E-Governance in Asia: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability?

Governments increasingly rely on new information and communication technology to connect with citizens. An important aspect of this e-governance is to enhance openness to empower citizens. Nonetheless, it is debated whether the digitization of government has in fact led to increased transparency, or whether governments primarily use the online interfaces to enhance social control. From a critical perspective the symposium examined the state-of-the-art of e-governance in Asia. The aim was to synthesize knowledge about the challenges of creating transparency and accountability in a digital environment. The core discussion juxtaposed analyses of e-governance in different policy areas in India and China. The national-level studies were set in a comparative perspective spanning all of East and South-East Asia. The symposium thus provided an overview of the regional development of e-governance with particular focus on the pertinent issues of transparency and accountability.