Session 1: E-Estonia

Before starting research on e-Estonia, I had no previous knowledge of the country and I had never encountered the concept of e-Estonia before. After Estonia received their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Estonia government re-booted economic and political sectors to host services online, providing convenience for citizens and an opportunity for growth. The citizens of Estonia have access to a variety of e-services, including e-elections, e-taxes, e-business, e-banking, and services in healthcare and education. Other than the features that citizens have, e-Estonia also allows e-residency, meaning people that are not citizens of Estonia can benefit from the services that Estonian residents have. E-residency allows global entrepreneurs to start a business within Estonia and manage the business virtually. They can transfer money and electronically sign documents, allowing them to expand their business within the EU. I think that the services that e-Estonia provides for the citizens of Estonia are great services that other countries could and should implement. Even though large countries like the US would struggle to implement all the features and interconnectivity that Estonia has, they could still benefit from services like e-voting which would boost voter turnout rate. Overall, I think that Estonia has developed a system that is incredibly powerful and useful, and they should be looked to for guidance in this digital age.