Having come across this newsletter, you’re probably already a believer in the potential of GovTech and Digital Government to improve global governance. If not, then PUBLIC and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy provide two great arguments as to why you should be.
Perhaps more in need of an explanation is why the focus on Asia and Europe? What is it about these two continents that demands a regular update on their GovTech and, more importantly, why should we consider them together?
Why Asia-Europe?
The first question is somewhat simpler than the second. Countries across Europe and Asia have emerged as leaders in GovTech and Digital Government Solutions.
Scarcely are examples of strong digital government mentioned without reference to Estonia’s X-Road and Singapore’s GovTech Agency, or digital democracy and citizen participation discussed without turning to vTaiwan and g0v.
Learning about European and Asian GovTech is, simply put, learning about the frontiers of Digital Government.
Why consider them together?
As for the second question, the search for a distinct European or Asian identity is one that stretches back centuries. Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1881 essay “What is Asia to Us?” is an attempt to capture the identity of a Russia labeled “Tatars” in Europe, and “the Europeans” in Asia.
One only needs to travel to Istanbul to see the lines between Asia and Europe blurred, the two continents existing in one city separate only by the Bosphorus.
But rather than attempting to root out what Asia (or Europe) is to us, this newsletter begins by attempting to capture what Asia and Europe have in common. In a digital government context, both possess world leaders in mini- and multilateral collaboration. 7 out of 10 countries participating in Digital Nations are from Europe and Asia, as are 11 of the 17 teams involved in the CivTech Alliance. GovStack, an attempt at developing open-source digital government, is spearheaded by the governments of Germany and Estonia (along with the ITU and the Digital Impact Alliance).
Taking leave from their collaborative spirit, we look forward to exploring the frontiers of government together.
What to expect from this Newsletter?
Here, you can expect a weekly digest of developments in digital government across Europe and Asia. Alongside three main stories each week, the newsletter provides digestible information on new regulations in GovTech; news in brief; the theory behind the practice; and upcoming GovTech events.
We will also periodically post original thought pieces; op-eds; and commentaries of our own.
Subscribing will allow you to:
Understand GovTech through a lens of collaborative innovation
Look beyond the global frontrunners to see how digital government is being shaped in diverse ways across Europe and Asia
Engage with both the theory and practice of digital government, and how these translate between policymakers, the private sector and academics.
Who is our Newsletter aimed at?
Policymakers who are interested in learning lessons from digital leaders across Europe and Asia, and collaborating with those who are engaged in similar projects as them.
GovTech Enthusiasts who want to learn about digital government in a diverse context, and engage with the sector beyond the headlines.
Young Professionals who, like us this time a year ago, are engaging with digital government for the first time, and want to learn more.
N.B. All posts reflect our personal opinions and not those of our employers
Contact us at interweave.gov@gmail.com
