Written evidence submitted by Dr Elena Denezhkina (DCG0028)
A Digital Centre would coordinate the work of different Digital Policy stakeholders, including departments of Government, relevant private organisations and NGOs as well public interest groups. It could use, for example the ‘influence – impact’ matrix developed by World Bank to assist citizens in using the most effective methods of participation in public policy formation and implementation on all levels of digital governance (DG).
It would help to achieve the following:
(a) to maximise the benefits of DG (24/7 public online service provision; digitalisation of all types of public services; restore and support public trust*; two-way communication using digital tools and platforms, etc);
(b) to reduce the risks of DG (related to cyber security; digital divide; insufficient digital literacy, etc.)
(c) to make framework ‘Government -to- Citizen’ (G2C) work better using ‘3E’s formula for monitoring and evaluation: Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness.
* According to global Index of Trust, the biggest improvement was in South Korea in 2024 (7 points up from 2023) while the UK’s indicator appears among underperforming countries (4 points down, next to Colombia and China. See ‘Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024)
Electronic or ‘digital citizens participation’ could be measured by DGC using ‘3Ps matrix developed by UN experts: Political, Policy-making and Public service delivery.
The IMF’s estimate: ‘if AI is fully embraced – it can boost productivity by as much as 1.5% a year. If fully realised, these gains could be worth up to an average £47 billion to the UK each year over a decade’ (see ‘AI opportunities action plan (2025),
Note: ‘Three major tech companies (‘Vantage Data Centres’, ‘Nscale’ and ‘Kyndryl’***) – have committed to £14 billion investment in the UK to build the AI infrastructure the UK needs to harness the potential of this technology and deliver 13,250 jobs across the UK. (The £25 billion in AI investment announced at the International Investment Summit). ’Vantage Data Centres – is working to build one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses in Wales – plans to invest over £12 billion in data centres across the UK – creating over 11,500 jobs in the process. ‘Kyndryl – the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider and a leading IT consultancy – announces plans to create up to 1,000 AI-related jobs in Liverpool over the next three years. ‘Nscale – one of the UK’s leading AI companies – has announced a $2.5 billion investment to support the UK’s data centre infrastructure over the next three years. They have also signed a contract to build the largest UK sovereign AI data centre in Loughton, Essex by 2026’ (see ‘AI opportunities action plan (2025)
According to the World Economic Forum in 2024, 90% of the 120 executives surveyed at the Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity said that “urgent action is required to address this growing cyber inequity”. So, the DCG could become centre for implementation of the ‘CETE index’ in the UK:
• Cybersecurity
• Ethics
• Transparency
• Equality**
As a matter of priority, DCG could play a central role in delivering ‘Government – to – Business’ (G2B) framework by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy for setting-up and developing business in the UK. It could also develop and improve digital platforms for business using digital tools and instruments such as AI, blockchains, etc.
Effective data management could be one of the central functions of DCG providing essential evidence for decision-making for delivering public good. Considering that governments collect more data than any other type of entity, DCG would be responsible for collecting, storing and using relevant data securely using the latest digital technology and innovations.
‘Big data’ in the public sector (structured and unstructured data), managed by DGC, would generates better quality of information and practices across all public sectors (for example, NHS, Education, Transport, Housing, etc.). By doing this, public data should become not only ‘the currency of the technological economy’ but also ‘a critical asset’ of public administration. The main ethical principles to ensure trust, transparency, accountability and fairness should be used for responsible data use in UK public sector. (see ‘OECD: Good Practice Principles for Data Ethics in the Public Sector, 2021).
It could accelerate adoption of cloud / multi-cloud data management platforms which are consumer-friendly and helpful for delivering more effective public services. Providing an unbroken and timely record of information in real-time, blockchain technology could be used by DGC to fix inefficiencies and improve the reliability of public service delivery.
Creating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), following G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration in 2023, would be an essential part of DCG working towards meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
** See ‘World Bank Gender Strategy 2024 – 2030: Accelerate Gender Equality for a Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Future’.
The main priorities of DGC should be establishing the following blocks of digital governance:
• Government – to – Citizens (G2C);
• Government – to – Business (G2B);
• Government – to – Government (G2G);
• Government – to – employees (G2E);
• Government-to-NGOs (G2N).
One of the key performance indicators of DCG could be combined effectiveness of the five blocks of digital governance in the UK (G2C, G2B, G2G, G2E, G2N, please see above). It could also include an indicator of progress in reducing digital divide, increasing digital accessibility & digital literacy of different regions of the UK (using some pioneering projects in this area and making relevant dynamic maps). AI could serve as the objective of human resource management outputs.
DGC’s priorities could also be defined in relations to the five pillars of digital governance: DG framework, stakeholders’ engagement, data security, ethical decision-making and integration & partnerships.
UK Smart Cities: a comparative analysis in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland could be conducted in DGC to support and promote smart cities development (the comparative categories could be ‘smart infrastructure: ‘smart people’, ‘smart energy use, etc).
Analysis of cyber ecosystem risk, addressing the cyber-skills and talent shortage could also figure among DGC’s priorities.
The knowledge transfer concept could be used for collecting and learning lessons from other countries and from the UK (past and present). The term ‘lesson’ could be seen as both positive (as best practice or innovations) or as negative (to avoid making same mistakes).
This type of case study information is already being collected and analysed at the School of Government (as part of the MPA course ‘Digital Governance & Citizen Engagement). A network of researchers and practitioners could create an ‘Information Bank / Library of DG Lessons’ including the following:
(a) evidence for policy-making.
(b) international comparisons.
(c) improving methodologies of global e-governance ranking***;
(d) a mechanism for benchmarking UK and leading countries in digital governance. Examples and case studies of Digital Governance from Europe, Asia, Africa and Americas should be seen as essential part of learning lessons.
According to the ‘UN E-Government Survey 2024’, UK is 7th in the world (after countries such as Denmark, Estonia, Singapore)
4. What assessment can be made of DSIT’s work on establishing the digital centre to date? What technical and policy expertise does DSIT need to deliver the digital centre?
As a coordinating and managing body, DCG should focus on policymaking and policy-implementation of digital governance across the UK. Although technical skills and expertise would be useful, it could be argued that creative strategic thinking, networking, communication and the ability to learn and apply relevant lessons, would be essential.
An example of assessment might be the ‘E-Government Development (EGD) Index (including online service index, human capital index and infrastructure index). This model has been used by the UN for comparing countries’ development digital governance development. Another example is ‘Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development: ICT in government (e-government) indicators (UN, 2024)
5. What are the barriers to successfully establishing a digital centre of government?
The following deficiencies would seriously impede DGC’s effectiveness:
• Not identifying clear aims, objectives, procedures or performance criteria.
• Not having sound medium- or long-term policies.
• Not drawing on an adequate theoretical framework or case study evidence.
• Not appointing the appropriate talents in terms both of permanent staff and external experts.
For more information, please contact Dr Elena Denezhkina, International Development Department, University of Birmingham.
28 February 2025