21 BOX D Reimagining township administration The transition to a digital data ecosystem gives government an invaluable opportunity to reimagine township administration and develop new priorities and ways of working. This reimagining will shape the data that is collected, how it is shared and stored, how it is analyzed and used, and the digital solutions to support these new ways of working. The work of township administrations can be divided into two “levels” (figure 3.1). The first level comprises the work of individual departments performing their own core functions—for example, the DAO collecting property-tax revenue. Much work at this level can be carried out in isolation from other departments. The second level comprises cross-departmental work that involves multiple departments working together to solve problems and coordinate planning and policymaking—for example, departments working together to develop the roads network (see box C). At both levels of administration, technological solutions can improve the effectiveness of the data ecosystem and the work of government. Most solutions to date have been developed by individual ministries, and they have tended to focus on the core functions of individual departments. But many local problems—and, indeed, the development of a strategic, integrated plan for the township—require a coordinated, cross-departmental approach. This requires policymakers to think explicitly about how to increase the ability of departments to work together, the extent to which the current data ecosystem supports cross-departmental work at the township level, and the development of technology for coordinated, shared data collection, storage, use, and analysis. FIGURE 3.1 Reimagining township administration LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 Meeting individual responsibilities: Single departments perform their own core functions. Cross-departmental coordination: Multiple departments work together to solve problems and plans. Service delivery Routine Administration Revenue Collection Planning and Budgeting Data Collection and Monitoring