Overcoming barriers to digital government: mapping the strategies of digital champions

Previous research has identified a variety of barriers to digital government, and regularly emphasizes the importance of individuals that navigate institutional contexts and strategically pursue digital government solutions. This exploratory analysis investigates how these individuals understand barriers to digital government and the strategies that they apply to overcome them. Using interviews with digital champions in the U.S government, we extract the tactics employed to overcome these barriers including storytelling, community building, external validation, orientation towards citizen perspectives and a reliance on external peer networks. Results highlight the interconnected nature of barriers and the non-linear quality of strategies, and allow the construction of a theoretical model for structural and cultural barriers and strategies as experienced by digital champions. This model highlights the perceived efficacy and impact of cultural strategies, and the association of these strategies with external peer networks and citizens, and a tension in how digital champions describe actors and approaches introduced from the private sector.     

Making the digital turn: Identifying the user requirements of digital scholarship services in university libraries

This paper reports on a research study aiming to identify the user requirements of digital scholarship services (DSS) in university libraries. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, a case study approach was adopted as the overarching methodology. Wuhan University Library (one of the top university libraries in China) was adopted as the case study. Specifically, a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach was employed for the case analysis. A qualitative study was performed aiming to identify and qualify users' DSS requirements. The analysis of qualitative interview data pointed to 17 DSS requirements under five themes: formulating research ideas, locating research partners, writing research proposals, conducting research, and publishing results. Subsequently, a quantitative Kano model analysis was undertaken to validate, verify and prioritise the DSS requirements identified. Based on measuring individual requirements' priority, DSS requirements were classified into four types: must-be, one-dimensional, attractive, and indifference. Finally, a set of strategic suggestions for DSS development were devised. This paper is of interests to library and information science researchers, as well as library managers and professionals. Although the data were collected from a university library in China, the research findings provide useful insights and implications that can be shared across international borders.     

Improving the assessment of digital services in government websites: Evidence from the Mexican State government portals ranking

Different definitions, frameworks and dimensions have been proposed in the literature to identify the best pathways for the development of government websites. Using these frameworks, several measurements and rankings to assess digital government success have been developed. Although these models have helped to understand the influence of many critical factors on the successful application of ICT in government, it is necessary to understand the empirical validity of these frameworks and dimensions. Some authors have proposed factor analysis techniques as a useful tool for this task. Using data from a ranking of state government portals in Mexico during the period 2009-2015, we conducted a principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the dimensions of the evolutionary model proposed in the ranking. Results ratify most of the original dimensions of the evaluated instrument, but allow reducing the number of questions and obtain more robust estimations. Also, the new reduced instrument is validated using data collected in 2016 and 2017. Based on the analysis, we provide a set of practical recommendations for improving measurement methodologies and the assessment of digital government services in general.     

Understanding the complexity of electronic government: Implications from the digital divide literature

Theoretically and practically E-Government and the digital divide are intertwined social phenomena. Using sophisticated information technologies (IT) in government has little social value if citizens are not able to use services or interact in political processes in meaningful ways. Similarly, understanding the development and use of IT in government without incorporating a demand perspective would potentially lead to partial explanations of a complex social reality. This article argues that studies about E-Government and the digital divide, which have been relatively disconnected research areas, have important parallels and potential intersections. These parallels may be useful in understanding E-Government projects and policies in a more comprehensive way and, consequently, for developing effective digital strategies. The paper reviews trajectories in E-Government and digital divide research and suggests potential implications drawn from the digital divide literature for E-Government research and practice, including model and theory development, understanding users, and some determinants of demand.     

Identifying the value of data analytics in the context of government supervision: Insights from the customs domain

eCommerce, Brexit, new safety and security concerns are only a few examples of the challenges that government organisations, in particular customs administrations, face today when controlling goods crossing borders. To deal with the enormous volumes of trade customs administrations rely more and more on information technology (IT) and risk assessment, and are starting to explore the possibilities that data analytics (DA) can offer to support their supervision tasks. Driven by customs as our empirical domain, we explore the use of DA to support the supervision role of government. Although data analytics is considered to be a technological breakthrough, there is so far only a limited understanding of how governments can translate this potential into actual value and what are barriers and trade-offs that need to be overcome to lead to value realisation. The main question that we explore in this paper is: How to identify the value of DA in a government supervision context, and what are barriers and trade-offs to be considered and overcome in order to realise this value? Building on leading models from the information system (IS) literature, and by using case studies from the customs domain, we developed the Value of Data Analytics in Government Supervision (VDAGS) framework. The framework can help managers and policy-makers to gain a better understanding of the benefits and trade-offs of using DA when developing DA strategies or when embarking on new DA projects. Future research can examine the applicability of the VDAGS framework in other domains of government supervision.     

公共危机管理中政府信息公开存在的问题与对策

文章分析了政府信息公开在公共危机管理中的作用,指出公共危机管理中政府信息公开存在的问题,并从制度、法律、政府、媒体、公民等多方面,提出加强公共危机管理中政府信息快速、高效公开的对策。     

Towards a typology of adaptive governance in the digital government context: The role of decision-making and accountability

The notion of adaptive governance was originally created to capture forms of collaboration in socio-ecological systems that can respond to rapid changes in the environment. However, such a notion also has a great potential to be transferred and understood in the digital government context, where there is an increasing need to establish forms of collaboration that can respond to swift changes in the environment related to technology and citizen demands. Drawing on the analysis of four cases of IT-related project collaboration, we put forward that the degree of sharing of decision-making power and of accountability between government and non-government actors is critical to developing different types of adaptive governance. Findings show that the distribution of decision-making power and of accountability can be decoupled, resulting in three types of adaptive governance – namely polycentric, agile, and organic governance. We contribute to research by detailing and empirically testing the notion of adaptive governance in a digital government context, and to practice by highlighting the role of the distribution of decision-making power and of accountability in devising adaptive governance strategies.     

Towards a comprehensive understanding of digital transformation in government: Analysis of flexibility and enterprise architecture

Digital transformation (DT) is a strategic imperative for governments that aim to improve their services and efficiency. Despite high expectations regarding DT practices, there is limited empirical evidence on how governments are approaching DT in a hierarchical bureaucracy context and how flexibility is created to enable progression. In this research, we employed a case study approach to investigate and analyze DT based on relevant events occurring in a five-year period. A conceptual model was created by combining the diamond framework, the technology enactment framework, and enterprise architecture scope to facilitate the chronological analysis of these events and reflect upon the creation of flexibility. The findings indicate that DT in government spreads in waves with adaptations in different organizational elements, impacting the whole administrative system from the provincial level to the country level and including both radical and incremental changes. Flexibility increases alongside progress in DT and can be technology-enabled or policy-enabled. The creation of flexibility also depends on organizational elements and bureaucratic levels. This study advocates a cross-level view to comprehensively understand DT and offers insights to help other governments craft DT agenda.     

档案部门参与政府危机管理 做好信息服务工作的思考

政府危机管理是政府管理职能中的一个重要组成部分,20世纪80年代以来,世界各国政府都开始逐步认识到危机管理的重要性.我国政府在经历了各种自然危机和人为危机的洗礼后,特别是这次"非典"危机后,已经认识到政府危机管理工作的重要性和迫切性.     

The digital divide and the quality of electronic service delivery in local government in the United Kingdom

This study examines the relationship between the quality of electronic service delivery (ESD) and the levels of Internet access across the 12 official regions of the United Kingdom. A random sample of 236 local government websites was assessed for the quality of ESD. The results indicate that in contrast to regions of high household Internet access, the quality of local government websites in regions of low household Internet access was significantly poorer in terms of information content and relatively limited in terms of the range of e-enabled services. The policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

The role played by government communication on the level of public fear in social media: An investigation into the Covid-19 crisis in Italy

In situations of crisis, governments must acknowledge that communication is a major weapon in their armoury, and can be used to convince the public to accept sometimes stringent measures, while preventing a worsening of the situation by curbing any spread of panic. Theoretically, during a pandemic, fear can be contained at reasonable levels by governments counterbalancing uncertainty with information. However, there is no empirical evidence on how the flow of information during a crisis can influence emotional states among the population. In this process, social media appears to be a valuable tool for governments to observe emotional response in a population. In the light of this and within the context of the Italian government's social media campaign #iorestoacasa (‘I'm staying at home’) launched during the Covid-19 crisis, the current study utilises text analytics to explore the relationship between government and press communication, and the level of fear expressed by citizens through more than 200 thousand #iorestoacasa tweets. The results highlight how the content of the messages evolved in the early part of the outbreak and during the social media campaign. They suggest that in Italy the discussion regarding the efforts made by the European Council to find common solutions for dealing with the emergency has prompted a positive influence on public mood. Conversely, messages about people's individual vulnerability and the associated sense of an external locus of control correlated positively with levels of fear. This study opens new ways to support government communication during a crisis by monitoring public emotional response through social media.     

Interorganizational collaboration and community building for the preservation of state government digital information: Lessons from NDIIPP state partnership initiative

As a part of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), the Library of Congress (LC), partnering with the Center for Technology in Government (CTG), launched an effort in 2005 to integrate state governmental entities into the national network to preserve born-digital information that is both significant and at risk of loss. The main theme that emerged from the efforts of LC, CTG, and the state and federal digital preservation community was the importance of partnership efforts and collaborative strategies for the preservation of state government digital information. Based on the findings of the initiative, this paper discusses challenges and opportunities regarding interorganizational collaboration and community building for digital preservation of state government information. Following the community of practice framework, it is recommended that a “state government digital information preservation community” be developed to facilitate collaboration across agencies and knowledge professionals in state governments.     

When A. Rose is not A. Rose: the vagaries of author searching

Creation of a faculty database is a challenging but worthwhile project. In 2002, librarians at the University of Missouri-Columbia were approached by the School of Medicine to create a database of faculty publications. This article outlines the project and gives special emphasis to the problems of author searching. Discussion items include author searching syntax and providing ideas for how to determine if a publication was written by a particular author.     

Digital transformation toward AI-augmented public administration: The perception of government employees and the willingness to use AI in government

Government employees play a critical role in adopting and using new technologies in government, and their attitude and willingness to use them matter in creating a sustainable and meaningful digital transformation. This study explores how the perception of government employees shapes the willingness to support the use of AI technologies in government. Based on a survey data on current government employees in the U.S., our analysis reveals that the willingness to implement and use AI technologies in government was contingent upon a series of positive and negative perceptions about the new technologies, long-term outlook on the role of AI technologies in society, and the familiarity and experience in using some form of AI applications in the past. In particular, the perception of AI enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the work and a positive and longer-term outlook on AI's future about human labor (as an assistant or a competitor), the perception of the technology's ultimate harm or benefit (does it harm or benefit humanity), its ability to eventually make ethical and moral judgments influenced the willingness to support AI technologies in government. A substantial proportion of the government employees in the survey sample responded that they had experienced using some form of AI applications in their work and this familiarity had a strong positive influence on their support for AI. Our findings point to the importance of training the government employees in AI technologies to improve their understanding and perception about the new technologies as well as their potentials in government that will foster a culture of innovation toward sustainable and impactful digital transformation.     

全力推进党校信息化建设 为数字图书馆奠定坚实的基础

文章从时代和全党工作的高度认识信息化建设的重大意义，全面介绍了中共重庆市委党校信息化建设的基本情况，结合自身实际，阐述了党校信息化建设的几点体会。     

When Everyone is Laughing: The Presence,Characteristics, and Enjoyment of Disparagement Humor in Online TV

Two studies examine disparagement humor in online television and reasons people enjoy witnessing the comedic ridicule of other people. In Study 1, a quantitative content analysis, coders documented the prevalence and characteristics of disparagement humor in online television clips and its reception by audiences. Disparagement humor appeared in one in four video clips, often targeting physical appearance and weight. Studio audiences, other television characters, and online commenters often validated disparagement humor. Study 2, an experiment, investigated the contribution of existing prejudice and third-party audience reaction to the reported enjoyment of disparagement humor and willingness to share the insulting humor with others. Both validating audience reaction and existing prejudice positively predicted enjoyment of disparagement humor. Further, enjoyment of the disparagement humor significantly predicted participants’ self-reported likelihood to share the insulting jokes with acquaintances.     

They think all of this is new: Leveraging librarians' project management skills for the digital humanities

ABSTRACT

This article will explore how to develop the holistic project management planning (PMP) mindset in different parts of the library when undertaking digital humanities (DH) projects. PMP skills do exist within libraries and librarians, but organizational alignment typically does not allow for the most effective applications of librarians' PMP skills to DH projects. This article will explore how the skills of public services librarians, technical services librarians and administrative librarians align with the PMP phases and the challenges that each kind of librarian has to overcome in completing successful DH projects.     

Cybertroopers and tea parties: government use of the Internet in Malaysia

The advent of the Internet has enabled a disruption of the Malaysian government's long-standing control of media content. However, there are also opportunities for the government to extend into the Internet what Cherian George has called ‘narrow tailoring’ policies, designed to ensure ‘hegemonic consensus.’ Demonstrating the interconnections of intraparty factional rivalry, blogging and newspaper management, as well as the extension of government influence into online content, this paper discusses three cases: the transformation of a bloggers association; the organisation of ‘cybertroopers’ by the dominant governing party; and, the use of a blog, Facebook, and Twitter by the prime minister (PM), Najib Razak. Each of the cases highlights particular ‘blog affordances’, a concept used to parse the potentials and limitations of blogs and other social media with regards to state hegemonic control through media ownership. In addition, an adapted concept of ‘extended parasocial relations’ is proposed in relation to Najib's blog and social media presence. Overall, these cases demonstrate the continuity and complementarity of on- and offline activities, which form a relatively stabilised assemblage of political activity.     

The press and political continuity in China: The case of the World Economic Herald

This paper, utilizing the method of case study, investigates the role of the Shanghai‐based World Economic Herald in China's political democratization in the 1980s, and analyses its relationship with the social changes of that period.

A prominent theme running through this study is that political democratization must be coupled with economic growth in order for the role of the press to change in China.

Results of the study suggest that the World Economic Herald, throughout its ten‐year existence, became more and more politically oriented and outspoken in its coverage of key political issues. The findings also reveal that in early 1989, the Herald waged an unprecedented struggle against the Party's tight control of the news media and for political democratization including press freedom. However, its role in promoting political change was restricted by the nature of China's reform movement, which was characterized by a separation of political reform from economic reform. The development and demise of the Herald provided a window through which it could be clearly seen how the press affected and was affected by the social changes in China in the historical period of the 1980s.