E-government and ICT as instruments of corruption prevention in the context of the global trend of public service transparency

Abstract

The article provides a detailed analysis of the problem of implementing the concept of e-government and using ICT instruments of corruption prevention. That issue is considered in the context of the global trend of ensuring transparency of public service. Prospects for the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as cost-effective and convenient tools of ensuring openness and transparency of the public service system and also the corruption reducing have been studied. Transparency of action within the public service and public administration system, public initiative and public rejection of corruption are seen as prerequisites for building participatory democracy, restoring the public trust in government and, consequently, preventing corruption through sound management decisions, ensuring high accuracy and openness of official information for the public. It has been identified that the Internet and ICT have significantly reduced the cost of collecting, disseminating and accessing information, which has been a significant step towards eradicating corruption at the grassroots level. As a result of these tools using, the last decade has demonstrated the rapid development of the concept of e-government to ensure maximum access to information with the transparency, accountability and anti-corruption measures. The focus is put on the studying of the innovative component of anti-corruption public management, which means the modernisation of ways of the providing the information to citizens, on the one hand, and strengthen the ability of citizens to resist corruption, on the other. Such a component, in particular, is ICT and digitalising of public services, which remains the main focus of the paper. It is concluded that the intensifying of the usage of digital technologies in public administration and public service aims, in addition to overcoming corruption, is aiming the increasing of the level of transparency and fairness in decision-making, disintermediation and increasing budget expenditures efficiency.