autocracies exist worldwide – that’s more than the number of democracies
Digital transformation for democratic principles
With news tickers, Facebook advertising and Twitter comments, the digital transformation is giving rise to new spaces for disseminating information and opening discussions. For governments and administrations, digital technologies offer a wide range of options for reforming the public sector and improving services.
At the same time, new risks are emerging. For example, entire population groups may be excluded from digital development due to a lack of access and education opportunities. Digital tools and technologies may be misused for authoritarian and repressive purposes, such as for monitoring and restricting personal privacy and the freedom of opinion. Fake news, hate speech and the targeted dissemination of disinformation may influence elections and shape public opinion. In the area of cybersecurity, the risks include not only cybercrime and cyberattacks on critical public infrastructure, but also data theft and espionage. Dependence on major tech companies continues to rise.
87
1/5
African countries has a legal framework for cybersecurity
1/3
of people over the age of 15 in low-income countries have no legal identity or no official identity card
Digital administrative services have grown at a phenomenal rate worldwide over the past 20 years. They are crucially important when it comes to developing an innovative economy and establishing a digital society. However, many countries are having difficulties in keeping pace with the trend towards the digitalisation of administrative services. They often lack financial resources and technical capacities. This leads to fragmented services, duplicate structures or a lack of digital administrative services altogether. Multifunctional and cross-sectoral digital e-government solutions can make a decisive difference here because they are easy to design, implement and scale.
It is essential to shape the digital transformation to establish good governance and democratic principles. Particular attention should be paid here to taking a people-centred approach in order to tap the potential of the digital transformation, face challenges and reduce risks.
Projekte
GovStack
promotes digital administration modules that can be reused in various contexts. These administration modules are digital public goods that unite three characteristics: they do not compete, they are not excludable and they are available worldwide. With the aim of disseminating digital public goods, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been a member of the Governance Board of Digital Public Goods Alliance since 2021.
Website
Digital Enquirer Kit
enables civil society stakeholders and media professionals to detect and combat misinformation. The kit takes the form of an online training course consisting of six modules. It provides people with concrete strategies and methods for making the global information and communication space more secure in order to better protect themselves and their own content online.
Project website
Data-Cipation
supports citizen engagement with data-based approaches and new technologies, thereby strengthening the participation of citizens in the African Union’s decision-making processes – very much in the spirit of good governance.
Project website
INDIGO
supports the application of e-governance approaches at municipal level. This measure promotes the co-creative development and implementation of measures for improving the municipal quality of life. There is a particular focus here on the needs of women, young people and people with disabilities.
Project website
JAGA
is an app with which Indonesian citizens can obtain an overview of local services and draw attention to any problems. This helps to combat corruption and improve accountability. JAGA now covers a third of the entire national budget, with the result that the use of public funds is more transparent and accountability towards the general public has improved.
Website