On-line Research for Public Administration

This paper presents an overview of on-line research tools for public sector practitioners and researchers. Sections cover generic searching on the World Wide Web, common governmental website destinations, academic Web sites in public administration, nongovernmental organization Web sites, public policy Web sites, data-related Web sites, the exploration of data from the U. S. Census, legislative and legal research on-line, news research online, on-line geographic data, public-sector labor research, researching bibliography online, and keeping up with the changing online environment.

The Software Toolkit Approach for Public Administrators

Almost any governmental task employing a computer can be accomplished more efficiently with a variety of tools rather than any single tool. Basic tools for inclusion in the software toolkit are word processing, spreadsheets, statistics, and database management programs. Beyond these, presentation graphics, optical character recognition (OCR), and scheduling software can be helpful depending upon the job at hand. This chapter concerns computer applications and information technology in government. It could have been organized by public administration task such as human resource management or budgeting, but each governmental function uses several software tools that are not unique to that function. Thus a human resource manager uses word processing software and probably a spreadsheet and a database management program. The same could be said of someone involved in budgeting. This example suggests that a tool kit approach that concentrates on software type is a more useful way to organize this subject matter. Topics covered in this chapter include: word processing and desktop publishing, spreadsheets, statistics packages, database management, presentation software, project planning software, graphics for illustrations, optical character recognition, network applications, and geographic information systems. Since most readers are likely to have substantial word processing experience, it would be unproductive to devote much space to word processing per se. The same applies to searching the Web. At the opposite extreme, Web page creation programs are too complex to discuss here. <BR>

Management Information Systems in the Public Sector

Management information systems (MIS) are fundamental for public sector organizations seeking to support the work of managers. Yet they are often ignored in the rush to focus on ‘sexier’ applications. This chapter aims to redress the balance by providing a detailed analysis of public sector MIS. It first locates MIS within the broader management monitoring and control systems that they support. Understanding the broader systems and the relationship to public sector inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes is essential to understanding MIS. The chapter details the different types of reports that MIS produce, and uses this as the basis for an MIS model and a description of the decision-making benefits that computerized MIS can bring. Finally, the chapter describes generic public sector MIS that address internal government transactions, public administration/ regulation, and public service delivery. Real-world examples of all types are provided from the U.S., England, Africa, and Asia. <BR>

Electronic Governance on the Internet

Can Internet-based technologies deliver on the promise of making government more accessible? What tangible benefits can these technologies bring to the public manager? Computers are becoming smaller, yet more powerful and considerably less expensive. The power of the computer—a faster processor, more memory, and more storage capacity—is not as important as its network capability. How well does the computer connect to the Internet to send and retrieve needed information? Warren and Weschler examine how Internet-based technologies facilitate the two-way linkage of citizens, groups and government agencies. The authors address citizen access issues and the implications of Internet technologies for electronic governance. <BR>

The Evolution of Information Technology Management at the Federal Level

Federal agencies rely extensively on information technology (IT) to perform basic missions. Arguably, public administration should be driving the theory, policy, and practice for managing these increasingly important resources. This is especially true as public organizations move to electronic service delivery to improve mission performance. However, despite some maturation in the literature for managing IT in federal agencies, public administration has contributed little to this effort. Other academic fields, such as information sciences, business administration, and practitioners, have done more to improve IT management at the federal level. This chapter analyzes federal IT management literature from several academic disciplines and government documents. The analysis compares federal IT management with a normative model of management maturity focusing on the strategic objectives for IT and related management approaches. Public administration’s lack of contribution to federal IT management raises profound questions whether federal agencies will be prepared for the information age. <BR>

Strategic Planning for Information Technology Management in State Governments

The importance of having a formal strategic plan for managing the information architecture is analyzed in the context of state government. Necessary elements of a successful strategic plan are delineated. The dimensions of strategy and an articulation of a strategic stance are defined and analyzed. The value of information technology and the strategic management of the technology as a valuable organizational asset is assessed in a state government environment. Internal and external variables pertinent to state government are explored and developed with a focus on their import to strategic information technology planning. The strategic plans of three state governments are described and analyzed to provide exemplars of proactive and innovative management of information resources. <BR>

Information Technology and Organizational Change in the Public Sector

The adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to organize, integrate, coordinate and manage various activities has become the catalyst for organizational change. The impact of these changes in the public sector have been to change the type of work being performed, demand new levels of productivity and efficiency from those performing the work, and call for a fundamental restructuring of the public sector to reflect the value systems of an information age. The literature on the organizational impacts of Information and Communication Technology have pointed to mixed findings about the success of information technology enabled organizational change, suggesting that the success of such change efforts depends on the combination of technical and social influences. Despite any potential for organizational change in the private sector, information technologies have not been associated with organizational transformation in the public sector. It is suggested that for the public sector to begin reaping the benefits of Information and Communication Technology, public sector managers are going to need to become change agents and manage the change process by managing the technology. <BR>

The Political Dimensions of Information Systems in Public Administration

Many information management and generalist managers ignore the political aspects of managing information systems. But this chapter shows that political factors are often the most crucial in determining how successful information technology is. The purpose of the chapter is to provide awareness of the political context of information systems decisions. The political aspects of computing are discussed with respect to two major categories: (1) Internal, organizational politics concerning issues involving organizational members; (2) External politics concerning how the governmental organization relates to its councils or boards, external groups, and general citizenry. Several examples of internal politics are given including the structuringof the information function, the purchasing of information systems, interdepartmental sharing of information, and communication flows. External examples of politics are given concerning relationships with legislatures and citizenry such as disputes over funding, computer disasters, privatization, the Internet and telecommunications planning. <BR>

The Challenge of Teaching Information Technology in Public Administration Graduate Programs

This chapter first points out the need for a reader on information technology by reviewing the importance given computing education by M.P.A. programs and practitioners. Next, the chapter surveys current textbooks’ and general public administration journals’ treatment of the topic since 1985. Three highly respected public administration journals and six textbooks are reviewed. The journals are found to barely treat the topic of computing, whether as a main focus or as merely a mention in articles. The textbooks also barely mention computing. In addition, there was no consistent rubric or chapter topic under which computing is discussed. The need for a reader on information technology and computer applications in public administration is apparent. The chapter then turns to the consideration of what hands-on-skills in computer applications should be a mark of a graduate degree in public administration. It is suggested that there are six generic skills with a seventh one on the horizon. Finally, the chapter concludes by briefly discussing a range of issues that public administrators should be conversant with if they are to successfully utilize computer applications in the delivery of public sector services. <BR>

Leading Edge Information Technologies and Their Adoption

Based on a national study of the adoption of leading edge technologies, this essay surveys the range of information technology innovation in American cities and outlines the management and environmental characteristics associated with successful innovation diffusion and adoption. In part because city governments believe that leading edge information technologies produce largely positive impacts, one obvious future trend will be that more city governments will adopt these technologies. Additionally, more leading edge technologies will be adopted by cities. A third trend is that leading edge information technologies will continue to penetrate cities more deeply, and as deeper penetration occurs, so will greater payoffs from use. A fourth trend is that as new and more sophisticated information technologies are adopted by city governments, integration of and support for them will become even more critical than is currently the case. Finally, although more of a finding than a trend, city population as a measure of city size will remain a key determinant in the number and type of leading edge information technologies adopted. While the overall extent of adoption of leading edge information technologies among city governments can be expected to increase, the greatest extent of adoption will be among larger jurisdictions. <BR>