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USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges
IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals
Open Source Software
From E-Government to Government Transformation
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“Fight against impunity” USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay
being implemented by Casals & Associates, Inc.
Component 1: Increase the Investigative Capability of the Public Ministry (equivalent to U.S. Department of Justice)
• Modernize and strengthen technical, scientific, and human resources in the Public Ministry.
• Produce more reliable evidence through specialized analysis.
• Strengthen safeguards for the handling and storage of evidence.
Component 2: Increase the Capacity of the Judiciary Disciplinary System
• Strengthen the Supreme Court's Superintendence Council (Consejo de Superintendencia) through the creation of a system of internal controls and disciplinary measures to hold those involved in corruption accountable.
Component 3: Strengthen Internal Government Auditing Systems and Civil Society Participation in Oversight Activities
• Adopt an efficient and transparent internal and external control system in the Controller General's Office.
• Promote oversight activities carried out by citizen watchdog groups.
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“Fight against impunity” USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay
being implemented by Casals & Associates, Inc.
Component 4: Improve and Protect Integrity of Documents held in the Public Registry
• Network and integrate the databases of the Motor Vehicles Registry, the Judiciary Court Records Registry and the Department of Identification of Persons Registry.
• Strengthen the System of Registration and Identification of Persons to maintain a more reliable system of personal identification.
Component 5: Increase Transparency and Effectiveness of Public Finance Legislative Oversight
• Improve the efficiency and transparency of Congress's system of analysis and oversight of budgetary executions by public entities.
• Make information more accessible to the public in order to promote citizen oversight.
• Establish mechanisms that promote coordination on public budget oversight among Congress, other branches of government, the Controller General's Office, and interest groups from civil society.
• Increase the ability of members of Congress to represent the interests of their electoral constituencies in public budget issues.
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USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges
IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals
Open Source Software
From E-Government to Government Transformation
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Challenges
Lack of government-wide IT standardization
Information control to bolster power
Disparate standards and procedures increase costs and reduce efficacy
Sustainability
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Information Integrity Information integrity is at risk and, and although it is
technically possible to share these databases among multiple agencies, it really is not practical for two primary reasons:
• Multiple and diverse information systems—operating systems, databases, and connectivity levels—that not only make interconnectivity difficult but also make day-to-day management expensive and hard to achieve results, and
• Unwillingness among officials of different government entities to share information which is perceived as “proprietary.”
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Operations at Government Agencies vs.
IT Strategic PlansGovernment Agencies• Annual budget• Depend on politicians (elected,
short term presence, interested in showing progress)
• Investments in IT infrastructure do not show immediate progress
• Key decision after each election: “Continue existing plan” or “start all over”
IT Strategic Plan(s)• Multi-year budget• Depend on civil servants
(long term presence)• IT Infrastructure is necessary
before being able to show any progress in other areas
• Constant evolution of technology
Source: Miguel Garcia-Gosalvez, 2007.
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USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges
IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals
Open Source Software
From E-Government to Government Transformation
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IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals
Connect missing agencies to the Fiber Optics Metropolitan Network (already in place)
Information Ownership => Information Control “If I am responsible I need to control it” Information Audit Trail
Standardization Increase use of Open Source Software Reduce/eliminate Expensive Licensing and SLAs Avoid Piracy / Right in front of citizens Increase Sustainability
Policies and Procedures
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USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges
IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals
Open Source Software
From E-Government to Government Transformation
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Problems solved by Open Source Software (OSS)
Source: Gartner, March 2007. Published on April 13, 2007.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Current use of Open Source Software (OSS)
Source: Gartner, March 2007. Published on April 13, 2007.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Drivers for Open Source Software (OSS)
Source: Gartner, March 2007. Published on April 13, 2007.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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USAID/MMC Program Funded in Paraguay Challenges
IT Strategic Plan Fundamentals
Open Source Software
From E-Government to Government Transformation
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From E-Government to Government Transformation
E-Government has been a “fashionable” topic for the last decade
Success stories do exist, however…
One key lesson learned: “Technology is only one component in a transformation program”
Technology should move from a support role to a driving one
More than specific technologies, it is key how they are deployed to initiate and sustain transformation