1. Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen
Nationaal Congres Digitale Overheid, Amsterdam (NL)
14-15 May 2014
SPEAKING DANISH IN THE NETHERLANDS:
What can we learn from the Danish experience?

2. THE BACKGROUND

3. GOALS AND DILEMMAS TODAY
GOVERNANCE
Users as citizens, entrepreneurs, and voters
Dilemma: Balance between interests and transparency
EFFICIENCY
Users pay tax
Dilemma: ’More for less’
EFFECTIVENESS
Users as consumers
Dilemma: Public sector can’t choose its customers

4. 70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
Export market share Wage competitiveness
Index (1995=100) Index (1995=100)
Denmark has lost wage competitiveness
and lost market shares since 2000
0,0
1,0
2,0
3,0
4,0
5,0
KOR
POL
CHI
USA
FIN
SWE
JPN
UK
NLD
DEU
ESP
FRA
NOR
DNK
BEL
ITA
0,0
1,0
2,0
3,0
4,0
5,0
Pct. Pct.
Yearly productivity growth since 2000
in Denmark and selected countries
Source: OECD, Statistics Denmark and calculations from the Ministry of Finance, Denmark:
WEAK COMPETITIVENESS & PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH

5. 1,49 1,56
0,67
0,30
0,60
1,34
1,41
2,31
3,79
3,87
4,24
0,00
0,50
1,00
1,50
2,00
2,50
3,00
3,50
4,00
4,50
5,00
5,50
6,00
Online service
(automated)
Online service
(manual)
Telephone Electronic post Post In person
Fixed costs in € (estimate) Variable cost in € (incl work hours)
DANISH STUDIES SHOW THAT
• 85% of Danes want to serve themselves online, as long
as the solutions are user-friendly
• 10-15% of the citizen service takes place digitally
Studies also show that average € cost of service provision
is:
Source: KL, 2011. € 1 equal to DKK 7.44 on 30/11/2011

6. THE CONUNDRUM

7. OUTLINING A CONUNDRUM
83%
91%
82%
85%
83%
50%
66%
95%
92%
82%
79%
75%
53%
57%
79%
72%
42%
41%
37%
25%
21%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Household internet connection
Internet use in the last week (all
individuals)
Online banking
Interact with public administration
Obtain information
Download forms
Complete eServiceEU28
NL
DK
Source: Eurostat 2014

8. • Denmark (pop. c. 5.600.000)
• 20+ national ministries
• 5 regions (pop. av. 1.100.000)
• 98 municipalities (pop. av. 55.000)
• Discretion to set taxes
• Municipalities and regions
responsible for 75% of public
consumption incl. health care
(regions), elderly care, primary
schools and child care
(municipalities)
• State (central) primarily responsible
for public services incl. police,
defence and railroad services
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

9. Danish Regions
(5 regions)
Management
committee of
Danish Regions
Local Government
Denmark
(98 municipalities)
Management
committee of
LGDK
STAKEHOLDERS
Central
government
(23 ministries)
DIGST / Ministry
of Finance
CENTRAL REGIONAL LOCAL
Region
Region Region
Region
Region
Danish
Regions
Municipality
Municipality Municipality
Municipality
Municipality
LGDK
Ministry
Ministry Ministry
Ministry
Ministry
DIGST / MF

10. THE SOLUTION

11. Contributes to the implementation of
sound economic policies through:
• Public sector innovation through ICT
• Improving efficiency and effectiveness
• Ensure outcomes of eGov. implementation
Takes full responsibility of initiatives from
idea to outcomes
MISSION AND VISION

12. 10 YEARS OF eGOVERMENT STRATEGY

13. THE eGOVERNMENT STRATEGY
THREE MAIN TRACKS FOCUS ON KEY DANISH CHALLENGES

14. TARGETED FOCUS
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AND eSERVICES
Legislation, channel-
strategy, communication
ensure volume
User-friendliness
underpin choice
and volume
incentive
to invest in
eServices
eServices
volume
of information
request
ROI
volume

15. ALL ROADS LEAD TO ACTION - INTEGRATION
Between different government departments or agencies including non-governmental
actors such as companies in the private sector (in PPPs), and NGOs in the third sector,
e.g. integration of multiple governmental functions in one place or between places at the
same level (cross-border).
Traditional,
compartmentalised,
bureaucratic government
Between government
levels:
• international
• national/federal
• regional
• local
• community
e.g. integration of single
government functions like
administration, health,
education, etc.
Both vertical and horizontal integration = tailored and joined-up government
for:
- citizens e.g. life events
- business e.g. discrete activities
- targeted at specific user groups
Vertical integration
Horizontal integration

16. WELL-FUNCTIONING AND USER-FRIENDLY
SERVICES
Requirements incl.:
• Short and precise formulations – no
thanks to ”burocrathic language”
• Logic and intuitiv, graphical design
• Access to help
• Summary of all entered data before
submission
• Functions in major browsers
• Receipt
• Reuse of data and components
• WCAG 2.0 AA
http://arkitekturguiden.digitaliser.dk/god
selvbetjening
And what do we do to secure it?
• Screening of existing eServices
• Status reporting related to mandatory
eServices
• Development guide for well-
functioning eServices
• Information and advise to authorities
and it-developers
• Re-vamped borger.dk
• Joint communication, it-skills
development and it-assistance
https://www.gov.uk/service-manual

17. REMEMBER AGILE DEVELOPMETN, USER-
INVOLVEMENT AND TEST
Source: Andy Williamson and Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen (2013) www.democrati.se

18. INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS
STS and strategy committees, Agency for
Digitisation, cross-organisational initiatives
in consultation with other national
stakeholders. Existence of ICT-promoting
mechanisms in different fields, eg national
portals borger.dk, virk.dk, sundhed.dk and
campaigns
ICT-PROMOTION MECHANISMSNATIONAL STRATEGIES
Focus on a consistent eGovernment
system. Emphasis convenience and
efficiency and effectiveness and key
infrastructure and components (eg
standards, eIDs, Single-Sign-on),
platforms and platforms (eg portals)
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Protection by laws and the Data
Protection Agency. Trust in agencies
DECENTRALISATION OF GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY
Highly advanced, also in budgetary aspects
POLICY-MAKING PROCESS
Consensus/mixed top-down and bottom-up
INCENTIVE POLICIES
Clear incentives and semi-
mandatory measures

19. CONTRIBUTING TO INFRASTRUCTURE
UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS AND INDENTITY MANAGEMENT
Personal ID/CPR since 1968. Cooperation with the private sector;
Corporate ID/CVR in operation; Property ID/BBR in operation
DIGITAL SIGNATURE
c. 3.7 million active personal - simple three factor authentication
digital signature with an ID, password, and keycard
Professional/corporate - software based but
with simple three factor authentication being
developed for roll-out in 2012
Professional/corporate - software based but
with simple three factor authentication being
developed for roll-out in 2012
NB: Smartphone version mid-2014

20. SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
Business case, user-centric,
private sector inspired, testing,
participatory design
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT - VENDORS
Initiatives taken by Local Government Denmark (KOMBIT /Umbrella
projects) for joint development and/or procurement (past KMD set-up and
owned by municipalities). Limited competition
SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION
In-house. Accumulation of know-how
In-source expertise, out-source
development
INFLUENCING FACTORS
THE MARKET
Demand-pull
BUSINESS RELATIONS
Cooperation with the private sector
ENGAGEMENT
High level (c 85% voting rate)
RISK ADVERSITY
Tendency to try to change risks into

21. CONCLUSIONS
• Do not reinvent the wheel, ie cross-
governmental cooperation and reuse
makes is at the core of success.
• Funnels are good, ie promote online
services, personalise the service
experience
• Feedback loops are essential, ie have a
channel strategy and ensure the
channels work together

22. Morten Meyerhoff Nielsen
Mobile: +45 4078 7065
Mail: meyer@digst.dk
LinkedIn: mortenmeyerhoff
Twitter: @mortenmeyerhoff
Danish Agency for Digitisation
Landgreven 4, Postboks 2193
1017 København K
Denmark
www.digst.dk, www.borger.dk, http://arkitekturguiden.digitaliser.dk/godselvbetjening
FOR MORE INFORMATION