Recommendations: Potential Pilots

In this section, we propose a number of e-Development pilot projects that could be implemented as tools to innovate and learn about best ways to undertake e-Development interventions. The following criteria are recommended in the selection of pilot projects, based on best international practice. Pilot projects/interventions need to: Fit into the broader government policies, to gain support and become sustainable; Rely on permissive, if not favorable, legal and regulatory frameworks; Have adequate infrastructure to maintain and use the system; services should be accessible for the target audience; Have distinctive benefits for the owner of the project (in the most cases — a particular government agency or ministry) to be sustainable in the long run; otherwise, sabotage and bureaucratic resistance is inevitable; Start small and be scalable: “small” and “big” are, of course, relative terms and depend on the size of the country and other factors; Have a substantial and quickly achievable positive impact for private sector development and the overall business environment in the country; Be demand-driven: ICT should simplify services for end user; entrepreneurs will use e-Development applications only if doing so is quicker, easier, or cheaper than going through traditional channels; Rely on the stable institutional base, i.e. their implementation should not require major institutional reforms; Involve a small number of agencies since in many ECA countries interaction among ministries and agencies is notoriously poor.