“Putting lipstick on a pig” is end result of billions spent by government on IT projects | The Canary

Last Updated: June 13, 2016By

160613 pig

A scathing report on government digital policy says it has failed in its objective of “transforming government”.

The numerous iterations of applying technology to government has amounted to no more than expensive window dressing or, as colourfully described in the paper, “putting lipstick on pigs”.

The term e-government is used as a catchall term for words commonly used in associating information technology and government, including: electronic, digital and online.

One of the major reasons for this failure, according to the report, is the assumption that government is a service industry. This leads to the adoption of a private sector model for plans to use technology to enhance government activity. The report states, in no uncertain terms:

“Governments do policy, not services… Citizens are not customers.”

Because of this service industry mindset, the authors argue, work done on researching and implementing e-government tends to be done by people with technology and management backgrounds. The people who should be leading this work are those with a public administration or political science background, who best understand the role of government and how it can be improved. These improvements can then be adopted digitally.

The paper argues that cosmetic changes have been made to the front-end websites, whereas little significant change has happened at the back-end.

Source: “Putting lipstick on a pig” thats the end result of billions spent by government on IT projects | The Canary

ADVERT




Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!

Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(
but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Donate Button with Credit Cards

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook

latest video

news via inbox

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

5 Comments

  1. chriskitcher June 13, 2016 at 1:11 pm - Reply

    Camoron philosophy at its best, PR glow on everything especially where pigs are concerned.

  2. Brian June 13, 2016 at 1:30 pm - Reply

    Seems there is little understanding of culture vs technological differences. Saw a good example fro a ‘previously’ respected industrialist, one Dyson. He figures if we were not in the EU, he would not have to supply exported vacuum cleaners with different plugs or foreign language instructions. Yes, Mr Dyson, the rest of the world will adopt English & change all their wall sockets to suit you! This world is full of idiots.

  3. casalealex June 13, 2016 at 8:50 pm - Reply

    One example – amongst many – Is the Universal Credit fiasco….

    https://welfaretales.wordpress.com/category/universal-credit/

  4. Dez June 13, 2016 at 10:02 pm - Reply

    Expensive all singing and dancing I/T solutions to joined up Government scatter the highway of so called progress unfortunately at tax payers loss. . NHS national computer records was the last known I/T disasterous non-event probably going to be closely followed by the Universal Credit crock of ###. Goods news is that a lot of expensive I/T consultants and companies will make a lot of people rich even if it never gets to the runway. No one in Government knows how to properly manage anything let alone something as technical as I/T global solutions.

Leave A Comment