excessively strict restrictions or bureaucratic practices. As part of the picture, it is important to be aware of which conditions are most problematic for businesses in Belize and compare across similar countries. This policy document therefore makes comparisons with Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Iceland. The WEF’s 2012 GCI suggests tax rates, corruption, policy instability, access to financing, inefficient government bureaucracy, and poor work ethic stand out as particularly problematic in Belize. Interviews and examination of the factual conditions on the ground have verified what is behind these perceptions. In Belize, entrepreneurs have to subject themselves to high Government charges just to have the right to set up a company, which runs against and impedes entrepreneurial activity and also hampers the growth of SMEs. This situation is interrelated with the dearth of jobs in existing enterprises, contributing to the permanently high level of unemployment and presenting young people with few avenues forward to establish themselves either in the labour market or as entrepreneurs. What are the fundamental sources of such issues? In a nutshell, they are all related to governance. The concept of governance is itself multifarious. The impact of governance can be measured in two ways, by "effectiveness" and "rule of law" respectively. On both these measures, Belize is ranked relatively weakly compared with countries at a similar development level, although considerably higher than a country such as Haiti (see ICT Innovation Policy). In short, putting in place an appropriate governance model for ICT, E-Government and innovation meets with particular challenges due to the cross-cutting and also development-oriented nature of the agenda. This topic involves practically all parts of government and society. It also requires gaining acceptance for the introduction of new tools and the reorganisation, or outright abolition of, some practices. Since such tasks are almost bound to run into resistance, it is essential to put in place strong mandates and mechanisms underpinning effective horizontal coordination and broad stakeholder involvement. 1.3 GOVERNANCE WITH PEOPLE IN MIND: 3 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS Any meaningful analysis as the basis for policy design and implementation requires the application of conceptual frameworks or mental maps through which to think about and treat to ICT and E-Government development. The following subsections suggest three conceptual frameworks based on best-practice criteria that might assist Belize in developing E-Government platforms that serve the interests of people. These are the Six-Layered Model of Societal Access, An Unbroken Chain of Proof for E-Government, and the 7 Core Functions of Government (+1). Taken in concert, they provide a more nuanced understanding of ICTs and E-Government development in the context of the new global realities with which Belize is being faced. Collectively, they assist in identifying the gaps that must be bridged if the country is to leverage these frameworks to support sustained national development. 1.3.1. T HE S IX -L AYERED M ODEL OF S OCIETAL A CCESS There are six aspects to effective use of ICT frameworks that together create a six-layered model of societal access without which developing countries cannot build local innovation and foster knowledge creation. These are physical access, financial access, basic access, secure access, policy access, and enlightened access, illustrated in the diagram that follows (Babb 2003). 26