| 520 |
|
|
|b Globalization has rendered change on all sectors of the economy. The fast pace and turbulence of the market essentially needs flexibility. Stagnant and bureaucratic blocks will not be able to keep pace with high rate of change in the global market. There is no time for bureaucracy. Time should ultimately be saved for more value-added activities. With the GATT agreement, the world is contracting, thus speed and malleability are unavoidable in order to attain competitiveness and emerge from the periphery of the world economy. Transforming the inflexible rigid bureaucracy of the public sector through mobilizing efforts toward the efficiencies of the e-government is one way of avoiding marginalization in the world economic stage. For the Egyptian economy, characterized by a growing population, increasing budget constraints and liabilities, and high levels of unemployment, boosting economic competitiveness is a more pressing imperative than ever before. It requires increasing the rate and pace of productivity growth, notably through a better exploitation of investments in ICT across society. To this end, the Egyptian government needs to become a real actor of economic competitiveness, making active and coherent use of a series of levers to influence the economic performance of economic actors: taxation, government spending (on education, research and development or infrastructure), and regulations. The main economic competitiveness lever of government, though, is probably government itself. Public administration indeed plays a considerable economic role in the Egyptian economy as a large-scale economic actor: service provider, employer, purchaser, etc. While no clear and straightforward relation can be established between government size and economic performance, it is increasingly acknowledged that public sector efficiency and productivity have a significant impact on economic competitiveness. Even though the information society, and more particularly e-govemment, is frequently referred to as a key element of any country’s economic competitiveness agenda, yet the correlation between the digitization of public services and a more competitive economy, leading to higher growth, better jobs and rising living standards, remains complex and elusive. In order to clarify the main issues at stake and highlight the importance of better understanding the economic impact of e- government policies, this research endeavor explores the different aspects of the link between e-government and economic competitiveness. Following, the research addresses the wider role of “government” as a major economic agent, reviewing the different levers public authorities can use to boost economic competitiveness in Egypt. Finally, the role of e-government in this respect is thoroughly addressed outlining ways to leverage e-government policies as a key factor of economic competitiveness in Egypt.
|
