Electronic Government Strategies and Research in the U.S.

Author(s):  
Charles C. Hinnant ◽  
Steve Sawyer

Since the mid-1990s, adoption of wide-area computer networks, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), by the public, educational institutions and private sector organizations has helped spur an interest in using these new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a means to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational processes. Private sector firms have focused on using Internet-based technologies, especially the browser-based technologies of the WWW, as a means to conduct business transactions. The use of such electronic transmission technologies in carrying out business activities has generally been dubbed electronic commerce, or e-commerce (Schneider, 2003). Attempts to reinvent public organizations in the United States during the 1990s were heavily grounded in the belief that the adoption of new forms of ICT will streamline both service generation and delivery (Osborne & Gaebler, 1993; Gore, 1993). Some government actors and observers, such as the National Science Foundation, have more recently referred to the overall use of ICT to carry out the activities of government institutions as digital government. The term digital government has in many respects grown to refer to the development, adoption or use of ICT as a key component of a public organization’s internal information and control systems, as well as any use of ICT to facilitate interaction with external stakeholders. Some scholars have attempted to examine how governments have used ICT systems, such as the Internet and WWW, as a means to facilitate interactions with citizens and other stakeholders in an attempt to foster democratic processes via electronic media. These activities have been called electronic democracy, or e-democracy. This broad concept is then usually subdivided into two subsets of activities, electronic politics and electronic government. Electronic politics, or e-politics, centers on activities that facilitate civic awareness of political processes, as well as the ability of citizens to participate in those processes. Electronic government, or e-government, includes the use of ICT by government agencies to provide programmatic information and services to citizens and other stakeholders (Watson & Mundy, 2001).

2020 ◽  
pp. 75-117
Author(s):  
A.N. Shvetsov

The article compares the processes of dissemination of modern information and communication technologies in government bodies in Russia and abroad. It is stated that Russia began the transition to «electronic government» later than the developed countries, in which this process was launched within the framework of large-scale and comprehensive programs for reforming public administration in the 1980s and 1990s. However, to date, there is an alignment in the pace and content of digitalization tasks. At a new stage in this process, the concept of «electronic government» under the influence of such newest phenomena of the emerging information society as methods of analysis of «big data», «artificial intelligence», «Internet of things», «blockchain» is being transformed into the category of «digital government». Achievements and prospects of public administration digitalization are considered on the example of countries with the highest ratings — Denmark, Australia, Republic of Korea, Great Britain, USA and Russia.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S328-S357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudine Kearney ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich ◽  
Bostjan Antoncic

A model is proposed that tests the antecedents and the mediating effect of corporate entrepreneurship on the external environment-performance relationship within private and public sector organizations. Hypotheses were tested using data from a sample of chief executive officers in 51 private sector organizations in the United States, 141 private sector organizations in Slovenia and 134 public sector state and semi-state enterprises in Ireland. Data was analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that dynamism and munificence effects on performance are mediated by an organization's corporate entrepreneurship in the private sector and munificence effects on performance are mediated by an organization's renewal in the public sector and that renewal must be in place to maximize the effect of munificence on performance. The results support a model that incorporates an extensive and diverse literature into a single model and helps illuminate similarities and differences of corporate entrepreneurship between the private sector and the public sector. The study shows that an integrative model and the interplay among the constructs yields new insights unavailable to single and focused approaches. It offers new insights about corporate entrepreneurship, not only as a discrete pursuit, but also as a construct that shapes and extends organizational performance.


Author(s):  
Sergey Volodenkov

Introduction. The author aims to analyze the phenomenon of information interference with national political processes in the conditions of the contemporary information society and the evolution of the Internet as a space of political communications. The article shows that the digital information intervention is relevant and at the same time, a complex multidimensional phenomenon of contemporary politics. In many respects, the potential of the digital interference phenomenon is closely related to the essential features of functioning and the transformation of the contemporary Internet, which has been actively used when changing political regimes in many countries. The problem of information security and sovereignty of the present state on the Internet is becoming one of the most urgent in the conditions of the rapid development of information and communication technologies. Methods and materials. The issues identified in the article are investigated using the methods of comparative, structural-functional and normative analysis, included observation, as well as the case-study method. The method of scientific forecasting and scripting techniques has allowed to form a scenario for the effective settlement of international conflicts in the field of information security. The empirical base of the study is reports of foreign experts, official materials of state authorities of the Russian Federation and foreign countries, reports of Freedom House international organization, official speeches and statements by the heads of state on the issues outlined in the work. Analysis. Countering external information expansion is becoming one of the most critical tasks of effective political governance at the state level to preserve the sovereignty of the national political communication space, including domestic segments of the Internet. The initiatives of states to form the sovereign national segments of the Internet space are, on the one hand, an attempt to protect their political systems from external influence and invasion, to ensure their own political stability, and on the other hand, they create risks for the democratic potential of the Internet. The article substantiates the thesis that the phenomenon of interference in elections in actual practice often becomes not so much an objective process as an instrument of information warfare, mass political propaganda and discrediting political opponents, a manipulative tool that can be actively used not only by authoritarian regimes with a low level of democratic development. Results. The study shows that differences in understanding and defining the essence of the Internet by various countries give rise to a significant potential for political conflicts on a global scale. This circumstance leads the author to the conclusion that it is necessary to form international institutions capable of preventing and regulating information conflicts in the Internet space, as well as reducing global political risks (including risks associated with potential interference in the electoral process of sovereign states). The implementation of this scenario will allow forming a collective responsibility in the functioning of the global Internet.


Author(s):  
J. Ramón Gil-Garcia ◽  
Luis Felipe Luna-Reyes

In general terms, electronic government (or digital government) refers to the selection, implementation, and use of information and communication technologies in government settings (Dawes & Pardo, 2002; Fountain, 2001; Garson, 2004; Moon, 2002). E-government research is a transdisciplinary endeavor including traditions such as public administration, public policy, management information systems, operations management, and information science. Partially because of the novelty of the concept, but also because of its multidisciplinary nature, the concept of e-government is still a work in progress. The purpose of this article is to review different definitions and conceptual approaches to electronic government, analyzing their conceptual amplitude and distinguishing characteristics. The article presents a comprehensive definition of electronic government based on current definitions and a well-established theoretical framework in public administration. The article ends with a brief discussion of some future trends in electronic government.


Author(s):  
C. C. Hinnant ◽  
S. B. Sawyer

The rapid adoption of computer networks, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), within various segments of society has spurred an increased interest in using such technologies to enhance the performance of organizations in both the public and private sectors. While private sector organizations now commonly employ electronic commerce, or e-commerce, strategies to either augment existing business activities or cultivate new groups of customers, organizations at all levels of government have also begun to pay renewed attention to the prospects of using new forms of information and communication technology (ICT) in order to improve the production and delivery of services. As with many technologies, the increased use of ICT by government was in response not only to the increased use of ICT by government stakeholders, such as citizens or businesses, but also in response to a growing call for governmental reform during the 1990s. As public organizations at the federal, state, and even local level began to initiate organizational reforms that sought to bring private sector norms to government, they often sought to employ ICT as means to increase efficiencies and organizational coordination (Gore, 1998; Osborne & Gaebler, 1993). Such attempts to reform the operations of public organizations were a key factor in promoting an increased interest in use of new forms of ICT (Fountain, 2001). This growing focus on the broader use of ICT by public organizations came to be known as digital government. The term, digital government, grew to mean the development, adoption, and use of ICT within a public organization’s internal information systems, as well as the use of ICT to enhance an organization’s interaction with external stakeholders such as private-sector vendors, interest groups, or individual citizens. Some scholars more specifically characterize this broader use of ICT by public organizations according to its intended purpose. Electronic government, or e-government, has often been used to describe the use of ICT by public organizations to provide programmatic information or services to citizens and other stakeholders (Watson & Mundy, 2001). For example, providing an online method through which citizens could conduct financial transactions, such as tax or license payments, would be a typical e-government activity. Other uses of ICT include the promotion of various types of political activity and are often described as electronic politics, or e-politics. These types of ICT-based activities are often characterized as those that may influence citizens’ knowledge of, or participation in, the political processes. For instance, the ability of an elected body of government, such as a state legislature, to put information about proposed legislation online for public comment or to actually allow citizens to contact members of the legislature directly would be a simple example of e-politics. However, ICT is not a panacea for every organizational challenge. ICT can introduce additional challenges to the organization. For example, the increased attention on employing ICT to achieve agency goals has also brought to the forefront the potential difficulty in successfully developing large-scale ICT systems within U.S. government agencies. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recent announcement that it may have to scrap its project to develop a Virtual Case File system that was estimated to cost $170 million (Freiden, 2005). The adoption of new ICT is often marked by setbacks or failures to meet expected project goals, and this characteristic is certainly not limited to public organizations. However, adherence to public sector norms of openness and transparency often means that when significant problems do occur, they happen within view of the public. More significantly, such examples highlight the difficulty of managing the development and adoption of large-scale ICT systems within the public sector. However conceptualized or defined, the development, adoption, and use of ICT by public organizations is a phenomena oriented around the use of technology with the intended purpose of initiating change in an organization’s technical and social structure. Since the development and adoption of new ICT, or new ways of employing existing ICT, are necessarily concerned with employing new technologies or social practices to accomplish an organizational goal, they meet the basic definition of technological innovations (Rogers, 1995; Tornatsky & Fleischer, 1990). If public organizations are to improve their ability to adopt and implement new ICT, they should better understand the lessons and issues highlighted by a broader literature concerning technological innovation.


Author(s):  
Paul T. Nleya

Abstract The rapid growth and modernization of economies in developing countries like Botswana creates new and unmet demands for certain kinds of educated and skilled labour. The expansion of secondary and tertiary school systems has also created a problem of unemployed school leavers. The growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), globalization and the digital divide likewise, have together put new pressures on developing countries to accelerate their development to meet these demands. This paper reports the results of a survey that sought to assess levels of eLearning readiness, applications and trainee requirements in Botswana’s private sector. Such baseline data can inform policymakers and researchers and promote the transformation required of private sector companies to become learning organizations. The findings suggested that eLearning readiness (eReadiness) levels were moderate to low, and that archaic technology (i. e., overhead projection) was used by more than half of the private sector organizations for training (with far less than half using digital eLearning applications). While the overall findings suggested low levels of eLearning readiness, applications and trainee requirements in Botswana’s private sector, seventy percent of trainers reported that their organizations encouraged them to acquire basic computer skills to facilitate eLearning. The current eLearning situation in Botswana, and the literature reviewed, demonstrates that the integration of ICTs in both developing and developed countries was a gradual process. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have expedited the change process in developed countries. However, several limitations are associated with such partnerships and this renders lessons for developing countries to emulate. Résumé La croissance et la modernisation rapides des économies des pays en voie de développement comme le Botswana créent des demandes nouvelles et non satisfaites pour certains types de main-d’œuvre instruite et qualifiée. L’expansion des systèmes d’enseignement secondaires et tertiaires a également créé un problème de chômage chez les jeunes sortant de l’école. La croissance des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) ainsi que l’accroissement de la mondialisation et du fossé numérique ont ensemble engendré de nouvelles pressions sur les pays en voie de développement afin de répondre à ces demandes. Le présent article provient d’un sondage qui visait à évaluer les niveaux de maturité pour l’apprentissage en ligne, les applications informatiques et les besoins de formation en ligne des stagiaires dans le secteur privé au Botswana. De telles données de base peuvent informer les décideurs et les chercheurs et promouvoir la transformation nécessaire des entreprises du secteur privé afin qu’elles deviennent des entreprises du savoir. Les résultats suggèrent que les niveaux de maturité pour l’apprentissage en ligne (maturité électronique) sont modérés à faibles et que des technologies archaïques (par exemple, des rétroprojecteurs) étaient utilisées par plus de la moitié des organismes du secteur privé pour la formation (et beaucoup moins de la moitié utilisaient des applications numériques pour l’apprentissage en ligne). Bien que l’ensemble des résultats suggère de faibles niveaux de maturité pour l’apprentissage en ligne, les applications informatiques et les besoins de formation en ligne des stagiaires dans le secteur privé du Botswana, soixante-dix pour cent des formateurs ont indiqué que leurs organismes les ont encouragés à acquérir des compétences informatiques de base pour faciliter l’apprentissage en ligne. La situation actuelle de l’apprentissage en ligne au Botswana et l’examen de la documentation montrent que l’intégration des TIC à la fois dans les pays développés et en voie de développement est un processus graduel. Les partenariats entre le secteur public et le secteur privé (PPP) ont accéléré le processus de changement dans les pays développés. Plusieurs restrictions sont cependant associées à ces partenariats et cela permet aux pays en voie de développement d’en tirer des leçons à imiter.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-115
Author(s):  
Anna Ryzhenok ◽  
Ruslan Shangaraev

In the 21st century, one of the dominants of the modern stage of development of states is the elevation of the role of information and communication technologies ( the ICT), which, in turn, are actively implemented and used in the public administration system, creating new effective means of interaction between government bodies, citizens and various commercial structures. A striking example of the interaction between states and people is electronic government (E-government). Digital maturity is a key indicator of the readiness of the state and companies to implement digital solutions in their processes. At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic has already forced large companies to reconsider their strategies in favor of investments in digital technologies.


Electronics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung ◽  
Kim

The first enactment of a single national e-government act took place in Korea in 2001. Subsequently, the United States enacted its electronic government act in November 2002. Unified e-government acts in Korea and the United States have since been established and enforced for nearly two decades, and provide interesting case studies for examining the long-term influences of the e-government act on national e-government and digital government policies. The e-government act of the United States is much more comprehensive than the e-government act of Korea. The US e-government act focuses on strengthening the federal government’s ability to regulate the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s role in e-government implementation. The OMB has overall jurisdiction over the e-government promotion process and will continue to consult with ministries on appropriate budget support for each project. In contrast, the e-government law in Korea is based on electronic document processing as the basic viewpoint and has been downgraded to a level that supports document reduction and electronic processing of documents, rather than a comprehensive law that can support e-government projects. The comparative case study of e-government acts in Korea and the United States revealed that, from the standpoint of digital government transformation using information technology, it is most important to promote digital government policy directly from the ministry that manages the budget, or to establish a dedicated organization under the ministry to secure strong coordination while linking it with the budget.


Author(s):  
Eduardo Araya Moreno ◽  
Diego Barría ◽  
Gustavo Campos

Due to the importance that the Internet has gained as a means of communication, literature on political communication has incorporated it as one of its preferred topics of focus. Literature stems almost entirely from Europe and the United States. Very little is known about the political use of new information and communication technologies (NICTs) in other parts of the world. The present chapter aims to provide evidence in that line, starting from the study of the incorporation of the Chilean political parties to the Internet. In specific, the following questions are answered: In what extent do factors such as the organizational characteristics of the political parties explain their greater or lesser adoption of NICTs? What do parties use NICTs for? Furthermore, although briefly, the authors will try to answer the question whether the parties have experienced change in their interaction with the citizenry and their bases because of the usage of NICTs.


2011 ◽  
pp. 1909-1925
Author(s):  
Yining Chen ◽  
H. M. Chen ◽  
Russell K.H. Ching ◽  
Wayne W. Huang

Over the last decade, the Internet has become one of the most important means of communication in all social areas. The success of Web technology adoption in the private sector has put pressures on the public sector to adopt the Internet to present information and service resources. The concept of creating more efficient and convenient interaction between government and the interacting parties using Internet technology is referred to as electronic government (or digital government). Recent studies have shown an increase in the adoption of electronic government by various countries (Archer, 2005; I-Ways, 2005; Janssen et al. 2004). Nevertheless, the level of implementation diverges from country to country. This study identifies critical success factors of electronic government and proposes an implementation framework. This chapter presents an extensive case study to illustrate how the proposed framework can be used to analyze electronic government strategies in a developed country (United States) and a developing country (China). In conclusion, recommendations are made to developed and developing countries for their implementation of electronic government.


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