Government 2.0? Technology, Trust and Collaboration in the UAE Public Sector

Increased use of the Internet and related technologies in government seems to hold out promise for a collaborative governance model, derived from cross-agency information and knowledge sharing, but many governments struggle to attain this goal. Over the past decade, many local and federal government entities in the United Arab Emirates witnessed a shift from the traditional, hierarchical 'silos mode' of governance into a 'competitive mode,' heavily influenced by 'New Public Management' approaches. Although competition has had a relatively positive impact on government efficiency, there is evidence that it has increased institutional and policy complexity, reduced levels of trust and decreased knowledge sharing in government, thereby reinforcing information silos and hindering collaboration and cross-government innovations. This article reports a national survey of UAE government employees in federal and local government institutions which found that 'technology,' 'leadership' and 'trust' are perceived as the top three interconnected enablers of collaboration in the UAE government. The article concludes that there is now a possibility to move towards a more collaborative mode in governance, using technological innovations to bring down the cost of social transactions in government, with three key prerequisites: fostering a comfortable level of 'political trust' between society and government, achieving a threshold of social acceptance of technology ('technological trust') within the public sector and reforming the 'social trust' dynamics in society.