The Government of Norway is designing a new digitalisation strategy for the public sector to be launched in June 2024. The strategy will build on the work of the previous Digital Strategy for the Public Sector, which aimed to make everyday life simpler for citizens and business through better government services, more efficient use of public resources, and increased value creation (Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, 2019[1]). This Strategy was introduced in 2019 following OECD policy recommendations from the Digital Government Review and expires in 2025.
The new digitalisation strategy will continue this work but also take important steps to ensure that Norway has a digital government that is fit for the future. It is intended to be comprehensive, covering business, public sector, and society, as well as cross-cutting in terms of co-operation, financing, organisation, regulation and governance. The strategy addresses key developments around artificial intelligence, privacy and security, trust and openness, and the role of ‘Big Tech’, taking into account the broader European context. It will therefore also include goals and priorities for digital government.
Norway’s Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (now the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance as of 1 January 2023) asked the OECD to provide a ‘pulse check’ review of Norway’s progress since the OECD Digital Government Review carried out in 2017 (OECD, 2017[2]).
The intent of this review is to support the Ministry in formulating concrete and actionable recommendations on digital government to guide and inform the development of the new Digital Strategy. It took a consultative approach by:
evaluating efforts taken by Norway since the 2017 Digital Government Review to assess performance and identify gaps in relation to the implementation of the policy recommendations formulated by the OECD.
evaluating efforts taken under the existing Digital Strategy for the Public Sector (2019-2025) to assess performance and identify gaps in relation its goals.
assessing Norway’s current digital government maturity against initial results of the OECD’s 2023 Digital Government Index.
identifying priority areas and future opportunities for Norway to enhance its digital government maturity through to 2030, in line with major trends across other OECD countries.
By addressing its maturity in each of the dimensions of the OECD Digital Government Index, the government could maximise the successful delivery of its new digitalisation strategy and of a digital government that aligns with its vision in the Digital Agenda.
The report was approved by the Public Governance Committee on 25 June 2024 and prepared by the Secretariat for publication.