited to take advantage of
personal information to improve the performance and quality of
government services. On the other hand, privacy and personal
data need to be secured and protected in order to prevent misuse
and fraud. What policies, protocols, and data management
mechanisms are needed to balance individual privacy protection
with effective and efficient use of that information by government?

Key words: data privacy, identity management, efficiency of
services
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Data privacy and personal identity
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Some open questions
 What consequences and impact will the transition to
more advanced eParticipation and to more virtual
democracy have for current constitutions, government
bodies and the roles of elected representatives?
 What regulatory implications will this transition bear for
States and politics?
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Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy, 15-17 October 2008
Many thanks for your attention!
Discussion …
[email protected]
http://www.uni-koblenz.de/agvinf