In recent years, Russia has been working hard to become a world leader in digital government, and it’s well on its way to doing so.
What makes the country so uniquely suited to adapt its own style of digital government?
Well, take a look at how it’s handled this year’s presidential election, where citizens were able to cast their votes from their phones. Even though it cannot compare to Estonia (which has implemented online voting on a large scale), it’s a great start, even though transparency remains a significant issue.
Digital government has become an increasingly popular term in Russia, as the country has aimed to reduce paperwork and provide more government services electronically. While these goals are largely positive, it’s essential to realize that this type of digital government can also help close the digital divide between those who have internet access and those who don’t, particularly in rural areas of the country.
Russia’s government realizes that the country needs to start taking advantage of the internet and technology’s massive benefits. It has taken on an ambitious plan to ensure all Russian citizens have access to the internet by 2025. It will need to implement proper infrastructure and make sure those who want to connect actually have the means. Russia hopes that this initiative will help raise its citizens’ quality of life as well as make Russia more competitive in the global economy.
Russian Government’s Digitalization Story
In Russia, e-government is very popular. Digitalization is about transforming Russian society from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy. Digitalization involves issues of social inclusion, fair competition, and democracy. In Russia, almost 60% of the population has internet access. However, for any country’s digital transformation to be successful, everyone should have equal access to communication technologies and services without discrimination on any grounds such as gender, age, or disabilities. Any discrimination arising from the difference in access threatens digitalization efforts, so that should be a top priority for the federation.
Electronic Russia was a reform created in 2002 under the Federal Target Program. However, it was wrought with multiple setbacks, including critical underfunding, lack of coordination, inefficient use of budget funds, and a comparatively low priority from the government. Then, in 2011, with Putin’s endorsement, the e-Government reform was harmonized with another overarching Federal Program Information Society 2011-2020.
It was launched as an effort to upgrade Russian public services and make them available online. The official goal of these efforts was to create an effective system of interdepartmental interaction through one portal that would ensure transparency of government activity for all stakeholders. In practice, this approach has not resulted in a cost-effective IT infrastructure. It did not prepare for the centralized administrative model of operation that would be challenging to work with from a bureaucratic perspective.
Then, in 2016 the government focused on creating a more user-friendly platform focusing on higher internet penetration rates and inclusivity. Over time, the citizenry developed a more amicable form of interaction with government regulators and bureaucrats. Younger and middle-aged citizens found it convenient while ever-expanding Internet coverage (mobile-first) fostered greater public trust in the process, which helped widen adoption.
Bridging the digital divide in Russia
Russia has the potential to become a global leader through breakthrough technology innovation, investment in national broadband infrastructure, a focus on scientific research, and a competitive cybersecurity industry. However, to fully accelerate its digital leap, Russia needs to address certain infrastructural weaknesses.
Imagine you lived in one of these remote villages, with poor infrastructure and no access to jobs. Now imagine that your village had no electricity or running water. What would change if it did? Everything—as long as you have access to technology. Tech isn’t just about gadgets; tech is about people. Access to tech allows people with disabilities to participate more easily in everyday life, helps older workers stay engaged, enables farmers to increase their efficiency, and makes all students more prepared for life after school.
According to the EDGI Index 2020, Russia has fallen behind compared to 2018, ranking 36 out of 193 from 32nd place. Even though it has one of the most tech-savvy populations globally, its ranking was lower than the majority of the European Union (EU) countries. The Russian digital government is being affected by the low digitalization of services. Many remedial measures are being taken for smart cities and digital regions, but not enough is being done.
Digital governance is one of today’s most critical issues for the Russian Federation. It’s not just about balancing security with privacy, though that is important enough. Too often, leaders are out of touch with what their citizens want or need, but they have no excuse now that every single citizen has access to all information on social media networks, 24 hours a day.
Source:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/russia/brief/covid-19-response-digital-russia
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/d78b5e7a-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/d78b5e7a-en
https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Data/Country-Information/id/141-Russian-Federation
https://www.statista.com/topics/5865/internet-usage-in-russia/#dossierKeyfigures
