Empowering Local Communities Through Digital Transformation

Front Office Evaluation of Romanian Cities

In an era where digital interactions dominate daily life, local governments stand at the forefront of innovation, directly engaging with citizens. Cities, bustling with tech-savvy populations accustomed to seamless online experiences like shopping and banking, now face increasing pressure to offer efficient, user-friendly digital public services.

E-government promises to transform how public institutions interact with citizens and businesses. This transformation will redefine the way local and central governments operate internally and fundamentally reshape the relationship between civil servants and their “customers”—taxpayers, companies, NGOs, and other public institutions.

Measuring Digital Progress: A Romanian Perspective

To assess the evolution of e-government at the local level, the Center for Strategy, Leadership, and Intelligent Development (CSLDI), part of the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania has pioneered a new evaluation tool. This comprehensive index focuses on “front-office” services, emphasizing the citizen experience. These services, accessed through official city hall websites, are critical touch-points for public communication and service delivery.

The Index: A Snapshot of Digital Readiness

The index is built around 47 indicators spanning five core categories, each weighted to reflect its importance:

  • Ergonomics (15%) – Is the platform user-friendly and accessible?
  • Content (25%) – Does it provide relevant, accurate, and comprehensive information?
  • Online Services (25%) – Are essential services available and functional online?
  • Citizen Participation and Involvement (20%) – How well does it encourage community engagement?
  • Security and Data Protection (15%) – Does it safeguard user information effectively?

The evaluation assigns a maximum score of 100 points, providing a clear, quantifiable benchmark for digital performance. The resulting scores offer a “moment in time” perspective, capturing the current state of municipal websites while acknowledging that factors like ongoing updates or temporary outages can influence results.


Insights from the Evaluation

This research highlights the dual forces shaping digital transformation in Romanian city halls:

  1. Momentum from the Pandemic: The COVID-19 crisis acted as a catalyst, accelerating the adoption of digital systems and workflows.
  2. The Risk of Reversion: While some changes persist, others face rollback as institutions revert to pre-pandemic norms.

By documenting these dynamics, the CSLDI evaluation not only tracks progress but also identifies barriers to sustained digital innovation.

Building a Digital Future for Romanian Cities

Despite starting e-government projects over two decades ago, Romania has struggled to achieve robust results, especially at the central level. The tools provided by the CSLDI index offer a tailored approach, addressing the unique challenges of the Romanian public administration landscape. By repeating this assessment every two years, researchers will generate valuable longitudinal data, illuminating trends and opportunities for improvement.

The journey toward effective e-governance demands consistent investment—not just as a response to crises but as a strategic priority for modern governance. By prioritizing digital transformation, Romanian cities can empower their communities, enhance transparency, and strengthen trust in public institutions. As we look to the future, let this research inspire local governments to embrace digital innovation, fostering a truly citizen-centered approach to governance.


Visualizing the Results

The findings are presented in an interactive map that showcases the digital service performance of cities across Romania. Explore the visualization to see how cities compare and identify leaders and laggards in the e-government space.

Explore the Visualization: Digital Government in Romanian Cities

Nicolae Urs provides an insightful overview of the methodology and the tool used for this evaluation in his presentation at the ECA Working Group Meeting. His detailed explanation offers a deeper understanding of how the index assesses and benchmarks digital services.

Watch the video here: Nicolae Urs on E-Government Evaluation Tool.


For further details about the project, methodology, and findings, visit the comprehensive report on E-Government Assessment in Romanian Cities hosted by the Faculty of Political, Administrative, and Communication Sciences (FSPAC): E-Government Assessment in Romanian Cities