Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the relationship between
mobility, Gov 2.0, and digital inclusion. By digital inclusion, we refer to
not only Internet access (via traditional desktop or mobile channels) but
also an expansion of developmental opportunities for a widening propor-
tion of the populace within a given jurisdiction (thereby reducing what
has been commonly referred to as the digital divide). As some jurisdic-
tions such as Great Britain and Denmark explicitly target digital inclu-
siveness, this chapter critically examines the Canadian context in this
comparative light. We draw specifically from the Province of Ontario,
which has been home to several interrelated and relevant initiatives in
this regard, including (a) a recent Provincial Auditor General examina-
tion of ServiceOntario, the lead entity responsible for online and inte-
grated service delivery for the Province; (b) an external review panel of
provincial social assistance policies and governance arrangements; and
(c) a major external research study in the academic sector (supported
by, but separate from, the Province) focusing on the impacts of mobile
technologies on all segments of Ontario (including government, indus-
try, and society at large). Taken together, these three elements provide
a useful case study to better understand if and how digital inclusion is
likely to be addressed within Ontario's evolving parameters of mobility,
electronic service delivery, and wider Gov 2.0-stylized reform efforts.
Keywords:
mobility, digital, inclusion, government, social, assistance,
engagement, empowerment, participation, technology
11.1 introduction
Gov 2.0 denotes a more participative and networked era driven by the Internet's
“web 2.0” evolution featuring user-driven content (including text, imagery, and
video), social networking, big data, and cloud computing. The advent of the mobile
Internet further accentuates this paradigm with, for example, the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2011) highlighting the trans-
formational potential of mobile government, provided that technology be viewed
and understood as a means toward greater ends: “Focus should be indeed on the
needs of the public sector and of the end-users, be these citizens or businesses, to
ensure that technology is exploited to reorganize the way civil servants work and to
meet the needs of citizens through improved service delivery” (p. 12).
However, such change does not come easy, and almost all organizations are strug-
gling with mobility: One 2013 survey across sectors, for instance, stated that that
nearly 80% of business and technology executives viewed their mobile efforts as low
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