Digital Public Services

AbstractDigital public services refer to the provision of public services using digital technologies wherein the interaction with a public sector organisation is mediated by an IT system. Citizens are constantly demanding higher transparency, efficiency and responsiveness from public organisations. The increasing adoption of digital technologies constitutes a key element of governments’ response to such demands and has the potential to generate substantial benefits for the overall economy both at a local and national level. This chapter defines digital public services, discusses the existing challenges for the implementation of these services in the rural context, and summarises existing frameworks for assessing the adoption and use of e-Government, e-Health technologies, and open data.