Globalization and Information Technology: Forging New Partnerships in Public Administration
Globalization and Information Technology: Forging New Partnerships in Public Administration
Globalization and Information Technology: Forging New Partnerships in Public Administration
GLOBALIZATION means new market, particularly for those who are economically well
developed. This is the fact. And information technology is one of the technologies fostered
to the new market in this increasingly competitive world. The implication of this basic
argument could be found in many other sectors, both within the private and within the
public sectors.
Even though globalization and information technology had been widely accepted
as two sides in one coin, this paper argues that there are three factors, which counter the
inevitable movement towards globalization. Firstly, the incremental force of technology
is flawed. Secondly, the imperialism of technology overcoming all barriers fails to
reconcile the cultural dimensions of both the developing context or the application domain.
Technology is not culturally neutral but is developed in a cultural context and in the case
of information rich countries, IT applications carry that cultural context within their
designs. Applications of culturally developed systems, such as office and management
systems assume the user’s compliance with the design culture, but this inevitably leads
to cultural clashes when the systems are applied outside the design context.
The failure to bridge this gap may leave society as a whole weakened through lack
of access to ‘variety.’
The global information infrastructure mostly comes from the developed countries.
Thus, the inevitable question is whether it signals empowerment or imperialism of and
for the developing countries? Electronic imperialism and colonization has become new
terminology in this increasingly competitive world marketplace. Utilization of IT could
64 ASIAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
not be achieved if having empowered developing countries, they are colonized thereafter.
What is needed is the empowerment of our own culture, norms, values, customs, and
social capital, which could be the most effective means to face this new type of
colonization and uncertainty in this period of globalization.
IT revolution is sweeping the globe. Governments willy nilly are being drawn into it.
Transition to electronic delivery of services in government not only involves changes to
the systems, procedures and processes of relevant services but also in the way in which
the public and business community deal with the government.
The idea that Information Technology (IT) can be an enabling force, not only for
business and trade but also for government, has now been widely accepted. However, a
cursory glance at the existing initiatives in developing countries seems to suggest a mixed
picture. With the exception of several worthwhile utilization of IT in particular sectors,
IT applications seem to have had no remarkable effect on the manner in which citizens
benefit from the services of the government. Against this backdrop, the efforts of the
developing countries to harness Information Technology seem like a major initiative to
deliver an improved administration.
This paper examines current trends in the management of public information and
communication systems within the theoretical context of externalization. We discuss the
GLOBALIZATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 65
ways in which data warehousing, government web sites, and internets can be geared
toward improving citizen access to information and creating new opportunities for civic
engagement in policy-making. Implicit in our discussion is a belief that all citizens should
have fair and equitable access to emerging forms of cyber democracy in order to avoid
information redlining and limited civic engagement only by a technological elite.
A brief review of the recent trends in public information management provides the
reader with a better understanding of the limitations of current IT strategies in the public
sector.
Data Warehousing
Data warehousing represents a recent innovation in both corporate and public sector
information management. A data warehouse is a centralized database of information
accessible to a large number of organizations or a group of departments within a single
organization that previously maintained separate data sources. According to Aden (1997:
28), a data warehouse encompasses more than simply the store of electronic data itself.
Instead, data warehousing for the management of public information includes five major
components: (1) the acquisition of pre-existing operational data stores; (2) procedures
for converting these data stores into a standardized format for inclusion in the data
warehouse; (3) creation of the data warehouse; (4) the design of the electronic tools which
provide the user interface for data query and information retrieval; and (5) administrative
tools and procedures for maintenance and system optimization.
Data warehousing allows for increased efficiency and performance by reducing the
costs of data collection and storage and by facilitating employee access to information.
For example, Delaware prioritizes the integration of public services across state and local
government agencies via a strategic plan for centralized data warehouse of client
information and program activities.
However, other states and local government agencies automate data archiving within
individual agencies via “data marts.” Data marts “deal with departmental data which is
well understood, familiar to those who deal with it everyday and much more limited in
scope” (Aden, 1997: 29). Both data warehouses and data marts may contribute to efficient
management of public information. However, data warehousing rarely incorporates a
66 ASIAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
strategy for public access to public information. With the recognition that not all
government data is appropriate for public access, democratic processes of government
could be enhanced by providing greater public access to sources of electronic information
necessary for informed participation in the policy-making process. Therefore, public
access to data should be acknowledged as a sixth major component of warehousing model.
Data systems closed to both the public and to other public agencies do little to alter the
“internal” structure of most government organizations.
Similarly, World Wide Web sites maintained by government agencies tend to be avenues
for public relations rather than instruments to externalize their organizations. A
comprehensive study of municipal and local government web sites conducted by Nunn
and Rubleske (1997), a content analysis of several sites nationwide, revealed that most
sites were simply electronic address books for contacting government officials. Few sites
capitalized on the interactive nature of the Internet to conduct public discussions, maintain
bulletin boards, or provide data and information available for download. These scholars
conclude that links to electronic mail addresses of public officials may improve slightly
the opportunities for public dialogue, but that in general few sites are producing value-
added public services via these electronic forums. Of course, criticism of the content of
government web sites begs the question of whether the public would even desire such
forms of electronic interaction with state and local governments. Dutton, et al. (1987)
argue that citizens may respond more positively to new forms of civic engagement via
IT when the political culture, policies, and traditions in a given sphere of public activity
encourage such interaction. Information sharing and open lines of communication with
the general public must therefore join efficiency and performance as indicators of
technology-based, public information management strategies.
Intranets
The concept of an external public organization stems from the recognition that, in
contemporary society, government agencies no longer operate within a single functional
area. Public calls for service cut across agency and sectoral lines, prompting public
organizations to enhance their capacity for communicating and interacting beyond
traditional bureaucratic structures. Thus, the administrative environment is no longer
restricted to each organization’s respective purview; instead it is characterized by
interagency decision-making and a sense of shared accountability (Denhardt, 1997; Chapin
and Denhardt, 1995; Bryson and Crosby, 1992). This changing environment carries
important implications for public administrators.
Public managers, through IT, can interact with citizens not as sources of legitimation
but as co-producers in a broader, shared-power system of governance (Berry, Portney,
and Thomson, 1993, 1989; Bryson and Crosby, 1992).
adopting this orientation, public organizations could effect more meaningful forms of
engagement with citizens and the institutions of governance. What follows are a series
of recommendations for enhancing the potential of electronic collaboration with both
agency peers and other political actors and creating innovative strategies for embracing
cyberdemocracy.
Civic Networking
Much has been written about the success of the community networking model for the
development of online socio-political activism in towns, cities, and counties in the United
States (Doheny-Farina, 1996; Schuler, 1996; Rheingold, 1993). A community network
is defined as a low-cost, easy-to-use computer network that provides citizens with access
to electronic mail, public bulletin boards, and electronic information relevant to their
locality. According to Schuler (1996: 25), community networks “are generally intended
to advance social goals, such as building community awareness, encouraging involvement
in local decision-making, or developing economic opportunities in disadvantaged
communities.” Increasingly, many community networks are becoming more sophisticated
in both content and administration. In terms of content, some networks are beginning to
offer citizens access to computer-aided instructional education courses, the Internet, and
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) containing pertinent local information (Kreig,
1995). In terms of administration, many community networks are growing to the point
that private consulting firms, public libraries, and local colleges and universities are
coming forward as community partners for the purposes of professional network
administration (Schuler, 1996). As the rise of comprehensive community networks
parallels the development of unified IT systems in the public sector, it seems appropriate
to capture economies of scale and political value by integrating community and public
information networks into true civic networks. Civic networks should be conceptualized
as public information networks created and maintained by state and local government
agencies in partnership with community leaders, appropriate interest groups, and local
colleges and universities.
The World Wide Web is only a few years old and has witnessed explosive growth
in terms of the number of people connected and the amount of information available on
it. It is now possible to make available an enormous amount of information to anyone
with access to the Net and, increasingly, to carry out a variety of transactions from filling
in and sending forms to ordering and paying for goods and services on-line. We need to
harness the potential of the technologies available. But it is not simply a matter of creating
web-based content: the content has to be useful, it must be easy to access and updated
regularly. We also need to take special care to ensure that use of IT does not create a
new class of haves and have nots. While, on the one hand, we increase the use of
computers, we must also ensure that they are accessible and functional in the rural or
remoter areas. This is extremely important because the technology makes it possible for
a person in the remotest of areas to have access to the same information base on the
internet as someone located at the heart of the most developed cities. However, if the
rural communications and networking infrastructure as well as ‘information booths’ are
not put in place, the technology is of no use to the people living in those areas.
water bill, etc. Similarly information kiosks with Internet connectivity are being integrated
with the ISD/STD booths. All these are commendable initiatives to provide seamless
governance at the door-steps of the citizens. However, for these mass customization
efforts to succeed on a large scale, there is need to build capacities in government at all
levels. The Government of India has, therefore, decided to set up a National Institute of
Smart Government to be the focal point of this capacity building exercise.
All reforms require a clear vision, leadership and a considerable amount of effort
to bring about systematic changes in organizations so that their performance is improved
and they create better ways of delivering services to the public. We need to harness the
innate creative and innovative abilities of our colleagues and subordinates so that there
is a collective and collaborative initiative to bring about the changes that technology has
now made possible.
Having shown of how IT could be utilized for the benefit in the real field of public
sectors, the following part is how new partnerships could be established under this
technology.
The type of partnerships in public administration would be discussed in this section. The
how has already been discussed above. The partners are local agencies, private sectors,
business enterprises, and civil institutions.
Local agencies are the parties who know best concerning with the local issues.
Implementing poverty alleviation initiatives, for example would be more successful with
their participation. Data and other related information could be gathered, provided, and
discussed by both parties. Effective assistance will require the establishment of formal
partnership arrangements with nongovernmental actors who can provide the expertise and
resources necessary for implementing programs in the field. Monitoring of
implementation could be carried out through the means of IT.
Private sectors have a role in, partly or entirely, implementing projects. Quality
maintenance and monitoring of the project could be carried out through IT by the
authorities. Public-private partnership has been a model in this new democratization and
reinventing government era.
cooperative links on many different levels. Practitioners (rather than consultants alone)
should be used as advisers.
Business enterprises have the role in financing sector. When the public needs public
facilities, for example, and the government lacks the budget, a private enterprise could
build them under a certain arrangement. For the certain period of time the enterprise
could take certain advantage from the construction. All of these things could be stored
in the data warehouse.
However, under the auspices of the initiative, the plan to deepen its cooperation
with UN-system partners is necessary to be considered, for example with UNDP. UNDP’s
strong country presence and mandate to support and coordinate UN activities at the
national level for promoting economic and social development makes it an important body
from which the cooperation could be sought. Through strengthened collaboration between
EROPA and UNDP at the country level, both organizations can provide effective support
for the development of the member countries.
UNICEF, ILO, WHO, and UNESCO. With UNICEF, we could collaborate in the
collection and analyses of social and economic data as a tool for monitoring poverty,
particularly as it pertains to the socio-economic situation of our people.
With ILO, who share responsibilities as lead UN agencies in poverty reduction for
the UN Special System-wide Initiative on Poverty, we can collaborate to promote informal
sector and employment-generating strategies.
With WHO, we can work together to put forward fiscal policies that benefit health
sector development in the region. This will also strengthen past collaboration in raising
awareness about the socio-economic impacts of HIV/AIDS.
Conclusion
From the above experiences it can be concluded that public management needs are
at the forefront of the United Nations system concerns at both the sectoral and cross-
sectoral national policy levels. These experiences also demonstrate an increasing global
concern for efficient public administration for development. Finally, the need for a
coordinated system so as to efficiently provide assistance in public administration to the
Member Countries is also clear.
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