Management

Gov 2.0: Three TED Videos to Inspire Government Technology Leaders

Thought leaders demand higher standards for federal technology.

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Jimmy is a writer and editor who publishes a weekly newsletter. You can find him on Twitter.

Can technology really transform the federal government?

Mobility, cloud computing and the Internet have already improved the way agencies operate internally, but are they really facilitating the delivery of better services to citizens? When will the average American feel the impact of consolidated data centers and cloud-first initiatives?

Technology should inspire transparency and spur digital growth to help citizens get access to the information they need and communicate with the government. A number of groups are on a mission to make this happen, and the University of North Carolina School of Government blog expands on some of the movements that are pushing the government forward:

Open Government is defined by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) as “the transparency of government actions, the accessibility of government services and information, and the responsiveness of government to new ideas, demands and needs.”

E-Government is defined by the World Bank as “the use by government agencies of information technologies that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of government services to citizens, improved interactions with business and industry, citizen empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management. The resulting benefits can be less corruption, increased transparency, greater convenience, revenue growth, and/or cost reductions.”

Government 2.0 is defined by Gartner Research as “the use of Web 2.0 technologies, both internally and externally, to increase collaboration and transparency and potentially transform the way government agencies relate to citizens and operate.”

Although progress is being made, thought leaders at recent TED conferences are demanding more. Here are three videos that will inspire government leaders and contractors, as well as any citizen, to rethink how the government can leverage technology.