To coincide with this week's commitment by the Government to provide a telecommunications backbone that would push the Republic forward in the e-commerce arena, one of the brightest minds in the information technology business was in Dublin.
Mr Don Tapscott is chairman of the Toronto-based think-tank and for-profit research company, Alliance for Converging Technologies. He is better known as the author of highly acclaimed books: Paradigm Shift, The Digital Economy, and Growing Up Digital.
Mr Tapscott was in Dublin to pitch to Government ministers his vision of an international research programme for governments. Over 18 months the Alliance plans to compile research from 15 governments, state and local agencies, to examine how technology is being used by governments to change the way they operate and interact with citizens. The $3 million (€2.93 million) project is being funded by several corporate sponsors including IBM, EDS and Hewlett-Packard.
Mr Tapscott and his team look beyond the usual cost-cutting approach taken to technology adoption - to its application as a means of transforming the business of government. The focus is on moving citizens to centre stage, where they become customers of government for the services it offers and shareholders in the decision-making process.
"We really need Ireland in this initiative as it has already proven to be a leader in e-commerce initiatives. The Government is using the same language as I've been using for a long time, and there is a clear sense of curiosity, innovation and openness to new ideas," says Mr Tapscott.
The Alliance's Governance in the Digital Economy programme will take two different approaches to its research. First, it will examine how service delivery, including social welfare payments, tax return and healthcare systems can be better designed to facilitate the citizen.
Second, the traditional notion of governance will be addressed to examine how the new technology can help the individual take part in the government process.
"What does it actually mean when you can participate 150 times faster than you could before? Can we make some breakthroughs in the political process where some real dialogue can start to happen with citizens?" says Mr Tapscott.
Examples include projects where citizens and politicians debate and analyse relevant issues online. The Internet can be used to create new collaborations and introduce interest groups with similar views on particular government issues.
At the core of Mr Tapscott's philosophy is the belief that the global nature of the Internet demands that government be more inclusive. Otherwise it may be rendered redundant by more organised, outspoken online voices.
A Department of Public Enterprise spokesman welcomed Mr Tapscott's presentation to the Government this week, saying: "Mr Tapscott is to e-commerce, what Einstein was to the theory of relativity."
