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ArchivesofBusinessResearch–Vol.7,No.2PublicationDate:Feb.25,2019DOI:10.14738/abr.72.6174.

Goede,M. (2019).E-Estonia: Thee-government casesof Estonia, Singapore, andCuraҫao.ArchivesofBusinessResearch,7(2),216-227.

E-Estonia:Thee-governmentcasesofEstonia,Singapore,andCuraҫao

Dr.MiguelGoede

ABSTRACT

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to study how Estonia became one of thefrontrunnersofe-governmentandtoanswerthequestions:howdidEstoniadoit,andcan other countries do it too? The case of e-Estonia is compared to the cases ofSingaporeandCuraҫao.Methodology–Thepaperdrawsonliteratureconcerninge-Estoniaande-government.EstoniaandSingaporearecompared,andanassessmentisdonetoseeiftheislandofCuraҫaocanimplemente-governmentlikeEstoniaandSingaporedid.Findings – All countries are unique and have to find their own path towards e-government. E-government is not a destination but a journey. Although all paths areunique,therearesimilarities,andcountriescanlearnfromeachother.Originality – There are notmany studies comparing e-Estonia to Singapore or othersmartnations.Thisstudyalsopresentssomelessonsothercountriesmight learnandapplyontheirownjourney.Keywords–Estonia,e-Estonia,Singapore,smartnation,Curaҫao,publicgovernance,e-governance,ICTsConclusions – Although e-government is an individual journey and a unique path,countriescanlearnalotbystudyingotherslikeEstoniaandSingapore.Papertype–Comparativestudy

INTRODUCTION

In 1918 Estonia gained its independence from the Bolsheviks. In 1940 the Soviet Unionsubsumedthecountry.In1991Estoniaregainedindependence.Thecountrynowknowstwoethnic groups: Estonians and former Soviet colonists and their descendants. NowEstonia isstarting to play a role on the global stage as one of the frontrunners regarding ICT andespecially e-government (Taagepera, 2018; Tham, 2018). To illustrate this, the SkypeapplicationwasoriginallydevelopedbyEstoniansin2003.ThejourneyofEstoniastartedbyrefusingFinland’sdonationofanoldanalog telephoneexchange for free. In1998all schoolswere connected to the internet (Keen, 2018), and in 2000 internet access was declared ahumanright.Estoniahasthelowestbusiness-taxrateoftheEuropeanUnion.Innovationhasbecomepartofthe DNA of Estonia. There aremany startups, and talent finds its way to Estonia. They arecurrentlytestingdriverlesscars.Startupshardlyleaveatracebecausemuchisdonedigitally(Heller,2017;Menkhoff,2018).In 2002 Estonia became the first country to introduce the widespread use of electronicidentificationcards.Thisallowedcitizenstodigitallyidentifythemselvesandsigndocuments.Itwasallstronglyregulatedwithinalegalframeworkfocusedonsecurityandtheprotectionofpersonaldata.Thishascreatedaplatformtobuildnewe-servicesbyusingalreadystoreddatain the state’s databases. Technologywas the primary enabler. The X-Roadwas created as asecure internet-based data exchange layer that enables different information systems tocommunicateandexchangedatawitheachother.Allthiswasachievedinajointeffortbythepublicandprivatesector:mainlybanksandthetelecomindustry.Allstakeholderswantedtoreplacethephysicalwiththedigital(Kristjan,2015;WorldBank,2018).

ArchivesofBusinessResearch(ABR) Vol.7,Issue2,Feb-2019

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Thedigital securityof theX-Road is ablockchain technologycalledK.S.I. (Heller,2017).ThesystemisbackeduponaserverinLuxembourg,adigitaldiplomaticmission.ItallowsEstoniatofunctionevenintheeventofaninvasionwithnointerruption.Inthisarticleweseektheanswertothefollowingquestions:

1. WhoisEstonia?2. Whatdidtheydoregardinge-government?3. Whydidtheydothis?4. HowdidEstoniadothis?5. WhydidEstoniasucceed?6. Canthissuccessbereplicatedbycountries?

Box1:BasicfactsonEstoniaPopulation:1,294,236Area:45,227km2Currency:Euro(since2011)Capital:TallinnAdministrativedivisions:15countiesand213municipaldistricts,including30townsand183parishes(Kristjan,2015).–Internet,high-bandwidthconnectivity•75%ofthepopulationusestheinternetregularly(2009)•67%ofhouseholdshaveaPC,and91%areconnectedtotheinternet(TiikandRoss,2010)Compulsoryhealthinsurancepaidbytheemployer–Healthinsurancetax13%–Healthcarecostsmakeup5%ofGDP•Incometax21%(flattax)•Healthcareprovidersareprivate,municipal,orgovernmental.–Familydoctors(privatecompanies)–Hospitals(sharedcompaniesorfoundations)(TiikandRoss,2010)

METHODOLOGY

Themethodologyisbasedonthecomparisonofthreecountriesthathaveeitherintroducedorare considering ICT solutions to their state and public management systems: Estonia,Singapore,andCuraҫao.

LITERATUREOVERVIEWModern information and communication technologies are the new DNA of societies, whichtodayarenetworksocieties (Castells,1996).This ismanifested inalldomains, including thepublicdomain in the formofe-government.Theembracementbygovernmentsofnovelandinnovativesolutionsforrepetitivetaskssuchasprovidinginformationfromthepublicregister,verifyingownershipofproperty,andevene-votingas in thecaseofEstoniahasbecome thenorm(Maaten,2004).The theory puts considerable emphasis on the growing tendency for e-government andelectronic service distribution, the embracing of e-government instruments to accelerateregulatoryreform,andthecapacityofempoweredcommunitiesandcooperativegovernanceforsustainabledevelopment(Nica,2015).There are several reasons for embracing e-government. For example, Ionescu (2015) showshow e-government can be helpful in curbing the corruption in public administration

Goede,M.(2019).E-Estonia:Thee-governmentcasesofEstonia,Singapore,andCuraҫao.ArchivesofBusinessResearch,7(2),216-227.

URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.72.6174. 218

(Kozubíkováetal.,2017).Someindicatethatadigitalgovernmentisalsoatoolforsustainabledevelopment (Menkhoff, 2018). They point out, for example, that there is less traveling togovernmentofficesbycitizensandmuchtimeissavedbyall.Andthisisjustthebeginningasmore and more governments are developing apps to enable m-government (mobilegovernment).ICTinpublicadministrationmanagementinEstoniaIt is said that ninety-nine percent of government services are offered online, and not onehundred,because thegovernmentwantspeople tomarryanddivorce inpersonand forrealestatetransactionstonotbedigital(Heller,2017;Tham2018).Estonia is a frontrunner of countries aiming to modernize the public sector and makegovernancemoretransparent.IthasachievedthisbytheuseofmodernICTingovernanceandthe public sector. Residents and citizens can access multiple online public services such asdigital identification,digitalsignature, internetvoting,onlinemedicalservices,andelectronictax filing. The services are efficient in terms of time and money for both the public andgovernment. For example, filing taxes online takes an average no more than five minutes(Kristjan,2017).The government services offered online are truly accepted and used by the people. Digitalidentificationisthebackboneandismandatoryforallresidents.In2014itwasutilizedmorethan80million and35million times for authenticationanddigital transactions respectively(Vassiletal.,2016).Ninety-fivepercentofallrevenuetaxstatementsarefiledonline,and33%of citizens engaged in online voting during the past two elections. Studies show that onlinegovernmentservicesareconsideredreliableandtrustworthy.Thepeopleexpecttheservices,andgovernmentbureausviewonlineexistencenotasanoptionbutasaninevitable,essential,andstrategicportionoftheirdailyactivities(Anthes,2015).ThewidelyacclaimedandreportedsuccessofEstoniatoconvert theirpublicservicesonlinewasfundamentallydrivenbythewidespreaduseofelectronicID-cards(Maaten,2004).Since2002, nearly 1.2million of these personal ID documents,which are the size of credit cards,havebeenissued,andtheyallowinhabitantstodigitallyidentifythemselvesandalsosignforactionsordocuments.Identificationcardsarecompulsoryforeverycitizen,andtheyarevalidforbothphysicalanddigital identification.Becauseof theirconvenientsize, theycan fitwellinto a normal wallet compared to a passport, and they are frequently used as the singleidentificationdocumentthatindividualscarryeverywhere.Inphysicalterms,theyarevalidforapersontobeidentifiedinEstonia,butmoresignificantly,theyarealsousedfortravelinginmany European states. Therefore, together with their principal functionality, digitalidentificationcardsaresuccessfullyemployedassubstitutes for traditional identification IDs(Björklund,2016;Drechsler,2018).WhatdidEstoniado,andwhendidtheydoit?Onthewebsitewww.e-estionia.commuchinformationispresented,includingatimelineoftheEstonianjourneyandtheroadahead.Thecurrentvisionofe-Estoniafor2020isthatitwillbeaprimeplacetocreateandtestsmarte-solutions(Sikkut,n.d.).InthissectiononlyafewofthemilestoneswillbeelaborateduponbecauseEstoniahasdonesomuch.1

1https://www.zdnet.com/article/e-estonia-what-is-all-the-fuss-about/



In Estonia innovation is led by the state. Talent leaves the private sector to join thegovernment. An e-governance academy has been created to capture and distribute theknowledge(Heller,2017).

TheroadtraveledThefollowingtimelinereflectstheroadEstoniatookontheirjourneytobecominge-Estonia:1997e-Governance2000e-Tax2001X-Road2002DigitalID2005i-Voting2007Publicsafety2008Blockchain2008e-Health2014e-Residency2FutureambitionsThefollowingbulletlistindicatestheplannedpathtowardthefutureofe-Estonia:NewdigitalnationCybersecurityDataembassyIntelligenttransportationReporting3.0Cross-borderdataexchangeHealthcare4.0DigitaltransformationineducationReal-timeeconomyIndustry4.0(e-Estonia,2018).BuildingtheX-RoadInEstoniadataisstoredinadecentralizedfashioninover360databasesinwhich,viatheX-Road,allinformationfromlocalhostsislinked.Estonia needed a strong digital information infrastructure. So Estonia created the X-Road: asecuredataexchangeforresidents,publicinstitutions,andprivatecompanies.X-Roadpartiesshareinformationtoproduceservicesthatpeoplecanaccesswiththeire-ID.Thesystemhelpscard-holdingresidentsdoeverythingfromfiletaxestoreviewmedicalrecordstosellcars.Inshort,individualsretainstrongoversightoftheirowndata.(Jaffe,2016)

2Estonia also connected all schools to the internet in 1998. All schools were kept open after school hours sootherscouldusetheinternet.Theobjectivewastogetasmanypeopleaspossibleontheinternet.



Figure1:X-Road(Jaffe,2016).

FactsontheX-Road:•Aggregates360differentdatabases•2,000e-services•500differentorganizationshaveintegratedtheirsystemsintoX-Road•X-Roadserviceswereused420,000,000timesayear(2009)

(TiikandRoss,2010)

Aselectionofthesystemsmentionedabovearefurtherdescribedinthefollowingparagraphs.E-HealthcareEstoniaParamedicshaveaccessviaanappusingX-Roadtoallmedicalrecordsofpatientsincaseofanemergency.Italsoenablestelemedicine(Heller,2017).



(TiikandRoss,2010)

InEstoniatheeHealthFoundationandtheCentreforStandardizationisresponsiblefortheuseofhealthinformaticsstandards.Since2005,thenationwideeHealthapproachhasbeenbasedonfourpillars:electronichealthrecords(EHR),digitalregistrations,digitalimaging,anddigitalprescriptions.The concept for thedevelopmentof anationalhealth information systemwascoinedin2000withthelaunchoftheEstonianHealthProject2015.In2003theDepartmentofHealth InformationandAnalysiswasstarted for thepracticaldevelopmentof thestrategyoftheproject.TheEstonianInformationSocietyStrategy2013andits Implementationplanarelinked to the health strategy. In 2007 a framework was launched: Knowledge-Base Estonia2007-2013. InDecember2007 theEstonianTelemedicineAssociationwas created as a sub-organizationoftheFinnishSocietyofTelemedicineandeHealth.Ingeneral,Estoniahasbeenorispartofseveralsmallprojects,whicharerelatedtotheuseoftelemedicalapplications.InDecember2008EstonianElectronicHealthRecordSystem(EHR)was created. It holds themedical files of all residents from birth to death. Since January 1,2009, all healthcare providers have been obliged to send an agreed-upon number ofstandardizedmedicaldocuments,electronicnotes,andelectronicmedicaldocumentstoit. In2009 the National Health Development Plan (NPHS) 2009–2020 was presented by theEstonian government, and its implementation plan 2009–2012 came into effect. E-Health isoneoftheissuesaddressed.In2010e-Prescriptionserviceswerelaunched,enablingmedicalpersonnelandpharmaciestomonitorandmanagetheissuingofprescriptions.InJanuary2010Estonia became amember of the International Health Terminology Standards DevelopmentOrganization to enable the use of SnomedCT in connection to digital health records, healthresearch,andotherapplications(Giest,2018).ElectronicIDprogram(E-ID)Estonia’se-IDcardisembeddedwithanelectronicchipandrequirestwopincodes.Thefirstauthenticatestheuser’sidentity.Thesecondservesasadigitalsignature(Jaffe,2016).Thedigital ID-cardhas amicrochip aswell as a dual pin code that comeswith the card.Byusing a smartcard reader and an internet-connected computer, Estonian citizens can use adigital signature (associatedwithPIN2) andpersonal authentication (associatedwithPIN1).Both are crucial to the growthof e-government.Most services canbe accessedbyusing thefirst pin code: reviewing personal health records, inspecting the validity of motor vehicleinsurance, or reviewing the number of political applicants in each district of voters. The



second pin code is used for online approval of online transaction or to sign documents:obtainingtheinsurancepolicies,confirmationofthesubmissionoftaxdeclaration,orvotinginelections (Kalvet, 2012; Kristjan, 2017; Arora, 2008; European Union, 2016; Jaffe, 2016;Martens,2010).E-VotingEstoniaiswidelycreditedwithbeingapioneerine-governanceandespeciallye-democracy.Ithasfrequentlybeenexpected,too,thatEstoniawillbetheleadingcountryfore-voting,havingalready introduced it for thenationalelectionsof2003.However, in thevery last changesofthe respective laws, the Estonian Parliament has voted for e-voting, not for the immediatefuture,butonlywithadelayofimplementationuntiltheyear2005(Drechsler,2018).In order to vote online, people are required to use their digital identification card and thecomputer connected to the internet equippedwith the smartcard reader.Next, theyneed todownloadavotingapplicationthatisastandaloneprogramforEstoniane-voting.UsingtheirIDcardandPIN1, theuserhas to first identifyherselfwith thesystem,afterwhich itcheckswhether the voter is eligible to vote in these elections. If affirmative, the e-voting systemdisplays the list of candidates in the voter’s district. Voters can then browse the list ofcandidates and decidewhom to vote for. In order to cast an e-vote, the voterwill choose acandidate,andafterprovidingPIN2,thevoteiselectronicallycast.Wheninsertedcorrectly,theelectronicvoteissenttotheserverandwillbecountedatanappropriatetimeasprescribedbytheproceduresofonlinevoting(Kristjan,2015).The e-voting system is designed to resist some of the main challenges of remote e-voting: securing voters’ authentication, assuring the privacy of voters, makingare-votepossible,andmakingsurethatthee-votingsystemiscomprehensibleenoughtobuildthepublictrust(Maaten,2004).Tovote,thevoterhastogoonlineandenterthefirstpincodeofthee-IDforidentification.Avoting register confirms that the voter is eligible to vote.Thevoting systemnowknows thevoter’s residenceandprovidespersonalized informationabout thecandidates in thespecificdistrict.The integrityof thevote isprotectedbyseveralsecuritymechanisms.ThevotercanchangehisorhervoteonlineorataphysicalballotboxuptoElectionDay.Themostrecentvote will be valid. This protects the voter from coercion. To preventmalware interference,softwareisusedtocheckthevoter’sidentityviaasmartphonecamera.Thenumberofvotershas increasedeachelection,andonce thevotershave tried theonlinevoting, theydonotgoback.Intheelectionsof2017,31.7%ofvotersvotedonline(Jaffe,2016).E-ResidencyIn 2014 Estonia opened up its e-government to outsiders, offering an “e-residency” thatenablesentrepreneurs to start abusiness in the countrywhile livingelsewhere (Jaffe,2016;Keen, 2018). After approval, the credentials need to be kicked up in person at the nearestdiplomaticpost(Heller,2017).Estoniawasthefirstintheworldtodoso.Over thenextdecade, thepopulationofEstonia isexpected to increasebymore than600%,from1.3million to 10million. The idea is to provide a gatewaybywhichpeople outside ofEstoniacanmake investments inEstonia,establishbusinessesthere,and,eventually,usethecountryasabridgetocommerceelsewhereintheEuropeanUnion(Anthes,2015).E-residencydoesnotofferphysicalresidency,therighttoenterthecountry,ortherighttousethesmartIDcardasatraveldocumentorphysicalidentification.



WhydidEstoniado this?Themotive is predominately economic. Estonia considers itself anenterprisethatwantstoincreasethewealthoftheirpeople.ApplicationsspikedduringBrexit.Todaythee-residencyapplicationrateexceedsthebirthrate(Heller,2017).SuccessFactorsofE-EstoniaThisresultwasachievedbyworkingpersistently,constantly,cross-partisan,longterm,acrossmultiple changes in government. It was and still is a step-by-step development andimplementationofasystem.Therewasahighleveloftransparencywiththesystem,especiallyifsomethingwentwrong.Thishasnurturedthecitizens’understandingandacceptanceofthesystem(Urban,2018).Canothersdoit?In2016Japan implementedelementsofe-Estonia, just likeAzerbaijan,Namibia,andFinlandhad done. According to Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, it is not a matter oftechnologyorscalability,butoneofpoliticalwill.Notwosystemsofe-IDarealike.Whattheyhave in common, though, is that they recognize that technology can improve the lives ofcitizensandcreatetheconditionsforbusinesswhileprotectingprivacy(Jaffe,2016).ComparisonwithSingaporeIt can’t be a coincidence that both Estonia and Singapore started their journeys afterconstitutionalchangesandgainingtheirindependence.Theybothstartedwithrelativelypooreconomies and big challenges ahead. They both embraced state-of-the-art technology andleapfroggedintheirdevelopment.Box2:BasicfactsonSingaporePopulation:5,612,300Area:721.5km²Currency:SingaporedollarCapital:SingaporeAdministrativedivisions:TherearecurrentlyfiveCommunityDevelopmentCouncilDistrictsInternetpenetrationrate:84%Compulsoryhealthinsurancepaidbytheemployer–Healthinsurancepremium3–10%–Healthcarecostsmakeup4.9%ofGDP•Incometax0–22%(progressive)•Healthcareprovidersaregovernmentalorprivate–Familydoctors(publicandprivate)–Hospitals(state-ownedcompaniesandprivatecompanies)E-HealthcareSingaporeSingaporehasoneof themost successful andefficienthealthcare systems in theworld. It issupervisedbytheMinistryofHealthcare.It isagovernment-rununiversalhealthcaresystemwith a significant private healthcare sector. Many citizens have additional private healthinsurance. Since the 1990s,medical public healthcare services have been clustered in threegovernment-ownedcorporations.Thefinancingisamixed:nationalizedlifeinsuranceschemesand deductions from the compulsory savings plan. In 2011 the national Electronic RecordProgrammewaslaunched. It isusedbymorethan280institutionstosupporttelehealthandtelemedicine.Since2010,Singaporehasfacedashortageofbedsduetoanagingpopulation.



EstoniaversusSingaporeInasense,Estoniaalsohasan“islandeffect”asitisrelativelyisolatedfromitsneighborsjustlikeislandsare.Suchisolationforcesasmallsocietytobondtosurviveandexcel(Keen,2018).Inthatsense,bothEstoniaandSingaporeareislands.Botharerelativelysmallandhavelittlenaturalresources.Bothhaveethnicconcerns,eventensions,andnational identity issuesandhadtostrengthenthenation-buildingprocess.While Estonia obtained independence in 1991, Singapore did so in 1965. Very early on,SingaporedevelopedamasterplanfocusingearlyonindustrializationandIT.Laterthefocusalsoincludedfinancialservices,andfrom2014Singapore’saimhasbeentobeasmartnation.InSingaporeaswellasEstonia,educationwasaprioritywhenembarkingonthejourney,andin both cases, the government led and was supported by the private sector. In the case ofEstonia,thebankingsectorandthetelecomcompaniesledtheway.Both Estonia and Singapore focused on the private sector. In the beginning, Singaporeattracted corporations, especially in ICT and, later on, the financial sector. In further stages,Singaporeassistedlocalcorporationsinglobalizing.InEstoniathegovernmentworkedcloselywiththefinancialsectorandstimulatedstartups.Both Estonia and Singapore battled corruption with success. In 2017 Singapore rankednumber six and Estonia number 21 on the Corruption Perception Index of TransparencyInternational.Thetwoalsohaveincommontheirpursuitofsustainabledevelopment.Singaporeisoneofthecleanestnationsonearth.One difference between Estonia and Singapore is that Estonia is more democratic and lesscentralized,whileSingaporeistheopposite.CanCuraҫaodoit?InCuraҫaotheterme-governmentwasfirstcoinedin1999byaconsultantcontractedbythegovernment. In 2010 Curaҫao become an autonomous country within the Kingdom of theNetherlandsasaresultofconstitutionalreforms.Longbefore2010,OneLaptopPerChildwasannouncedbutwasneverrolledout.Thestate-ownedtelecomproviderneverhadthemissionto connect the whole island on the internet and onWi-Fi. It remained a traditional profit-maximization-seekingcompany. In2018aprivatizationprocessstartedagain (anattempt toprivatizethecompanyinthe1980shadfailed).CuraҫaowasoneofthefirstintheCaribbeanregion to implementvotingbymachine,wellbefore2010,but thiswas reversedafter a fewelections because somepoliticianswere afraid that electionswere, or could be, fixed. Therewas not enough trust in the system. There is a project to link the databaseswith the basicinformationofcitizensandbusinesses,butthisprojecthasneverbeenfinished.Thereareseveralmoreoftheseprojects. Althoughtherehasneverbeenacohesivestrategyandimplementation,therehavebeensomesuccesses.Acallcenterwasinstalled.Citizenscancall for information regarding services and make appointments for certain governmentservices.ThishasimprovedtheserviceattheCivilAffairsandVehicleInspectionUnit.In2015the police introduced camera surveillance, but nobody knows how effective this is, and thelegalframeworkhasnotbeenputinplacetomaketheimagesadmissibleincourt.In2017e-



taxwasintroducedpartiallybutnoteffectivelyenough.PerJanuary1,2019,e-taxhasbecomemandatory.E-HealthcareCuraҫaoCuraҫaohasaveryexpensiveandineffectivemedicalsystem.In2019anewnationalhospitalwillbeopenedaftermore than165years.Thehospitalwillbesupportedbystate-of-the-arttechnology,anditisexpectedtoleapfrogtheislandintothee-healthera.Uptonow,thehealthcaresystemhasbeenamixedsystemofpublicandprivateprogramsandis regulated and supervised by the Ministry of Healthcare. There are several systemsconnectingdoctors, specialists, andotherproviders, but there is no electronicpatient file atthis moment. This reduces the possibilities of improving efficiency. The island is facingchallenges due to an aging population, and the current level of care is hard to maintain.Immigration from the region, especially undocumented people from Venezuela, represent achallenge for the healthcare. Change is very difficult because it is resisted by conventionalinterests.CuraҫaoversusEstoniaandSingaporeJust like Singapore and Estonia, Curaҫao went through constitutional changes in 2010. ThedifferenceisthatthisprocessdividedCuraҫaoandmadegoverningverydifficult.Corruptionisontherise.Educationisdeteriorating.Inthenewgovernmentstructure,theICTwasnotwellembedded, and there is almost no progress. The island has not known significant economicgrowth for twentyyears.Thebudget isnotbig enough to implement ICTprojects. Investorshavetowaitformonthsfortheirpermits.In2017 thenewgovernment announced the smartnation endeavor (Goede, 2018). In2018Cinexhostedthethirdsmartnationconference,andMartenKaevats,nationaldigitaladvisoroftheGovernmentOfficeofEstonia,visitedtheislandasaspeaker.Inameetingwithgovernmentofficials,oneof the first thingshepointedoutwas that therewasnooneappointedaschiefinformation officer and that an incremental path is not an option: Curaҫao has to leapfrogtowarde-government.Box3:BasicfactsonCuraҫaoPopulation:160,012Area:444km2Currency:AntilleanguilderCapital:WillemstadAdministrativedivisions:TherearenoadministrativedivisionsInternetpenetrationrate:68.1%ofthepopulationhasaccesstotheinternetCompulsoryhealthinsurancepaidbytheemployer–Healthinsurancepremium12%–Healthcarecostsmakeup13%ofGDP•Incometax10.75–48.25%(progressive)•Healthcareprovidersareprivate,NGOs,orgovernmental.–Familydoctors(publicandprivate)–Hospitals(foundationsandcorporations)



CONCLUSIONSANDDISCUSSIONSEstonia’se-governmentprovidesarationalbasisforcitizenstointeractwithgovernmentinawaythatcitizensholdprimacy,anditisanantidotetopopulism.E-governmentismorethanaplatform. It is e-democracy. It makes going back to the Greek model possible. Estonia hasmanagedtocreateadigitizedpolis,onemoredemocraticthanPlatowouldhaveimagined.Thedigital platform establishes a high benchmark for transparency and accountability. E-democracyisnotprimarilyaboutrepresentation,butaboutparticipatorydemocracyinwhichtheweightofpoliticalpoweristransferredfromgovernmenttothecitizen(Morris,2018).In Estonia, the power–knowledge regime is characterized by centralization, which is thecondition for a firm national e-government policy, and within this policy, an image of theunique Estonian citizenry is produced. The Estonian moral citizen who emerges out of e-governmentisde-politicizedanddetachedfromasocialcontextontheonehand,andstronglypoliticized and attached to a specific ethno-national community on the other (Björklund,2016).Thisoptimisticviewofe-democracy isnotsharedbyall (Toots,Kalvet,andKrimmer,2016).Singaporetellsadifferentstoryaboutdemocracyande-government.Morris(2018)statesthattheEstonianmodelisonlytransferableifthegovernmentoftheothercountryiswillingtodealwith total transparency and accountability, because e-Estonia is a new form of democracy,wherethepowergoesbacktothepeople.ThecasesofEstoniaandSingaporeprovee-governmentispossibleinsmallnations.Actually,smallnationsmightbeinanadvantageousposition.Fore-governmentthedevelopleadershipand vision are conditio sinequanon. Government must take the lead, and there must be acoalitionwiththeprivatesector.Educationmustbeapriority.Atechnical infrastructureandlegalframeworkmustbeputinplace.E-governmentrequiresaspecificmindset:itisaboutaculture and about human relationships (Heller, 2018). According to Ehasoo (2017), it is allabout trust in government and transparency of government and others. Currently theseconditionsarelackinginCuraҫao.ReferencesAnthes,G.,2015.Estonia:amodelfore-government.CommunicationsoftheACM,58(6),pp.18–20.

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