The progressive process of e-government by the example of Switzerland

Abstract

While the first automated tax decisions have already been introduced in Germany, in Switzerland the confederation and cantonal authorities are struggling to remove legal barriers to a full e-government model and reduce written form requirements to actively support digital transformation as well as promote e-government. The problem is the large dispersion of legal norms, the lack of a coordinated legal system in individual cantons and legislative discrepancies. Switzerland focuses on access to public services and open data. However, less attention is paid to the digitization of administrative procedures. In Switzerland, there is no general regulation comparable to German law for fully automated administrative decisions. However, electronic spatial planning is developing very well. In Switzerland, however, unlike in Poland, citizens have been trusting public administration for years and express a common willingness to use the functions of E-services without worrying about the technical security of public administration bodies. There is high confidence in the state’s ability to run a digital government.