And that’s surprising. Because the country has been part of Europe’s top group for digital government for years. Not because they build the most spectacular technology — but because they’ve achieved something much harder: simplification!
Almost every Dutch person today uses DigiD, the country’s central digital identity. With a single login, you can handle tax matters, healthcare services, pensions, education offers and numerous municipal services digitally. On top of that there’s MijnOverheid, a central digital mailbox for communication with authorities. The idea behind it is remarkably simple: citizens shouldn’t have to think about which authority is responsible or where a particular letter might be. Government is meant to fit as seamlessly as possible into everyday life. The Netherlands is also far advanced with tax returns. A lot of data is pre-filled automatically. For millions of citizens, the annual tax return takes just a few minutes.
So is everything great in the land of tulips? No. Because this is also where you can see the downsides highly digitised administrations can have. In the so-called “Toeslagenaffaire” (benefits scandal), automated risk models were used for years to detect possible fraud in state benefits. The problem: thousands of families were wrongly suspected and confronted with repayment demands that in some cases threatened their very existence.
Since then, the Netherlands no longer just discusses how to further digitise and simplify government. It also discusses how to keep it transparent, comprehensible and fair. A topic for governments worldwide!
Image: Adrien Olichon on Unsplash
Sources:
- European Commission – eGovernment Benchmark
- OECD – Digital Government Studies
- United Nations – E-Government Survey
- Rijksoverheid – DigiD and MijnOverheid
- Parliamentary inquiry committee on childcare benefits (Toeslagenaffaire)
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