Decentralized Review System for Transparent and Accountable Governance
Governance [ 14 ] refers to the systems , processes , and institutions through which a society makes and enforces its collective decisions . Good governance [ 20 ] is important for the proper functioning of a society and the well-being of its citizens . It ensures that power is exercised transparently , accountability is enforced , and the rule of law is upheld . Governance also plays a key role in addressing social and economic issues , such as poverty , inequality , and environmental degradation . Effective governance is essential for attracting investment , promoting economic growth , and improving the quality of life for all members of society .
This is the reason governance influences sustainability [ 15 ], for people are also important resources entailed by the environment . The United Nations defines [ 26 ] Sustainability as “ meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs .” Since a nation ’ s governance clearly affects its current populations ( children , youth , aged ), development ( economy , education , employment , innovation ), environment , etc ., which further carries forward to the nation ' s future , governance thus clearly impacts sustainability at large .
There are technologies that can be employed in governance processes and their delivery for improved adherence to the rule of law , transparency , accountability , participation , and responsiveness in the decision-making process [ 21 ]. Such technology-enabled governance is called Digital governance [ 23 ], [ 22 ]. A very earlier version of technology-based governance was called E-governance [ 23 ], which only made use of websites to present information to citizens and other stakeholders .
With full Digital transformation of governance [ 16 ], the services can be delivered with the highest quality with multi-channel two-way delivery-cum-interaction with citizens , and government-togovernment information flows and the subsequent decision-making as well . This lets recipients make informed decisions about choices and give their feedback [ 22 ], which contributes to improving the governance and its quality of delivery . However , the majority of existing digital governance platforms are centralized i . e . owned and / or maintained by the government itself .
Though the digital transformation of governance is essential , unavoidable , and promising , there are certain concerns with automation and autonomy . Most , if not all , of the digital transformation technologies are connected via the internet , and most are centralized i . e . owned by a single entity . Such centralized solutions suffer from a single point of compromise and failure due to both cybersecurity-risks and bad-governance , which account for a loss of 6 % [ 24 ], [ 25 ], [ 2 ] of the total worldwide GDP amounting to a whopping total of US $ 7 Trillion . For these reasons , there is a need for a trust and accountability technology layer in the Digital governance systems that are immune to both single-point-of-failure cybersecurity issues and tampering from government authorities .
48 April 2023