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Saudi society is the most digitally connected in the world. It has the highest use of Twitter per capita, and shares the number two spot with Hong Kong for the highest number of mobile phones per person. Saudi Arabia's dynamic virtual sphere, comprising the Internet, social media, and mobile devices, makes it an ideal environment for innovative electronic and mobile-based government services. On average, Saudis spend five hours a day connected to the Internet via laptops or desktops and another three hours a day connected to the Internet via their mobile phones. These figures have not gone unnoticed by the Saudi government, and in 1433 H. (2012) Saudi leaders began providing government information on mobile devices to bring government to people in new ways. M-Government, or mobile government, is the use of government services using personal mobile technologies. While e-Government services focus on process efficiencies and accessing government services data and services from websites, m-Government services are accessible to customers anywhere using phone-based applications. As large groups of citizens around the world eagerly embrace new digital channels, others still prefer more traditional face-to-face or voice services. Innovative government in the 21st century will be defined by the capacity of government to use technology to customize and rapidly deliver services to citizens. Saudi government's digital leap In 1426 H. (2005), the Saudi government launched Yesser, to support every government agency in digitizing services. Yesser is an e-Government program jointly established by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and the Communication and Information Technology Commission. Yesser was the 1432 H., (2010) winner of the E-Government FutureGov Awards, a Pan-Asia award for public sector innovation, for its emphasis on measuring the transformation of government agencies to e-Government services. Starting in 1433 H. (2012), the Saudi government launched a complementary m-Government initiative to help government agencies create and launch mobile-based applications. Saudi Arabia has rapidly expanded its e-Government and m-Government services. The UN Global e-Government Survey 2014 ranked Saudi Arabia as number 34 worldwide, improving from number 90 in 2004. When it comes to online service delivery, an indicator that measures the extent to which the government uses ICT to deliver public services, Saudi Arabia tied at 18th in the world, close behind the United Arab Emirates at 12th and Bahrain at 7th – two countries with much smaller populations to service. These Gulf Cooperation Council countries perform on par with leading OECD member countries due to the strategic emphasis the region has placed on e-Government development. In 1436 H. (2015), Saudi Arabia won the top awards in the health, tourism and education sectors in the Best M-Government Awards announced annually by the United Arab Emirates. Connected and interactive government M-Government technologies serve as a catalyst for two way communication and decision-making by enabling a connected government to not only push information digitally but to respond to citizen needs and foster engagement. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) identified four stages that define the digital connectedness of a government: emerging, enhanced, interactive, transactional and connected. The highest level, connected, describes a government that uses technology to be responsive to citizen needs and where its citizens can participate and engage in the government's decision-making process. It is the overarching integration of its e-Government systems – rather than a specific channel – that pushes a government toward a connected and interactive role. When it comes to e-Participation rates – a complementary UN index to the e-Government Survey that is a composite of how online services are used by governments to provide information, interact with constituents and engage citizens in decision-making – Saudi Arabia rates 51st in the world. Most (85 percent) of Saudi Arabia's composite ranking is a result of its high rankings in e-information sharing while the Kingdom's e-consultation and e-decision making ratings are much lower at 27 percent and 11 percent respectively. Saudi Arabia is clearly a top performer in the world when it comes to sharing and accessing public information using electronic and mobile services. Now there are even greater opportunities for the government to expand the scope of their services and engage with their citizens to empower them to design services and create innovative solutions for policies that matter to them most. One example of successful implementation of m-Government services is the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's (MCI) Commercial Violation Reporting Application. Launched in 1432 H. (2011), the MCI Commercial Violation Reporting Application allows citizens to report commercial violations directly to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. To report a business, the user uses an integrated map to locate the business then enters the name of the business and its industry. Users choose from a drop down menu regarding the type of violation and can comment on the violation. If the user does not have an active connection, the application allows the user to call to report the violation. Users gave the application a high rating, 4.5 out of 5, and it received Yesser's e-Government's achievement award in the “E-Services through Smart Devices” category in 1434 H. (2014). Recognition: UAE Best M-Government Awards In 1436 H. (2015), Saudi Arabia won the top awards in the health, tourism and education sectors in the UAE Best M-Government Awards. The health award went to the National Committee for the Promotion of Mental Health for its application named Qareboon that promotes mental health awareness using infographics, videos and access to numerous resources, and responds to users' requests for psychological counseling via the app. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities' application consolidates all tourist information including locations, laws, visa requirements and how to book hotels and flights. The application designed by the Saudi Ministry of Education is a one-stop portal for education news, services and access to electronic systems. Conclusion Saudi Arabia is a world leader when it comes to offering m-Government services to its highly digitally-connected population. Notably, however, it has not limited its public service offerings to only ITC solutions. Programs like the Ministry of Interior's Office of Civil Affairs Tagdeer program provide public services to citizens challenged by mobility, illness and age by outfitting and dispatching mobile units to make personal house calls and hospital visits and provide on-site face-to-face services. In the three years following the launch of the Tagdeer program, from 1431 H. to 1434 H. (2009-2012), the Office of Civil Affairs provided nearly 62,000 national identification card services to citizens on location. Another innovative government solution is the Ministry of Interior's e-Communication and Reception Center which offers a wide range of digital, mobile and face-to-face options to include holding a personal teleconference meeting with the Minister of Interior from the privacy of an MOI reception center. Responses to citizen requests for assistance are delivered and tracked via SMS and there is a toll-free number to follow up on all ongoing requests. These solutions are examples of how the government is using technology to increase connectivity between its citizens and their leaders and providing citizens with options among a variety of communication channels. By expanding and customizing m-Government service offerings, Saudi Arabia is creating more avenues for citizens to contribute and participate in government and is opening new ways to connect and interact with society. Jaime Stansbury (The author is Head of Advisory Services at the Center for Innovative Government, and can be contacted at: [email protected])
