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This special issue’s main objective is to develop an adequate understanding of the conditions and actions required for governments to build and deploy capacities to achieve developmental goals. This introductory article offers some conceptual clarification. It starts with the overall concept of state capacity, explores its major dimensions, and highlights the centrality of the administrative dimension (administrative capacity). It then explores the major contextual factors affecting administrative capacity and examines some contemporary challenges to capacity building. The last section briefly illustrates the main contribution of each of the five articles of the special issue.

This publication provides an overview of 145 successful innovations in governance and public administration from 50 countries that received the United Nations Public Service Awards, which is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. The purpose of this book is to disseminate, through descriptive case studies, information about innovative practices by looking at the problem that led to an innovation; the solution that was designed and implemented to respond to the specific challenge; the actors and steps involved in the innovation process, and lessons learned. Learning more about how public institutions from around the world have solved difficult governance challenges can be a powerful and inspirational tool for those engaged in improving public sector performance.

The overall objective of the Expert Group Meeting was to provide a platform for senior government officials and experts to present and discuss lessons learned and successful practices from recent experiences in strengthening public administration institutional capacities for preparedness, prevention, and reconstruction, especially in tragic crises since the United Nations World Summit in 2000 when the MDGs were launched. One of the immediate results of the Expert Group Meeting is this publication while a second output is the development of a “Guidance toolkit on public administration post-conflict reconstruction”. The purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of the main issues addressed during the meeting and to outline key messages. Each of the authors, writing in their personal capacity, outlines particular aspects of public administration post-conflict reconstruction.

The Development Management Branch of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DMB/DPADM/UNDESA) convened an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Engaging Citizens to Enhance Public Sector Accountability and to Prevent Corruption in the Delivery of Public Services, held at the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna, Austria on 7-8 July 2011. This Report describes the EGM background, preparations and objectives. It summarizes the proceedings, outcomes and recommendations.

UN DESA in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized a multiple stakeholders Expert Group Meeting on “e-Government and New Technologies: Towards better citizen engagement for development.” The meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland from 13 to 14 May 2010 in conjunction with the Forum 2010 on implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Over 25 experts and key staff from among 20 nations provided both presentations and interactive dialog during the event. The meeting reviewed and analyzed approaches and best practices in understanding what constitutes citizen engagement and e-government, related policies and programmes in the context of good governance and MDGs implementation. This report attempts to summarize two intense days of meetings by experts from across the globe.

This is a concept paper prepared in response to the demand from United Nations Member States in understanding the challenges, potential and available options in improving or developing E-Procurement systems. This paper is based on a series of consultations and inputs from various experts, culminating with the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) held in New York, October 4-5, 2011. It also draws on the conclusions at the Technical Consultation held in Seoul in March 2011, organized by the United Nations Project on Governance (UNPOG), which is part of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management of UNDESA. The paper also takes into account information from existing websites as well as the extensive work of various competent institutions already working on e-procurement.

The present report contains the conclusions and recommendations of the eleventh session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration, held at United Nations Headquarters from 16 to 20 April 2012. The Committee, which was established by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 2001/45, consists of 24 experts appointed in their personal capacity for a four-year period.

The World e-Parliament Report 2012 offers an unprecedented comparative investigation of the major trends, practices and experiences in the use of information and communication technology in the parliamentary environment. The 2012 edition also describes innovations and trends that have emerged since the previous report, such as tablet devices and open data.

This Compendium of ICT Applications on Electronic Government is a unique collection of current ICT applications being used directly by or in partnership with governments, governmental institutions and the private sector around the world to support administration and public service, while addressing governance challenges. The Compendium also presents private sector ICT applications that are available in the marketplace. Volume 3 of the Compendium, the third in the series, focuses on m-technology software products and applications in the areas of citizen engagement that are being used in both developed and developing countries.

The Digital Government Capability Assessment (DGCA) is a six-dimension framework of enablers to engage governments in discussions towards digital government transformation. Considering that digital government requires a multifaceted response from governments, the dimensions of the DGCA contain various statements which could guide governments in understanding gaps and policy entry points. This tool can be used at the inter-institutional level as part of a national exercise or as an international comparative exchange between different countries at the regional or global level.