Local eGovernment Index

Donor: European Union
Korisnici: Local self-governments
Beneficiaries: March 2021 - February 2023.

LEI (Local eGovernment Index) is a new mechanism designed for measuring the degree of digitalization and development of eGovernment in municipalities and cities in Serbia. It is being developed as a part of a project funded by the European Union and implemented by NALED. The main objective is to better the eGovernment and improve personal data protection in local government units through the empowerment of citizens and civil society organizations throughout the reform process. The project has started on March 1, 2021 and will last until the end of February 2023.

The plan is for the LEI index to become a monitoring tool that will contribute to greater transparency, openness and responsibility of public administration. Through the support and monitoring of municipal and city administrations and building awareness among citizens, the plan is to increase the use of electronic services and reduce the number of visits to counters and waiting, indirectly reducing risks imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within this project, special software was developed, accessed by municipalities and cities to fill out questionnaires, while being updated with data from the Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services, the Office for IT and eGovernment, the Republic Geodetic Authority, Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, etc.

On this page, measurements results will be showcased in the form of an interactive online map of Serbia, presenting the public with an opportunity to evaluate the development of eServices in their municipality or city and thus contribute to the index quality. The main goal is to encourage the activity and participation of citizens, while motivating local governments to modernize their work. Information on the degree of digitalization of a particular municipality or city, will now be only a click away.

Indeks će meriti 10 najčešćih postupaka za građane i privredu u lokalnim samoupravama, ali i opšte pokazatelje napretka opština i gradova kada je reč o razvoju elektronskih usluga i to kroz sledeće komponente:

The index will measure 10 most common procedures for citizens and business within local governments, and general indicators of progress in cities and municipalities concerning the development of electronic services through the following components:

o Key Enablers consisting of two components - Infrastructure (equipment of local government for the provision of electronic services, completeness, timeliness and efficiency of maintaining registers, and the strategic and financial framework for local eGovernment development) and Human Resources and competencies (employee training, number of staff, as well as citizens’ knowledge of eServices)

o Index of electronic services (the quality and availability of services - sophistication, efficiency, information security, innovation and proactivity of LGs in software development, citizen involvement, the public availability of data, proactive citizen informing process and mechanisms for monitoring citizen satisfaction as well as user experience.

The project aims to promote examples of good practice through the Guide for Best Practices, while supporting local governments that have the lowest index in the first phase of measurement.

The project will also organize special trainings for civil society organizations in the field of e-government, e-business, information security and personal data protection, considering that the project aims to empower citizens and civil society organizations in the monitoring process of the eGovernment development, pushing them towards an active involvement in the process.

What do we know so far?

Istraživanje stavova građana, privrede i lokalnih samouprava u okviru LEI projekta je pokazalo sledeće rezultate:

Survey of citizens’, businesses’ and local governments’ attitudes and opinions, performed within the LEI project, had the following results:

Citizens

• Citizens expressed their greatest satisfaction with eServices related to the pandemic, electronic payments and electronic delivery.
• Half of citizens know which eServices are available, and eight out of ten are satisfied with them.
• Six out of ten citizens find it easier to complete procedures online.
• Six out of ten citizens do not have an account on the eGovernment Portal.
• Seven out of ten citizens do not use eServices.

Businesses

• Businesses were most satisfied with eServices provided by Tax Administration, the Business Registers Agency, the Central Register of Compulsory Social Insurance, the National Bank of Serbia, and the electronic mailbox used for the act of submission process on the eGovernment Portal.
• Seven out of ten companies know which eServices are available to them, and eight out of ten of them are satisfied with eServices.
• Six out of ten entrepreneurs think that services are better when online.
• Every other company provides administrative services over the Internet.
• 65% of businesses agreed that it is necessary to improve the arrangement portals and websites of institutions.

Local governments

• The majority of heads of municipal and city administrations positively assess the general state of digitalization in Serbia and believe that visible progress has been made. They also point out that:
• The development of e-government in Serbia is carried out in a planned and systematic manner, but in need of special focus to certain, small municipalities.
• Low citizen awareness is the biggest obstacle to eGovernment.
• Local governments need assistance in obtaining the necessary licenses to ensure software security, as well as equipment updates.