Contenu du sommaire : Administration et nouvelles technologies de l'information : expériences comparées France - Québec

Towards a Redefinition of Relations Between the Administration, Citizens and Businesses. The State is undergoing a period of transformation, relations between citizens and those exercising political and administrative power and businesses are enjoying the opening up of markets on a world-wide scale and the globalisation of trade. New forms of information technology and new methods of communication may provide a way for reconceptualising this three-way relationship. Initial experiments have permitted certain lines of development to be ascertained. These demonstrate the pitfalls to be avoided, the necessity for total involvement on the part of political powers and for increased decentralisation to make those involved more accountable and to facilitate a closer relationship with users of public services.

Information Super-highways and Public Administration : a Systemic Approach. The development of information super-highways will bring about a redefinition of the relations which exist between the administration, businesses and citizens. This change will be just as important in areas where relations are based upon the expression of needs as in those concerned with the definition and implementation of means. One example of public policy which will be particularly affected by the eruption of new information technologies is that of training. Hence, a new delineation of roles will be necessary both in the area of information and orientation and in the establishment of programmes or indeed in that of training in the strict sense of the word. But, of course, these changes will only be noticeable in the sectors of society which are moving in this direction.

The Role of Information Technology in State Reform. New technologies and information Systems provide practical means to accompany changes linked to State reform. Thus, having identified the advantages and disadvantages which are generated by use of information technology, the Commissariat for State reform has come to play a key role in putting this technology into operation in the French administrative System. The objective sought is to equip the State with all performance Systems which may be necessary to enable it to function properly, to evolve in the future and especially to improve its relations with those who use public services.

The Quebec Government and the Information Super-highway : Initial Political Trends. The Secretariat for the information super-highway which was created by the government of Quebec in 1995 has been given the task of determining Quebec's strategy for setting up the information super-highway and co-ordinating the execution of this strategy. The spheres for government action in this respect have been grouped into seven areas (education, culture, language ...) ; in each sphere objectives have been identified allowing the construction of action plans which will be put forward to the various ministries and bodies concerned. Numerous consultation exercises operating on this basis should lead to the introduction of a government-approved text which will constitute the strategy-plan for the development of the information super-highway.

Turning Towards Technology at the Ministry for Revenue in Quebec. Since 1994 the Ministry for Revenue has been using new information technology as a key means for improving its productivity. In the course of dealings with its clients the ministry has started to exchange information by electronic means, for example the electronic transfer of declarations of an individual's income, the making of payments and the provision of State assistance by electronic methods. The priorities of the ministry are standardisation, security, use of intermediaries and transportation via a network which brings with it additional value. Difficulties have been encountered, the principle ones being the untested worth of electronic documentation, electronic signatures, the material limits of channels of communication and the lack of a cheap solution for businesses. The ministry's other main project is its move towards becoming a paper-free office. To this end a variety of services have been introduced : electronic mail, management of computerised data, electronic libraries and specialised services for electronic communication.

From Code to Cyber-code : Can One Simplify law ? Given the abundance and the complexity of legal texts, a debate is opening up as to the necessary means for making rules of law more accessible. Among the different techniques under scrutiny, codification is often presented as the most efficient means to simplify, clarity and rationalise law. The difficulties of this task make information technology an indispensable ally. Nevertheless any project of simplification brings with it its own paradoxes. This is particularly so when it comes to legal codification. Hence the development of a real public service for the provision of legal information seems necessary in order to facilitate both the task of those charged with codification and also that of those people seeking to use the law.

Computerised Data Exchange and the New Relationship Between State and Business. The exchange of computerised data is a new means of communication which holds numerous advantages for businesses, both at a strategic and economic level. Hence computerised data exchange may be seen to accelerate and facilitate the transfer of information between the administration and businesses providing that State, for its part, guarantees the security of communication networks. For this reason, in the context of its relationship with business, the administration will have to take up the challenge posed by computerised data exchange in order that the new information System functions to its fullest effect.