Abstract

Kazakhstan tries to develop its own model of public administration in a westernized manner. One of the examples of such a trend in this country is efforts on organization of e-government. One more aspect of the aspiration is e-voting. These two innovations are often regarded today as potential accelerators of the complicated administrative reforms which the Kazakh government has been carrying out since declaration of its independence in 1991. Inspired by successful international experience of e-government development, especially, of Baltic States and Singapore, Kazakhstan starts e-government project in 2005 by approving a two-year strategic implementation program. The information web-portal (www.e.gov.kz) inaugurated in 2006 was the first and virtually the only outcome of the project. Today information services the web-portal suggests are considered as its integral part. However, introducing new technology, videlicet, interactive transaction between citizens and governmental agencies, the nation faces challenges of regulatory, organizational and infrastructural character. As a whole e-government organization requires a large-scale transformation of public administration. Therefore, efforts shall be focused on both reformation of many administrative mechanisms, first of all bureaucracy, and enhancement of democratic procedures since interactivity of e-government implies active political dialogue and rise of political culture in Kazakhstan. In this respect, introduction of e-government opens a great opportunity to accelerate reformation of traditional democratic institutions. Moreover, it will promote economic development of Kazakhstan as new horizons for use of electronic commerce appear. For example, a recently launched within the framework of e-government, e-procurement web-portal has already proved to be cost-effective. It has saved about 22 % of government expenditures.

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