The Formula for Creating Trust in Digital Government

Trust is the backbone of democracy, giving governments the legitimacy they need to function effectively. Yet, as trust declines, public institutions face challenges in delivering progress on technological adoption and social development. This report explores practical and tech-driven strategies to help governments rebuild trust and improve service delivery.

At its core, trust boils down to three key elements: reliability—getting what we expect; fairness—feeling we deserve it; and transparency—having the ability to verify it. The way trust is delivered also matters, as the execution can greatly influence our perceptions. 

Key recommendations

1. Adopt modern service delivery channels to deliver end-to-end outcomes over fractured user experience. Invest in the secure building of digital public infrastructure to enable a higher maturity level of services.

2. Establish clear rules in data ownership, legitimate use of personal data by institutions, data protection and rules that make physical and digital transactions and services legally equal. Provide clear interpretation of rules.

3. Create services that enable real-time transparency concerning the use of personal data. Adopt mechanisms such as targeted transparency to increase voluntary compliance.

4. Ensure continuous small improvements in public service delivery over large reforms. Create procurement rules to enforce the mechanism. Utilize incentives and nudging strategies to shift users towards higher levels of voluntary compliance over time.

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