Digital Government Podcast

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Let's sum up the year 2021! Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

With the year-end approaching, we could not let this opportunity slip for a proper wrap up of 2021. Hannes Astok, Executive Director at e-Governance Academy, gladly bears the weight of this responsibility in the latest episode of the Digital Government Podcast.

Remote work and cybersecurity are the topics that dominated the digital transformation landscape this past year. While flexibility is the keyword for the former, enhancing the safety of operations on the internet is the command for the latter. This pertained not only to the work of the e-Governance Academy but also that of the government organisations and partners – who have been facing similar and further challenges.

Achievements, announcements, pre-holiday wishes. In this lightweight episode, we salute the year that has gone by and give you all a recommendation: mark May 10-12, 2022, on your calendar, as the e-Governance Conference makes its return both offline and online!
The episode is hosted by Federico Plantera.

The next big turn in digital transformation Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

The number of mobile users is already exceeding 7 billion worldwide, and 3 billion of them are using smartphones. The rising mobile penetration has pushed governments to develop services that could be used via mobile phone. On the other hand, more and more governments are exploring how to benefit from AI by providing public services. In this episode, we will explore with Margus Simson, the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at Komerční Banka, how these two developments change online service provision and should they be reflected in government digital strategies.

According to Margus, from 2025 and beyond, the new standard in digital service should be the significant inclusion of AI/ML. "It will beef up the intelligence efforts, and take companies and customers to personalization levels and business opportunities that have never been seen before. Mobiles are definitely crucial for customer service and digitalization, but honestly, it is already 10 years too late. Instead of mobile, simplicity should be the core strategic direction of transformation stories."

In the discussion, he reflects on developments that are taking place already in the private sector, and based on that, he predicts the future of developments for the public sector.

More precisely, Margus will cast light on

>what horizons in service provision have AI and ML opened?

>what could we expect as customers?

>what changes should governments make in their digital transformation strategies to keep up with the technological developments?

Tune in!

Freedom of expression in the digital age. A lost battle for truth? Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

The problem with fake news is becoming more and more topical for every public organisation. Due to that, we invited Dr Katrin Nyman-Metcalf, the Senior Expert on Legal Framework to the Digital Government Podcast to cast light on the freedom of expression in the digital age and the problem of fake news from a legal perspective.
In this episode, we walk through the following questions:

Can we "regulate away" misinformation?

What are the lessons learnt from the countries that have such legislation?

What would be the key points to keep in mind if and when regulating this issue?

Should not the big platforms like Facebook take responsibility primarily - as it is largely via them that misinformation is spread?

Turn in to find out whether there is still hope or if the battle is indeed lost!
The podcast is hosted by Federico Plantera.

The ethical challenges of fully automated public services Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

Based on what trends we have witnessed in advanced digital societies - the next level of public services will be fully automated services that are based on AI and Machine Learning. In this episode, a distinguished legal expert on digital governance topics Katrin Nyman-Metcalf covers another side of the coin - essential and ethical dilemmas behind that process/development. She says that the key decisions on how, when and whether to automate are not technical, legal, nor practical - they are essentially strategic, political decisions about what kind of society we want.

But what kind of society do we want? That raises a lot of questions. For example, what is the role of public officials while machines are putting together facts and providing public services? What is the role of the state and the state administration? And how will society and citizens react? Will the norms change in society? Are we obliged to love robots? Is the challenge of transforming into a fully automated society a generational issue?

Listen to this episode to find out!

Digital government leadership throughout the crisis Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

Despite a continued global vaccine rollout, COVID19's shadow remains large and limiting for all government bodies around the world. The need to cut through COVID fatigue with strong leadership has never been more urgent. Now the government leaders themselves play a crucial online role in shielding teams and policies from criticism and misinformation.
In today's episode, we explore with Roger Christie, a digital brand advisor from the Australian consultancy Propel Group, how to increase government leadership with the help of social media, to engage and influence key audiences, and to take action at a time when we all need our leaders to stand up and be heard.
The episode is based on the Digital Government Leadership Report conducted by Propel and Brandwatch and published this autumn. In the survey, they analysed the social media activity of the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and revealed how Premier Andrews successfully used Twitter to increase positive community sentiment during his state’s darkest period during the 2020 lockdowns. The data behind the Premier’s digital leadership reveals an important truth for all – government leaders need to stand up online.
The podcast is hosted by Federico Plantera.

How can civil society organisations enhance digital responsibility of the government? Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

The pandemic caused countries around the world to employ digital solutions, which they had been ignoring or postponing, almost overnight. Such rapid development also raises several questions related to digital responsibility and accountability.
Digital responsibility has mainly been addressed by the business sector. However, the expectations to the governments to set the agenda for digital responsibility are becoming increasingly clear, as is the potential role of civil society organisations in challenging the governments in the process.
In this episode, Kristina Mänd (eGA), Aldo Merkoci (MJAFY!, Albania) and Robert Bjarnason (Citizen Foundation, Iceland) will address the expectations on governments, in addition to the role of civil society organisations in supporting governments in digital responsibility. Tune in to explore the practices used in Albania, Iceland and Estonia!
The discussion was live at the e-Governance Conference 2021.

How does the digital responsibility of companies impact our future? Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

The rapid digitalisation of societies introduces new expectations towards tech companies. People expect companies to take care of their ecological footprint, support free expression, respect privacy and develop a more secure cyberspace.
Explore how enterprises and governments can address these demands for digital responsibility with tech innovator Üllar Jaaksoo, from Greenergy, technology and public policy leader Eli Sugarman, from the Oversight Board, and senior expert of cybersecurity Merle Maigre, from e-Governance Academy.
Moreover, they talk about how the government could be a better partner for the private sector in this journey, and share examples from the UK, European Union and Estonia. Tune in!
The discussion was live at the e-Governance Conference.

Is i-voting here to stay? Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

Estonia conducted i-voting for the 12th time, in the recent local elections on 11 – 17 October 2021. In this episode, we cast light on these election results and explore with Priit Vinkel, the former Head of the Estonian Electoral Office and one of the implementers of the internet voting system in Estonia, what are the lessons learned from i-voting, both for Estonia and as well as for other governments who want to implement i-voting.
We will talk about building trust and voter and politician behaviour during the past 16 years (the first i-voting took place in 2005). Besides the Estonian experience, we cast light on the experiences of other countries, such as the USA, Norway, Switzerland, India, etc. Priit also explains what are the main barriers that are hampering the use of i-voting, although the need for a safer option (referring to an individual's health by avoiding physical contact) to vote is getting more and more critical during the pandemic. Tune in!

Is digital only the next normality for governments? Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Today we invite you to listen to the episode on the next normal of digital transformation featured by futurist Thrond Arne Undheim and the former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Follow their discussion on what have the governments learned from 2020 and what they have refused to learn. Moreover, the guest will talk about the trends that will influence digital transformation the most in the future, and how the "Digital Only" approach will guide the way of administration and interaction. Do we see the governments controlling the e-governance of the future or is that something we are having an hopeless situation about?
The discussion was moderated by IT visionary Linnar Viik and was live at the e-Governance Conference 2021.

Does technology increase or decrease democracy? Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode of the Digital Government Podcast, you are welcome to meet our distinguished e-democracy expert Liia Hänni, who recently celebrated her 75th birthday! Known as the "mother" of the Estonian Constitution, she has had a massive impact in the design of Estonia's democratic face and digital society.
Within the following 21 minutes, she talks about the relationship between technology and democracy, and how using technology influences trust towards the government. Finally, on the eve of the Estonian local elections, she sheds light on what made i-voting happen in Estonia. Tune in!

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