Government & community building: A study of Michigan local governments online

Today's policymakers are being called upon to embrace a new way of government. A learning economy requires a smart and responsive government-one that works in partnership with all sectors of society to provide services and support systems that are essential to building strong communities. One of the most important features of the Internet is its ability to connect people with information and with one another. For many this means finding affordable housing, local jobs and dependable daycare. Increasingly local government units are trying to use the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, to provide their citizens with valuable information to enhance the community's quality of life and to increase civic participation. To help these government units to improve their use of the World Wide Web, cyber-state.org is undertaking an initiative to assess each of Michigan's local government Web sites, using a national assessment tool called WAES(1), and to provide national benchmarks and models. The poster presentation will address the value of e-government, using the Michigan case study, where it's at and where it's going - current trends and future possibilities. The methodology and results will be shared from this year's report, Michigan's local governments online status and their usage.