E-Government Implementation on the Example of Georgia

Abstract The term ‘digitalization’ of public administration, used as a synonym for ‘e-government,’ fi rst implies the implementation of fast, secure procedures by an administrative body. E-governance, or as it is more recently termed, digital governance, involves the introduction of innovations and technologies in public governance/administration. It can be argued that the digitalization of public administration against the background of contemporary social challenges may be the key of opportunities for both the state and members of the society. Despite its certain conditionality, the electronic governance index (since 2003, the United Nations has issued a comparative index of countries’ e-governance every two years, based on three main indicators) profi ciently reflects the dynamics of countries’ efforts in introducing innovations in public administration and involving citizens in the process of e-services, which ultimately contributes to bringing citizens closer to modern digital administration. The article refers to the legal aspects of using digital means in e-government on the example of Georgia. The reform of public administration in Georgia started in 2015, after the Association Agreement was signed between Georgia and the European Union. Georgia has already fulfi lled several commitments in the framework of this program in terms of striving for more transparent governance, but despite this, the mentioned reform faces challenges on this path. The article examines aspects of e-government such as e-services, e-participation, personal data protection, and the impact of e-government implementation on the efficiency of public administration. Since the mentioned issue is complex in nature and extends in several directions, the article discusses the regulation of electronic administrative proceedings and the effectiveness of its use in the process of implementing public administration, stages of modernization of state governance, types of electronic proceedings, possibilities of legitimate governance from the administrative body, and prospects for its implementation on the example of Georgia.