Conducting an extensive analysis of the offer of e-services of the Municipality of Zabljak (MEZBK0005)

Commitment ID

MEZBK0005

Commitment Title

Conducting an extensive analysis of the offer of e-services of the Municipality of Zabljak

Problem

While there are numerous studies and analyses that address certain technical aspects or the usability of e-services, the majority focus primarily on state-level services, with fewer studies examining the offerings of local governments. However, a comprehensive analysis specifically focused on the local level is lacking—an analysis that would provide an accurate and detailed overview of the range of e-services available, categorizing them according to levels of sophistication. Such an analysis would also need to examine each service through multiple lenses, including organizational, semantic, technical, infrastructural, and legal aspects, in order to capture the complete landscape of e-service provision at the local level. Moreover, it would offer targeted recommendations for improvement and consider citizens’ perspectives by applying research methods designed to uncover their insights and priorities related to these services. By addressing these areas, a comprehensive local-level analysis would clarify specific challenges and opportunities, leading to enhanced service quality and accessibility tailored to the needs of the community.

Status quo

The percentage of citizens who use e-services is evidence of problems in the work and functioning of public administration, the situation in this area, the level of satisfaction of citizens with the services provided, the accessibility of digital services and the promptness in providing the necessary information by local administration officials. An illustrative example is the survey of the European Policy Network - Master, carried out at the beginning of 2023, which was done at the state level, but whose sample included citizens from all three. Montenegrin regions, that only 7.5% of citizens from two categories of responses believe that the efficiency of digital services is at a satisfactory level. However, exact data for the Municipality of Žabljak are lacking, and only they can be the basis for actions in the direction of, first, the development of the Strategy for the digitalization of services, and then the digitalization itself.

Action

Conduct an extensive analysis of the offer of e-services of the Municipality of Zabljak, by levels of sophistication, as well as an analysis of the needs of citizens and businesses for e-services, taking into account the age structure of citizens, predominant activities, the level of digital skills, habits, the size of the community, etc. Given the tourist character of the Municipality, it is necessary to pay special attention in the analysis to the potential of e-services of this type, for example, consider the services of check-in and check-out of guests, and the payment of the sojourn tax electronically.

The consultations have shown that the definition of e-services and their marking according to the levels of sophistication is also necessary in all local administrations involved, since during the development of action plans, various geolocation portals, the possibility of paying fees, sending e-mails with the request and others were interpreted as e-services.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

This analysis would represent a baseline for planning the construction and delivery of e-services at the local level. As long as the real state of needs is not known, on the one hand, which includes the application of research mechanisms such as focus groups, user roadmaps, empathy and experience maps, as well as service blueprints, but also real opportunities for offering on the other, digitalization is not on the way it should be and the offering of e-services is reduced to an arbitrary incident. Therefore, such a comprehensive analysis should provide an answer to the questions in which segment the work of public administration should be changed in order to realize some of the goals of the OGP and thus get closer to the efficient systems of functioning and work of public administration that are applied in the EU member states.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

This commitment contributes to increasing transparency, fostering e-democracy and creating inclusive growth.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, Digital Governance

Primary Sector

Public Services (general), Science & Technology

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?