联合国西亚经济社会委员会-新兴技术和创新在提高阿拉伯公共机构效率和决策方面的作用（英）

Theroleofemergingtechnologiesandinnovationinenhancingeffectivenessanddecision-makinginArabpublicinstitutions

E/ESCWA/CL4.SIT/2024/TP.2

EconomicandSocialCommissionforWesternAsia

Theroleofemergingtechnologiesand

innovationinenhancingeffectivenessanddecision-makinginArabpublicinstitutions

UnitedNations

Beirut

2400099E

©2024UnitedNations

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publications-escwa@.

Author:EmilioBugliInnocenti.

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iii

Acknowledgements

ThisreportwasdrawnupbytheESCWA

Statistics,InformationSocietyandTechnologyCluster,intheframeworkoftheENACTprojectonexpeditingtheuseofemergingtechnologyandinnovationforenhancedoperationsinArabpublicinstitutions.

ThereportwasdraftedbyEmilioBugliInnocenti,InternationalConsultant,undertheguidanceofNibalIdlebi,ActingDirectorofStatistics,

InformationSocietyandTechnologyCluster,and

YounessAbouyoub,ChiefoftheGovernanceandState-BuildingSection.Itwaspeerreviewedby

FedericoCocchioni,SeniorTechnologyOfficer,andRamiZaatari,StatisticianandSeniorDataAnalyst.

TheENACTteamwishestothankZahrBou

Ghanem,SeniorResearchAssistant,forher

commentsandfeedback,andKhadijeMansourforheradministrativesupport.TheteamalsothankstheESCWAConferenceManagement

Sectionforeditingthereport.

Keymessages

•TheevolvingrelationshipbetweenGovernmentsandcitizensintheArabregion,highlightedbyagrowingdemandfortransparency,efficiencyandbetterservicedelivery,underscorestheurgencyfordigitaltransformationinpublicinstitutions

•Emergingtechnologiessuchasartificialintelligence,machinelearning,bigdata

analyticsandblockchainholdtransformativepotentialforthepublicsector,offering

unprecedentedopportunitiesforenhancingefficiency,accountabilityandservice

qualityacrossArabpublicinstitutions.Digitalpublicinfrastructureplaysa

foundationalroleinharnessingthesetechnologiestoachievetheSustainable

DevelopmentGoals.

•Globalcasestudies,fromthee-governmentSysteminEstoniatotheAadhaar

systeminIndiaandtheSmartDubaiinitiativeintheUnitedArabEmirates,

demonstratesuccessfulinstanceswheretechnologyhasbeenusedinthepublic

sector,emphasizingthebenefitsofdigitaltransformationinimprovingpublicservicedelivery,ensuringtransparency,andfosteringcitizenengagement.

•ForArabcountriestofullyharnessthebenefitsofdigitaltransformation,itis

imperativeforthemtodevelopcomprehensivedigitalstrategiesthataretailoredtospecificnationalandregionalcontexts,emphasizingthedevelopmentofhuman

capitalanddigitalinfrastructure.ToachieveasuccessfuldigitaltransformationintheArabpublicsector,thereportcallsforacollaborative,multi-stakeholderapproachtoinnovation,withafocusoncreatinganenablingpolicyenvironment.

vii

Foreword

Thisdocumentisacontributiontothereportontheroleofemergingtechnologiesand

innovationinenhancingeffectivenessand

decision-makinginArabpublicinstitutions,tobereviewedindiscussionwithESCWA.It

incorporatesthecommentsreceivedforthefirstandseconddraftreport.

Thedocumentwillexplorethepotentialofemergingtechnologiesandinnovationto

increasetheperformance,effectivenessandefficiencyofpublicinstitutionsintheArab

region.ItwillalsoanalysethecurrenttrendsandneedsofArabpublicinstitutionsand

discusstheextenttowhichemerging

technologiesareabletoaddressthoseneeds.Afocuswillbemadeondata-related

technologies,datasharinganddigitalpublicinitiativesamonggovernmentagencies,sincetheyhaveasignificantroleinenhancingtheeffectivenessoftheGovernmentandthe

servicesitcanoffer.

Basedonbestpracticesfromdevelopedanddevelopingcountries,thereportwilloffer

recommendationstofostertechnologyandinnovationinpublicinstitutionsforincreasedeffectivenessandefficiency.

ix

Contents

Acknowledgementsiii

Keymessagesv

Forewordvii

Introduction:institutionaldriversofeffectiveness1

1.ThecurrenttrendsandneedsofArabpublicinstitutionsandcitizens9

A.GovernanceeffectivenessanddigitalpublicinfrastructuresinMENAcountries11

B.Trends,opportunitiesandchallenges15

2.Theroleofemergingtechnologytrendsanddigitalpublicinitiativesinenhancingtheeffectivenessofthepublic

sector19

3.Bestpracticesfromdevelopedanddevelopingcountriesandontheuseoftechnologiesforimprovingeffectiveness

inthepublicsector31

A.Casestudy1:Thee-governmentsystemofEstonia31

B.Casestudy2:Singapore–theSmartNationinitiative32

C.Casestudy3:E-governmentinitiativesinRwanda34

D.Casestudy4:TheAadhaarsysteminIndia35

E.Casestudy5:EmergingtechnologiesinthepublicsectoroftheUnitedArabEmirates36

F.Casestudy6:EmergingtechnologiesinthepublicsectorofSaudiArabia37

G.Casestudy7:DigitalinitiativesinthepublicsectorofKenya38

H.Casestudy8:DigitalinitiativesinthepublicsectorofUganda40

I.Casestudy9:DigitalinitiativesinthepublicsectorofMadagascar40

J.Casestudy10:DigitalinitiativesinthepublicsectorofSomalia41

K.Tableofsummarisedcasestudies43

L.Conclusions44

4.ConclusionsandrecommendationsfortheArabregion47

A.Increasingdigitalmaturityinconflictandpost-conflictArabcountries48

B.IncreasingdigitalmaturityinNorthAfricancountries48

C.IncreasingdigitalmaturityinGCCcountriesandJordan49

Annex.Definitionsoftechnologies51

Bibliography53

Listoffigures

Figure1.Averageemploymentsharesinthepublicsectorthroughoutthe2000s–MENAcountriesvsothermiddle-

incomeeconomies9

Figure2.Governmenteffectiveness,regulatorquality,ruleoflawandcontrolofcorruptioninMENAcountries10

Figure3.GovernmenteffectivenessindicatorsintheGCCcountriesandJordan11

Figure4.GovernmenteffectivenessindicatorsinNorthAfricancountries11

Figure5.Governmenteffectivenessindicatorsinconflict/post-conflictcountries12

Figure6.GovernmentElectronicandMobileServicesMaturityIndex(Percentage)13

Introduction:institutionaldriversofeffectiveness

Effectivenessinthepublicsectorreferstotheabilityofgovernmentagencies,

organizationsandinstitutionstoachievetheir

intendedobjectivesandoutcomesefficientlyandinamannerthatservesthepublicinterest.Itisameasureofhowwellpublicsectorentitiesare

abletodeliverpublicservices,implementpolicies,andmanageresourcestomeettheneedsandexpectationsofcitizens.

Keycharacteristicsandcomponentsof

effectivenessinthepublicsectorinclude:

Goalachievement:Effectivenessentails

successfullyachievingthegoalsandobjectivessetbygovernmentagenciesandpublic

organizations.Thiscanincludegoalsrelatedto

publicservicedelivery,policyimplementationand

infrastructuredevelopment.Atthecoreofany

publicorganizationisitsmission–theobjectivesitseekstofulfil.Meetingtheseobjectives

indicatessuccess.Toincreaseeffectiveness,

agenciesmustsetclear,realisticandtime-boundgoals,andconsistentlyevaluateprogress.

Efficiency:Whileeffectivenessisprimarily

concernedwithachievingoutcomes,italso

involvesdoingsoinacost-efficientmanner.

Publicsectorentitiesmustmakeoptimaluseofresources(financial,humanandtechnological)toaccomplishtheirmissions.Thisisparticularlytrueinthepublicsector,whereresourcescomefromtaxpayerfunds:thereisamoraland

economicimperativetousetheseresources

optimally.Thisensuresvalueformoney,wherethehighestpossiblereturns(intermsofservicesoroutcomes)arederivedforeveryunitof

resourceexpended.

Accountability:Effectivenessoftengoeshandinhandwithaccountability.Publicsector

organizationsareaccountabletothepublicandmustdemonstratetransparencyintheiractions,decision-makingprocessesandresource

allocation.Thisunderscorestheprinciplethatpublicservantsandinstitutionsareanswerablefortheiractionsanddecisions.Regularaudits,

bothinternalandexternal,canensurethatfunds

areusedappropriatelyandthatanydiscrepanciesareaddressed.

Qualityofservice:High-qualityservices

shouldmeetorexceedtheexpectationsofthepublic.Qualitycanencompassaspectssuchastimeliness,responsiveness,accuracyand

customersatisfaction.Publicsatisfactionisa

significantindicatorofthequalityofpublic

services.Usingfeedbackmechanismssuchassurveysorfeedbackportalscanhelpinstitutionstogaugetheirperformanceandidentifyareas

forimprovement.

Equityandfairness:Effectivepublicsectorentitiesensurethattheirservicesandpoliciesaredistributedfairlyacrossthepopulation,

withoutfavouritismordiscrimination.Ina

2

democraticsociety,itisimperativethatall

citizens,irrespectiveoftheirsocioeconomic

status,receiveequaltreatment.Implementingnon-discriminatorypoliciesandregularly

reviewingthemforanybiasescanensurethis.

Adaptabilityandinnovation:Inanever-

changingenvironment,effectivenessalsomeansbeingadaptableandinnovative.Public

organizationsneedtorespondtoemerging

challenges,embracenewtechnologies,and

continuouslyimprovetheiroperations.As

societalneedsevolve,soshouldpublicservices.Encouragingacultureofcontinuouslearning

andinnovation,whilebeingopentochange,canensurethatpublicorganizationsremainrelevantandeffective.

Stakeholderengagement:Engagingwithandinvolvingstakeholders,includingcitizens,

communitiesandotherrelevantparties,iscrucialforeffectiveness.Ithelpsin

understandingandaddressingtheneedsand

concernsofthoseaffectedbypublicpoliciesandservices.Byinvolvingthosewhoaredirectly

affectedbypoliciesorservices,public

organizationscangainvaluableinsights,leadingtobetterdecision-makingandimproved

services.Regulartownhalls,public

consultationsandcollaborativeplatformscanenhancethisengagement.

Measurableoutcomes:Effectivenessisoftenassessedbasedonmeasurableoutcomesand

performanceindicators.Theseindicatorscan

varydependingonthespecificgoalsand

functionsofapublicsectorentity.Withoutclearmetrics,itisdifficulttoascertainwhether

objectivesarebeingmet.Implementingarobustperformancemanagementsystemcanhelp

agenciestotracktheirprogressandadjusttheirstrategiesasnecessary.

Legalandethicalcompliance:Publicsectororganizationsmustoperatewithintheboundsofthelawandadheretoethicalstandards.Thisincludescompliancewithregulations,

protectionofindividualrightsandpreventionofcorruption.Upholdingthelawandethical

standardsensuresthelegitimacyofpublic

organizations.Regulartrainingonethicsand

legalcompliancecanensurethatpublicservantsarealwaysawareoftheir

responsibilitiesandboundaries.

Long-termsustainability:Effectivepublic

sectormanagementinvolvesensuringthat

policiesandprogrammesaresustainableoverthelongterm,consideringenvironmental,socialandeconomicfactors.Short-termsolutionscansometimesleadtolong-termproblems.

Aholisticapproachthatconsidersfutureimplicationsiscrucial.

Publictrustandconfidence:Aneffective

publicsectorisonethatmaintainsthetrustand

confidenceofthepublicitserves.Trustiscrucialforsuccessfulgovernanceand

cooperationbetweentheGovernmentandcitizens.Trustisnotjustaby-productof

effectiveness:itisalsoacatalyst.Whenthe

publictrustsitsinstitutions,theyaremorelikelytocooperate,makinggovernancesmoother.

Transparency,regularcommunicationandintegrityarekeyinbuildingandmaintainingthistrust.

Effectivenessinthepublicsectorisamultifacetedconceptthatcanvaryfromonegovernment

agencyororganizationtoanother,dependingontheirspecificmissionsandfunctions.Evaluationandassessmentareneededtodeterminewhetherpublicresourcesarebeingusedefficientlyand

whetherdesiredoutcomesarebeingachievedforthebettermentofsociety.

3

5Ibid.

Therelationshipbetweenefficiencyandeffectiveness

Theconnectionbetweenefficiencyand

effectivenesshasbeendiscussedinvariousworksofresearch.

1

Herearesomekeypoints:

•Druckeremphasizestheinterplaybetweenefficiencyandeffectiveness,eachbeing

essentialtoachievingtheother.

2

•Hatry

3

describesefficiencyasthecapabilityoftheGovernmenttoproducecertain

outputsusingtheleastresources.HedefineseffectivenessastheGovernment'sabilitytodelivergenuineservicestoitscitizens.

•Mandl

4

etal.discusstherelationship

betweeninputs,outputsandoutcomes.TheystressthatoutcomessuchaspoliticalgoalsforGovernmentsrelyontheefficientand

effectiveuseofresources.Furthermore,theseoutcomescanbeinfluencedby

externalenvironmentalfactors.

•Mandl

5

etal.addresstheconnection

betweenefficiencyandeffectiveness,

examiningtheirrelationshipthroughinputs,outputsanddesiredoutcomes.Theyarguethateffectivenessismorechallengingto

measurethanefficiency,especiallysincefinalgoalsareaffectedbyexternalfactors.

Thecomplexityofpublicsectorwork,withits

manyobjectives,makesdefiningandgaugingitachallenge.Ingeneral,publicsectorproductivityevaluationsfocuson:

Efficiency:describestheresourcesusedto

achieveaspecificsetofoutputs.Thisideais

moreapplicabletopublicservicesthatresembleprivatesectorfunctions,suchasdatacentres

andfinancialmanagement.Maintopicsincludecostreductionsandreformssuchas

decentralization.EventhoughpublicsectorefficiencieshavemotivatedreformsinOECDcountries,empiricalevidenceontheirimpactremainselusive.

Effectiveness:Describesharder-to-quantify

goalssuchasservicequality,fairnessand

availability.Outputsarenotalwaysequivalenttoinputs.Whenmeasuringpublicsector

productivity,effectivenessoffersa

comprehensiveperspective,especiallyinsectorswithintangibleoutcomeslikehealthand

education.Thereexistsabodyofliteratureinpublicmanagementfocusedonenhancing

qualitywiththeavailablelevelofresources.

Distinctiveelementsconcerningeffectivenessinthepublicandtheprivatesector

Whileboththepublicandprivatesectorsaimforeffectivenessintheiroperations,their

motivations,constraintsandmeasurement

criteriadiffersubstantially.Thepublicdomainisprimarilydrivenbytheneedtoservethepublicinterest,whereastheprivatedomainismotivatedbyprofitabilityandmarketdominance.

1Florina,2017.

2Drucker,1996.

3Hatry,1978.

4Mandl,DierxandIlzkovitz,2008.

4

Topic

Publicsector

Privatesector

Primaryobjectives

Theprimaryobjectiveistoprovide

publicgoodsandservices,ensure

justiceandsafety,andupholdthe

welfareofallcitizens.Effectivenessismeasuredbytheextenttowhichtheseobjectivesaremet,oftenwithinbudgetaryconstraints.

Typically,theprimaryobjectiveisprofitmaximizationorincreasingshareholdervalue.Effectivenessiscommonly

gaugedbyfinancialmetricssuchasprofitmargins,revenuegrowthandreturnoninvestment.

Stakeholders'expectations

Awidearrayofstakeholdersexists,includingcitizens,politiciansand

interestgroups.Expectationsare

diverse,spanningfrombasicservicedeliverytosocietalchange,requiringabalancingacttomeetthese

expectations.

Theprimarystakeholdersare

shareholders,customersand

employees.Theirexpectations,whilevaried,tendtocentrearoundfinancialperformance,product/servicequalityandworkplaceconditions.

Accountabilityandtransparency

Thereisahighlevelofaccountabilitytothegeneralpublic,necessitatingtransparencyinoperations,decision-makingandfinances.This

transparencyisoftenmandatedbylawsorregulations.

Whilethereisaccountabilityto

shareholdersandcertainregulatorybodies,theleveloftransparency

requiredisgenerallyless

comprehensivethaninthepublic

domain.However,largepubliclytradedcompaniesdohavestricttransparencyrequirementsforfinancialreporting.

Timehorizons

Decisionsandinitiativesareoftenlong-term,withmanypublicprojectsorpolicieshavingimpactsover

decades.Politicalcyclescan

influencethetimespansofcertaindecisions.

Whilelong-termstrategicplanningiscrucial,thereisalsoasignificant

emphasisonquarterlyresults,especiallyforpubliclytradedcompanies.

Measurementofeffectiveness

Effectivenessisoftenmeasuredinqualitativeterms,suchassocietalimpact,qualityoflifeandpublicsatisfaction,thoughquantitativemetricssuchasservicedelivery,speedandcoveragecanalsobeused.

Metricsareoftenquantitative,suchassalesfigures,marketshareand

operationalefficiencies.Qualitativemetricssuchasbrandreputationandcustomersatisfactionarealso

important.

Risktolerance

Becauseofpublicaccountability

requirementsandthenatureofpublicservices,thereisoftenalower

toleranceforrisk.Decisionsaregenerallymoreconservative.

Whileriskmanagementiscrucial,

businessesmaytakecalculatedriskstoinnovate,expandorenternew

marketstogainacompetitiveedge.

5

Measuringeffectiveness

Measuringeffectivenessinpublicservicescan

beacomplexundertakingduetothe

multifacetednatureoftheservices,thewidearrayofstakeholdersinvolved,andtheoften-qualitativenatureoftheoutcomesdesired.

However,severalmethodsandmetricscanbeemployedtogaugeeffectiveness:

Performanceindicators:Thesearequantifiablemeasuresusedtoevaluatethesuccessofan

organizationinmeetingitsobjectives.Forpublicservices,thesemayinclude:

•Servicedeliverytime.

•Responsetimetopublicinquiriesoremergencies.

•Completionrateofpublicprojectsontimeandwithinbudget.

•Rateofuseofallocatedfunds.

Publicsatisfactionsurveys:Directlygaugingpublicopiniononthequality,accessibilityandefficiencyofservicescanprovidevaluable

feedback.Questionsmayaddress:

•Satisfactionwithservicequality.

•Easeofaccessingservices.

•Perceptionsoffairnessandequity.

Benchmarking:Comparingtheperformancemetricsofonepublicserviceagencytoanother,

eitherdomesticallyorinternationally,canidentifybestpracticesandareasfor

improvement.

Cost-efficiencyanalysis:Analysisoftherelationshipbetweentheinputs(costs)andoutputs(results)todetermineifthepublicisgettinggoodvalueforitsmoney.

Outcomeassessment:Ratherthanjust

measuringoutputs(e.g.numberoflicences

issued),focusonoutcomes(e.g.economic

impactofissuingthoselicences).Thisprovidesadeeperunderstandingofthereal-worldimpactsofpublicservices.

Auditreports:Regularinternalandexternalauditscanassesswhetherresourcesarebeingusedefficiently,effectivelyandethically.

Feedbackmechanisms:Establishingchannelsforthepublicandotherstakeholderstoprovidefeedback,suchascomplaintsystems,feedbackportalsandpublichearings.

Progresstowardsstrategicgoals:Many

publicserviceagenciessetstrategicgoalsor

missions.Regularlyassessingprogresstowardsthesegoalscanmeasureeffectiveness.

Equityandfairnessassessments:Analysing

serviceorpolicyimpactsacrossvarious

demographicgroupstoensurethatthereisnounintentionalbiasordiscrimination.

Casestudies:In-depthexaminationofspecificinitiativesorprojectscanofferinsightsintotheireffectivenessandprovidelessonsforfuture

endeavours.

Technologyutilization:Measuringhow

effectivelytechnologyisbeingusedtoenhanceservicedelivery,reducecostsorimprove

accessibility.

Employeefeedbackandperformance:

Employeesareoftenclosesttotheactual

deliveryofservices.Theirfeedback,combinedwithperformancemetrics,canshedlightoninternalefficienciesandchallenges.

6

Legalandethicalcompliance:Monitoringandreportingonadherencetolegalstandardsandethicalguidelinesensureanagency's

operationsarelegitimate.

Partnershipandcollaborationmetrics:If

publicservicesaredeliveredinpartnershipwith

otherentities(e.g.non-governmental

organizations(NGOs)andprivatecompanies),theeffectivenessofthesepartnershipscanbeevaluatedbasedonmutualgoalachievementandsynergiesrealized.

Long-termimpactanalysis:Thisinvolves

assessingthesustainedimpactofaserviceor

policyovertimetodetermineitslastingbenefitsorchallenges.

Itisessentialforpublicserviceorganizationstoemployacombinationofthesemethods,

tailoredtotheirspecificcontext,toobtainacomprehensivepictureoftheireffectiveness.Regularlyreviewingandupdating

measurementtoolsandmethodologiescanensurethattheyremainrelevantandprovideactionableinsights.

Keyperformanceindicatorstomeasureeffectivenessinpublicservices

Keyperformanceindicators(KPIs)arevitaltoolsforquantifyingandmonitoringtheeffectivenessofpublicservices.KPIsaremetricsthatevaluatespecificaspectsofanorganization'soperations

oroutcomes.Theyhelpinmakinginformeddecisions,ensuringaccountability,and

identifyingareasforimprovement.

HerearesomecommonlyusedKPIstomeasureeffectivenessinpublicservices:

Servicedeliverymetrics:

•Responsetime:timetakentorespondtopublicinquiries,emergenciesorservicerequests.

•Completionrate:percentageoftasksorprojectscompletedontimeandwithinbudget.

•Serviceaccessibility:percentageofthepopulationwithaccesstoaparticularservice.

Costandefficiencymetrics:

•Costperserviceunit:the