Foreword and acknowledgements

Digital government can be pivotal in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policy design and implementation. However, sound governance frameworks and adequate institutional arrangements are required to reap the full benefits of digital technologies, promote systemic change and make the government digital by design. As the use of digital technologies becomes mainstreamed in all policy areas, effective implementation requires the participation of a variety of actors. This entails strong leadership alignment between planning, policy formulation and implementation as well as desirable levels of continuity and coherence in the digital government agenda. Therefore, the institutional set-up in charge of digital government should be able to count on a clear mandate and be supported by the necessary governance framework providing powers, institutional mechanisms, policy levers and resources, to be able to lead the definition of a vision, steer and co-ordinate actions in line with the strategic objectives, and hold the various actors accountable for results. These conditions can facilitate the integration of digital government in broader public sector reform agendas and synergies with other cross-cutting policy areas, such as public sector innovation, open government and administrative simplification.