The digital transformation of public administration is a key issue for the modernisation of public services. The eGovernment MONITOR conducts an annual review to assess how well this transformation is being received by citizens in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and what successes have been achieved. Materna, as one of the partners of the eGovernment MONITOR, actively supports this transformation. The findings of the latest report show that significant progress has been made, but there are still challenges to be overcome.
Current perceptions of public administration
Citizens often take a critical view of the efficiency of public authorities. Only 19 per cent of Germans believe that public authorities operate as efficiently as private-sector companies. This perception reflects the challenges facing public administration in keeping pace with citizens’ expectations. At the same time, in the digital age, citizens expect public services to be just as easy and convenient to access online as those offered by the private sector. These expectations have risen in recent years, increasing the pressure on the public sector to improve its digital services.
Another important aspect is citizens’ satisfaction with digital public services. In Germany, 62 per cent rate e-government services positively, representing an increase of four percentage points compared with the previous year. Nevertheless, neighbouring countries Austria (74 per cent) and Switzerland (79 per cent) are significantly more satisfied. These differences also show that Germany can learn from the experiences of its neighbours.
Progress and challenges
There are positive trends in the perception of public administration performance, as satisfaction with digital public services has risen compared with the previous year. This shows that the investments and efforts made to date are bearing fruit. Citizens’ assessment of the state’s performance shows a positive trend in many areas compared with the previous year. Whilst a minority still believe that public authorities and agencies work just as efficiently as commercial enterprises or that the state makes life easier, the proportion is higher than in the previous year (up six and four percentage points respectively). Confidence that the state will be able to offer a comprehensive range of digital services over the next three years has also risen (29 per cent, up three percentage points).
Nevertheless, the challenge remains to drive the digital transformation forward more quickly and in a more impact-oriented manner. Investment in digitalisation and the introduction of new technologies is crucial to meeting citizens’ expectations and strengthening trust in state institutions. A particularly important aspect is the creation of a central platform that brings together all digital administrative services. The Federal Portal already serves as such a platform; however, in 2023, only 30 per cent of the population were aware of it, and only six per cent had used it. This highlights that, in addition to providing digital services, their awareness and uptake must also be promoted.
Focus on AI
One of the most promising technologies for public administration is AI. It can help to optimise administrative processes and reduce the workload on staff, which is particularly important given the shortage of skilled workers. The use of AI allows services to be better tailored to citizens’ needs.
Citizens’ expectations regarding the use of AI are high. 68 per cent expect the government to use new technologies to make administrative services more efficient. In Switzerland and Austria, expectations are similarly high. Familiarity with AI is also remarkable: 80 per cent of citizens state that they are familiar with the term or have an idea of what it means. Many have already had experience using AI-based applications, such as chatbots.
Potential and challenges in the use of AI
The use of AI in public administration offers great potential. The majority are open to the use of AI, provided that fundamental decisions continue to be made by humans. Concerns relate primarily to the transparency of decision-making processes and accountability in the event of errors. It is therefore important to communicate openly about the use of AI and to incorporate citizens’ views into the process.
Nadja Kwaß-Benkow, Director of Digital Government at Materna, emphasises the importance of AI:
