How does e-government change the Tilburg model?
Drs. Fons Schrijvers: I think that e-government implies a radical restructuring of public services so that citizens do not have to go from one department to another anymore – for example, if they want to open a shop. However, in the 1980s, Tilburg started its re-engineering process from inside out, which was the right approach because you first need to paint the walls inside your own house before you do the outside. Even though Tilburg started to strengthen citizen orientation relatively quickly, it did not win the prize for ‘Best Run City Government in the World” in the Bertelsmann Award in 1993 because our external orientation was still underdeveloped at that time. Governance “good governance means not only an effective and efficient approach to local government but also a fair and ethical approach to government….” Tony Bovaird: What do you understand by ‘local governance’? Drs. Fons Schrijvers: The term local governance is not so well known in the Netherlands. The term ‘governance
