Russia and the US Government Index – 2003-22
e-government development index (e-government development index, EGDI) is calculated by the UN since 2003; This does not happen every year, so far, including 2022, 11 country ratings have been compiled – since 2018, Russia has officially been in the group with a “very high” index value, which means “more than 0.75”, despite the fact that the maximum theoretical possible value EGDI is 1.
For 19 years, we have collected material that allows us to see in dynamics the relative position of Russia among the countries that have created and are developing e-government.
About the EGDI Calculation Method
EGDI is a composite index based on the weighted average of complex sub-indices.
The first of these is the telecommunications loss index (Telecommunications Infrastructure Index, TII). Characterizes the network in accordance with the name, the development of data transmission. Calculated based on information provided by the International Telecommunication Union (International Telecommunication Union, ITU), which is also part of the UN environment.
The second is the Human Capital Index (HCI). It characterizes the country’s ability to train qualified specialists for the creation of e-government, and for the effective use of electronic services for the population. Calculated based on data provided by UNESCO.
The third is the Online Service Index (OSI). The calculation of its value is based on information obtained through an “independent online assessment” of the Department of Economic Affairs and requires the decision of the UN (UN DESA). This department’s data is from surveys in each of the 193 UN countries for calculating EGDI.
The compilers of the rating note that when compiling each EGDI index, it represents a “constructive improvement” in the methodology. The calculation recorded “lessons limited in the framework of previous publications”; information and surprises of UN member countries; “external assessments”; results of expert meetings of the group; changes, the consequences of technological progress in the field of technological development and the development of the regulatory framework.
Place of Russia
From 2003 to 2005, the EGDI index was published once a year. After 2005, it was introduced only in 2008.
Russia in 2003 reader with 58 locations and EGDI values of 0.44255. How the UN calculated EGDI in those days, now you can’t say – electronic public services, i.e. in our country at that time and was not. True, there was the Electronic Russia state program, the execution (and appropriations) of which was divided between the Ministry of Communications (Minister Leonid Reiman) and the Ministry of Economic Development (Minister German Gref), but its result, if any, was taken into account in the field of theory, not practice.
In 2008, an insignificant place of the Russian Federation in the EGDI rating was recorded – 60th. But in 2009, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications went into operation according to the public services portal (EPGU), due to the fact that in our country the value of the OSI sub-index went into steady growth and, along with it, the value of the EGDI index as a whole.
In 2012 and 2014, Russia was in 27th place, this is the best result.
In 2016, with the “high” value of the OSI index, Russia lost eight positions, in 2018 it rose by three – to 32nd place.
In 2020, the Russian Federation ranked 36th, the rating compilers noted the “very high” value of the OSI index.
Criticism of the index
EGDI does not consider the characteristics of countries, implicitly assumes that they are in the appropriate conditions. Not included, in particular, geography, which for Russia would have been given importance. The development of a fair e-government depends on the distances over which it is necessary to lay FOCL, on the climatic and geographical conditions in which it is necessary to build communication lines and nodes.
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According to geographical criteria, Russia is not comparable with European countries, or with the countries of Southeast Asia, or with the United States. The only country it can be compared to is Canada (32 in the EGDI 2022 ranking).
However, this should not be considered a lost index calculated by the UN. An approach in which the EGDI value does not depend on features and evaluates only the final result of the development of the state government in various countries should be explainable and logical.