“15. Recognizing the principles of universal and non-discriminatory access to ICTs for all nations, the need to take into account the level of social and economic development of each country, and respecting the development-oriented aspects of the Information Society, we underscore that ICTs are effective tools to promote peace, security and stability, to enhance E-democracy, social cohesion, good governance and the rule of law, at national, regional and international levels.”

TUNIS COMMITMENT. World Summit on the Information Society.

The usage of the “e –” prefix (which is an abbreviation for “electronic”) has become a common practice nowadays. Wherever it appears it gives the idea of a particular field related with the usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Following the intensive usage of ICT in the private sector in order to improve the efficiency of businesses and to generate savings, countries worldwide are also taking into account these benefits in order to implement their Information Society programs. E-Government is one of the issues increasingly included. At the same time, terms such as “E-Governance” and “E-Democracy” have appeared, in order to define how the State uses ICT for carrying out its duties.

The purpose of this chapter is to compare and analyze the main existing definitions given to the concepts of “E-Government” and “E-Governance”, in order to have a better understanding of both concepts, given the fact that they are usually used as synonyms.

In the first part of this paper the main definitions of these two concepts given by international organizations such as United Nations, International Telecommunications Union, the World Bank, are going to be presented, along with the definitions given by Chile, the European Union, Japan and the United States. The second part of the paper analyzes their similarities and differences, while intending to relate these two concepts.