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Public
Administration
and Information
Technology

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Chapter 1

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Opening Case OR DISTRIBUTION
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President Obama’s Vision for IT and the Federal Government

Some have argued that President Barack Obama’s technology agenda is game changing Learning, Dorris,
© Jones & Bartlett (McClure andLLC 2010). The agenda brings together collabora© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC tion, participation, and transparency to government NOT FOR SALEtech- DISTRIBUTION through information OR
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION nology (IT). Collaboration can be seen through free tools and technologies that provide fast, cheap, and effective support to increase citizen interaction with the federal government. In addition, social media networks such as Twitter,
Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are now used by many federal agencies.
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© Jones & been a deluge of data proFinally, through increased participation there hasBartlett Learning, LLC
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Disclosure Management
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Learning, LLC

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Federal government databases have publicly available data intertwined with
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NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION personally indefinable information and other protected data. The time period for releasing this information is shortened, and this information can be mashed-up with other information. As a result there is a risk of not having the proper safeguards in place before posting information.

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1
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2

Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

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NOT FOR SALE ORin the Government 2.0 environment through webDISTRIBUTION
Data sharing is increasing
Data Sharing

sites such as www.data.gov. There also is a need for government to package the data, which creates challenges between information ownership and control.

© Jones & Data Quality
Bartlett Learning, LLC
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The accuracy, integrity, timeliness, federal government OR
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION and reliability ofNOT FOR SALE data DISTRIBUTION and information are a recurring problem, and this becomes an increasingly challenging problem as more data are placed on the Web. These data may have errors and also could be dated and irrelevant.

Multichannel
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Government must
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delivery channels such as Internet, phone, face-to-face, and printed materials. Governments must find ways to connect with the public in these different contact channels.

© Analysis
DataJones &

Bartlett Learning, LLC

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Because FOR large volume of data and the movement for greater performance and accountability in government, there will be an emergence of knowledge management technology, or technology that is able to analyze data to produce usable results for decision making. This will include search queries, which will enable citizens to LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning,get the right information faster with their & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones government.
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Disruption

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These innovative technologies can disrupt the status quo, thereby requiring organizations to be more agile and flexible in this changing environment.
As part of introducing his agenda, President Obama also gathered leading chief executives from many high profile companies to get lessons from them
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NOT power of technology to increase efficiency and to improve customer service (Holleyman, 2010). Those executives listed the following as important for Obama’s IT agenda:

1. To try not to resolve everything at once and to focus on smaller projects & can have an impact
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2. To maintain interoperability, which is also critical for the advanceNOT FOR SALE OR D
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION ment of Obama’s agenda, in which systems are able to communicate and work together
3. To look at the advantages of existing technology rather than creating new systems from scratch
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4. To DISTRIBUTION
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Introduction

3

Chapter Objectives
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There are five primary objectives to this introductory importance of information technology (IT) and public administration:
1. To introduce the importance of IT to modern public administration
2. To introduce the external environment of IT and public administration
© Jones & To introduce the internal LLC
3. Bartlett Learning, environmental influence of IT© Jonesadministration Learning, LLC on public & Bartlett
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4. To examine
5. To introduce the major issues that public organizations face in IT and public administration

Introduction

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This book deals with the important subject of IT and its influence on public administration. IT influences every aspect of our daily lives from simply checking bus schedules online to banking over the Internet. IT influences our work lives as well through checking e-mail Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett or preparing an important presentation. Much of our& Bartlett Lea
© Jones lives have become easier as a result of IT and its impact on society, but we also face
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NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION numerous challenges, such as the disparity in access to IT between different socioeconomic groups, the different skill levels of individuals that use IT, and issues of privacy of our personal information.
This book examines IT and its influence on public sector organizations. The U.S.
© Jones & Bartlettis composed of 50 state governments, numerous local governments, Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett and government Learning, LLC the federal government with is multitude of departments and agencies. All these
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NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION governments have incorporated IT into their operations. Some of them use simple systems such as spreadsheets, word processors, and e-mail, whereas other public organizations use complicated database systems and advanced information systems.
The diversity in the needs of all these governments and their use of IT is enormous.
& Bartlett Learning, LLC the U.S. federal government is introducing a tremendous amount of
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
As an example,
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NOT efficient and OR DISTRIBUTION change through the as seen in the opening case study.
There is a great need to study IT and public administration, given that most of the textbooks on the market examine IT and its influence on private sector organizations.© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLCmuch different from private sector& Bartlett Lea
As this book argues, the public sector is
© Jones entities; therefore, SALE OR DISTRIBUTION it deserves to have a book that focuses exclusively onNOT FOR SALE OR D this sector.
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As discussed, the goals of private sector organizations are usually well known, to sell a good or generate a profit, whereas in the public sector, given the diverse interests it must serve, generating a profit is not feasible or even desirable. In addition, the outside environment influences public sector agencies more so than private sector
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC entities, and this provides a unique constraint on what© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC can be accomplished.
NOT FOR SALE OR there is a great need to study IT and its impact on public administration
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In addition, DISTRIBUTION given the rise of the Internet and its use in modern public organizations. The Internet

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4

Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

has made it possible for organizations and people to be connected together, creating a
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea virtual government. This was not possible until around the mid-1990s with the rapid
NOT FOR
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OR DISTRIBUTION rise of the Internet through lation. This networked organization has changed many functions of the workplace and makes it worthy to study the influence of IT on public administration in this new and important environment.

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What Is Public Administration and IT?

Public administration is concerned with the goal of advancing management and policies of government. Public administration is what takes place after the election, in
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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC which the day-to-day business of governing actually occurs. Public administration also
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NOT FOR SALE of government decision deals with management of public programs and is the studyOR DISTRIBUTION making, the analysis of the policies themselves, the various inputs that have produced them, and the inputs necessary to produce alternative policies (Henry, 2007).
IT is the study, design, development, application, implementation, support, or
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© applicamanagement of computer-based information systems, particularly softwareJones & Bartlett Lea tions NOTcomputer hardware (Laudon and Laudon, 2009). IT deals with the use SALE OR DI and FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR of computers and computer software to securely convert, store, protect, process, transmit, input, output, and retrieve information. IT can contribute toward the operational and strategic activities of the public sector organization (Boynton et al., 1994).
Moreover, IT can provide cost reduction, management support, strategic planning,
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC cost-reduction applications, management support, and, most importantly, outreach
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION policymakers, employees, and contracts. OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE to constituencies such as citizens,
Essentially, public administration and IT deal with the use of information systems to shape organizational change in government. Much of the literature on public administration and IT argues for the transformation of government through IT. This book focuses on
& Bartlett Learning, LLC how IT has influenced almost every functional area of public ad© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC ministration, with a specific focus on organizationalSALE OR DISTRIBUTION
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Theories of IT and Public Administration

© IT. Each
Here © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC we review the three common theories of public administration and Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION theory examines the impact of technology on social and organizational change.FOR SALE OR D

Technological Determinism

One important driver of LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning,change in information systems is the theoryBartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & of technology determinism (Volti, 1992; Smith and Marx, 1994). This implies that whenOR DISTRIBUTION
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NOT FOR SALE a new technology appears it creates change and will be adopted by public administration.

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Theories of IT and Public Administration

5

For example, the automobile created suburbia, and the birth control pill produced
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea a sexual revolution. Therefore, inventions sometimes are viewed as taking on a life
NOT FOR
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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC systems regardless of the organizational context
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC of enterprise resource planning
(Grant et al., DISTRIBUTION statistics that vendors often
NOT FOR SALE OR 2006). This is most exemplified in the NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION quote, explaining the reduction in costs and increases in performance of the public sector organization as a result of enterprise resource planning implementation. This type of “selling” of the technology for the sake of changing the organization is known as the technology determinism theory.

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Reinforcement Theory

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Another theory of technology and social change is the reinforcement theory. This theory argues that administrators implement IT if it supports their view of the or© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones ganization change (Sherrod, 1971). This theory comes from the political science& Bartlett Lea literature that examines why voters seek out candidates with which NOTagree. SALE OR DI they FOR
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Therefore, citizens choose candidates that have a similar position to them on the issues. The theory applies for the adoption of IT in the public sector; technology is adopted if it agrees with the view of the public manager on the future direction of the organization. For example, if the chief information office, the highest IT execu© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC tive in an organization, does not believe a new information system will work in the
NOT FOR SALE ORhe or she most likely will not adopt the system. FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
NOT organization, Sociotechnical Theory

The third and
& Bartlett Learning, LLCmost important perspective from the point of this book is theLLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, sociotechnical perspective. This sociotechnical perspective argues that organizations are
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made up of people in the social system that use tools, techniques, and knowledge to shape the organizational change (Pasmore, 1988). The sociotechnical system states that technical change is influenced by the demands of the external environment that impacts information systems change in an organization. The sociotechnical perspec© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones tive is the most commonly used theory in public administration to demonstrate the& Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION impact of technology on organizational change (Perry and Danziger, 1980; Norris SALE OR D and Moon, 2005). This perspective is unique and important for this book because it implies public managers need to know IT from both the technical perspective, understanding the technology that is being implemented, and the social perspective. The closing case study at
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC the end of this chapterJonesthe Bartlett Learning, LLC
© shows & impact of the change inOR DISTRIBUTION and IT use as seen through the SALESecurity baby boomer population
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Administration.

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6

Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

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Why Jones &IT in Public Administration?
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We study public administration and IT for four important reasons: how it impacts trust in government, the sheer money spent on IT, the lack of performance of existing systems, and the increased demands on public managers.

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Trust in OR DISTRIBUTION

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According to the Gallup Poll, we know that trust in all levels of government has fallen in recent years. This is even more pronounced as a result of the recession in the late
2000s in the United States, as Gallup has examined the trends in trust in federal and
& Bartlett Learning, LLC overtime (Jones, 2009). In 2009 trust in state government was at an
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC state government all time low. The
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NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION do you have in the government of the state where you live when it comes to handling state problems.” The ratings for a great deal/fair amount of trust indicate that trust was down from 67% in 2004 to 51% in 2009. This decline in trust is due to the economic downturn during this time, which means there were budget cuts to state
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea programs. This lack of trust influences citizens and their confidence in their governNOT FOR
NOT important for elected officials to increase trust in government to provide SALE OR DI
FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION ment. It is confidence in governing institutions. IT is one way to make the public sector more responsive to citizens, by being able to deliver services faster and more efficiently.
In addition, IT can be used to create more open and transparent government because
© Jones & Bartletton governments can be made freely available Jones & posted online.
© and easily Bartlett Learning, LLC information Learning, LLC

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Money Spent on IT and Public Administration

Another reason we study IT and public administration is the sheer amount of money spent on IT projects. President Barack Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2011
& Bartlett Learning, LLC billion in spending on IT projects, which is a Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett 1.2% increase from requested $79.4
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTION in the fiscal 2010NOT FOR SALE 2010). The Obama Adwhat was proposed budget (Bain et al., OR DISTRIBUTION ministration proposed an increase in the number of IT projects in this budget. For example, for fiscal year 2010, 781 IT projects worth $40.3 billion were proposed.
For fiscal year 2011 the Obama Administration proposed 809 major IT projects worth© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLCObama plans on increasing money& Bartlett Lea
$40.4 billion. With this modest increase,
© Jones to IT NOT FORpromote more DISTRIBUTION technology modernization for SALE OR D efforts that SALE OR open government and
NOT FOR fiscal year 2011. For example, one budget request calls for launching a new tracking tool with daily updates that would allow the public to see aggregate spending by agency and geographical area. The hope of this is to allow the public greater understanding of how government works and make more responsible spending decisions.
© Jones & Bartlett the Obama Administration proposed a new outcome-focused metric for
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In addition, Learning, LLC
NOT FORinformation security performance for agencies to be in NOT FORwith the Federal
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Information Security Management Act.

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Differences Between Public and Private Sectors

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Historically, a number of IT projects and their associated budgets appear on the Of© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea fice of Management and Budget’s Management Watch List (U.S. Government AccountNOT FOR SALE OR DI
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION ability Office, 2010). The number of projects on the Management Watch List increased by 239 projects and was $13 billion for fiscal year 2009; this represents a significant portion of the budget. To improve transparency into the oversight of IT investment in June 2009, the Office of Management and Budget deployed a website known as
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC the IT Dashboard (http://it.usaspending.gov), which replaced the Management Watch
List. The OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE data displayed in the IT Dashboard are intended to provide a real-time perNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION spective on the performance of these investments, as well as a historical perspective.
Therefore, given the magnitude of spending on IT projects and the scope of its impact on government, it is essential to study public administration and IT.

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Lack of Performance of Systems
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There has been tremendous growth in spending on IT investments in public sector organizations, but what is the impact of this growth in spending on the relative performance of public sector organizations (Lee and Perry, 2002)? Investing in IT can help the publicBartlett Learning, LLC of internal operations © Jones & Bartlett Lea through au© Jones & sector improve the efficiency tomation. IT can also improve the quality of existing public services, creatingFOR SALE OR DI
NOT new
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION types of services that were not previously available. The improvement in government performance overall is one of the perceived net benefits of IT spending. Empirical results indicate a connection, at the state government level, between IT investment of the state and an increase in its economic performance. With American society
© Jones & Bartlett focused on performance of its government,© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC increasingly Learning, LLC
IT is one method of enhancNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION ing overall public sector performance.

Increased Demands by Public Sector Managers for IT
The final reason to study public administration and IT is the increased demands

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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC placed on public sector workers for results. To meet these demands, government
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTION translate goals intoNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION needs to use IT to outcomes. Therefore, public managers must

be cognizant of the impact of IT on their organization. For example, the National
Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration recognizes the need of public affairs programs to provide knowledge of IT to master’s students. There is no doubt that knowledge of IT isLearning, LLC effective manager, and this book& Bartlett Lea
© Jones & Bartlett important to be an
© Jones discusses its importance for public sector organizations.
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Differences Between Public and Private Sectors

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There are unique differences between the public and© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC private sectors, as noted in
NOT FORthe literature, DISTRIBUTION it is important toNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
SALE OR and this explains why study public administration and IT (Rainey and Bozeman, 2000). First, public sector agencies typically have

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Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

more concerns and issues than their private sector counterparts. Therefore, their
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea goals are usually more complex and ambiguous than business firms. Public sector
NOT goals
NOT FOR SALE ORhard-to-measure, multiple, and even conflicting FOR SALE OR DI
DISTRIBUTION
agencies typically have vague, with which they must contend. This is usually a product of the lack of profit indicators and incentives for the public sector due to political oversight and multiple interests that need to authorize programs. Second, public sector agencies typi© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC such as excessive rules and procedures that need
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC cally have more formalization, to be enforced, which is called “red
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION tape.” Public agencies, FOR SALE usually
NOT therefore, are OR DISTRIBUTION associated with an excessive amount of rules or red tape that may impede its performance. A third difference between the public and private sectors is that public agencies have more formalized personnel procedures, purchases processes, and other administrative tasks that are regulated by central administrative agencies.
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
There is typically more external oversight of public agencies for personnel and
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NOT FOR SALE satisfaction indicate a purchasing decisions. Fourth, most studies of work-relatedOR DISTRIBUTION lower rating in the public sector than in the private sector, especially at the management levels. This poses a challenge for recruiting and retaining of top workers for the public sector agencies.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones
Financially, public organizations are funded by government, and private organi-& Bartlett Lea zations are FOR owned and funded through sales or private donationsNOT FOR SALE OR DI
(Perry and
NOT those SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Rainey, 1988). Organizations that overlap represent mixed types of government corporations such as public utilities and government contractors. The degree of external control by major institutions, such as political authorities and economic markets, is a significant distinction between the two sectors. Ownership of sources
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC of funding reflects a degree of control, and public agencies have a greater degree
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTIONprivate sector counterparts.FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT Privately owned and of institutional control than their funded organizations are more likely to be influenced by economic markets.
In addition to these general differences, there are four important distinctions in which public organizations are different from the private sector in regards to public management (Boyne, 2002). These distinctions that Bartlett Learning, provide
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© Jones & public managers face LLC challenges for adopting and promotingNOT FORin their agencies.
IT projects SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
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Public Agency and Organizational Environments

© Jones & is greater complexity LLC
© Jones
As discussed, thereBartlett Learning, in public agencies because of the many& Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR
NOT FOR which they must contend. Public stakeholders with SALE OR DISTRIBUTION agencies are also more perme- SALE OR D able, meaning they are open systems that can be easily influenced by external events; this poses unique challenges for public managers. Public agencies also are instable, meaning they have political constraints and there is consistent pressure to achieve quick results because of
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC election cycles. Finally,Jonesagencies also face
© public & Bartlett Learning, LLC the absence of DISTRIBUTION Public agencies normally haveSALE ORand competitive pressures.
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NOT FOR few rivals, DISTRIBUTION when there is competition, government frequently enjoys a dominant position. As a

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Differences Between Public and Private Sectors

9

result, public managers face a unique and constrained operating environment that
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea they must contend with.

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Public Agency and Organizational Goals

Public managers face multiple goals imposed upon them with numerous stakeholders to satisfy. Private organizations
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC pursue a single goal of generating aBartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & greater profit, whereas publicDISTRIBUTION and pulled in many directions. In addition, the agencies get pushed
NOT FOR SALE OR
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION presence of multiple and sometimes vague goals is a challenge for public sector managers. As a result of this goal ambiguity, it is difficult to know if results are being achieved over the short and long run.

& Bartlett Learning, LLC and OrganizationalJones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Structures
Public Agency
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The internal characteristics of public agencies, such as more bureaucracy, more red tape, and low managerial autonomy, provide unique challenges for public managers.
Public organizations normally have more formal procedures for decision making and less flexibility and are more risk averse than their private sector counterparts. As
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones discussed, public agencies typically have more red tape, which can provide an un-& Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR
NOTand counterproductive obsession with rules rather than achieving results. SALE OR DI
FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION necessary Finally, public agencies have lower managerial autonomy, which means public managers have less freedom to react and see fit the circumstances they face.

Public and Managerial Values
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION influence on public NOT FOR SALElead and
Staff attitudes toward work have an managers’ ability to OR DISTRIBUTION

manage. Public managers are believed to be less materialistic than their private sector counterparts and less likely to be motivated by financial rewards. Second, public managers have a greater desire to serve the public and promote the public interest. Finally, there is a LLC
& Bartlett Learning, lower organizational commitment in the public sector largely because of the
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC inflexible personnel rules and weak link to performance and OR DISTRIBUTION
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NOT FOR SALE pay.
Of all the distinctions between the public and private sectors, one that has very serious implications for management is the differences in views of risk between the sectors. There is a familiar view that public sector managers are risk averse, in that they are unwilling to take a chance on something new and different for their organization,
© Jones & private sector counterparts. According to research, several factors& Bartlett Lea
© Jones compared with their Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR
NOT FOR risk in OR DISTRIBUTION lead to taking moreSALE public sector organizations (Bozeman and Kingsley, 1998). SALE OR D
First, public managers who trust their employees are likely to have employees who will take calculated risks. Second, if the goals of the public organization are known and stable, people will take risks. Third, red tape undercuts risk because this detracts from managers being entrepreneurial and endorses change. All theseBartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & differences in the publicOR DISTRIBUTION translate into important issues for public OR DISTRIBUTION and private sectors overall
NOT FOR SALE
NOT FOR SALE managers to understand.

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10

Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

© Jones & for Understanding
Framework Bartlett Learning, LLC IT and
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Public Administration

© Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR SALE OR DI

This book covers three dimensions of IT and public administration examining the external environment, the internal environment, and the major issues that public
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC As discussed, the overriding theoryBartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & we use to exorganizations face (Figure 1-1).
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION is the sociotechnical perspective.SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR Each theme is plain public administration and IT briefly introduced. All three areas are interrelated; what happens to one area has an impact on another area. These areas are one way of thinking about IT and public administration; they are examined in turn and are the focused discussion of this book.

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External Environment

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As mentioned, public sector organizations have many diverse interests with which to contend. The external environment can be divided into three factors that influence IT and public administration. The literature on IT and public administration
© Jones & the importance of examining
© because has long argued for Bartlett Learning, LLC the external environment;Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR
NOT FORmerely happenDISTRIBUTION
SALE OR internally within government, many external influ- SALE OR DI change does not ences drive IT adoption (Bretschneider, 1990).
First, there is democracy and its influence on IT and public administration. The
Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) have influenced the way democracies function. For instance, the Internet canBartlett as a
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & be used Learning, LLC medium for political candidates running for office to reach a FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT broad audience. They can also target specific individuals they might want to get donations or support from for their election campaign. In addition, the general election in the United States in
2008 was heavily influenced by ICT as seen through a record number of donations to the then presidential candidate Barack Obama. It was also used as a source for

& Bartlett Learning, LLC
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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION

External
Environment

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Internal
Environment

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION

© Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR SALE OR D

Major Issues

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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Figure 1-1 Public Administration and IT Through the Sociotechnical Perspective

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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
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© 2011 Jones
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Framework for Understanding IT and Public Administration

11

online information on candidates through new social media such as Facebook and
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea
Twitter. Indeed, the ways elections are conducted today have been greatly influenced
NOT FOR
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTIONStates at polling places. Some of SALE OR DI by ICT even in the way citizens vote in the United the most important issues and challenges of e-democracy are discussed in this book.
Another external environmental influence is the participation of citizens in the political and policymaking process. ICT has enabled citizens to participate in their
© Jones & Bartlettmuch more easily as a result of advances in © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC government Learning, LLC this technology. For instance, before the Internet, proposed policies
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION would be distributed inFOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT paper form, which of course is expensive and time consuming to deliver. With ICT, governments can display and customize information for citizens, creating a more transparent government. The policymaking cycle has changed as a result of ICT, where citizens can mobilize support for or against a new government policy because of new social media such as blogs.
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
The final area of the external environment is e-governance. E-governance is the
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTIONthe delivery of services to citizens by their government. E-governance
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION impact of ICTs on focuses more on how IT impacts change, not just within the organization but externally both politically and institutionally. With advances in ICT, public service delivery has fundamentally changed. It is possible for a government to provide information
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones or a service to its residents through the Internet. This can range from simple things& Bartlett Lea such NOT FOR SALEcouncil’s agenda online, to more advanced functions FOR SALE OR DI as looking up a city OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT such as renewing a vehicle registration online. E-governance is supposed to create more transparent government and is said, by some researchers, to increase trust and confidence in their governing institutions. E-governance can be driven externally by the interests of citizens and their needs. The second part of this book examines the
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC internal environment of IT and public administration with a focus on leadership and
NOT FOR SALE OR e-government, and enterprise architecture.
DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION management, Internal Environment

Unlike the external environment where Jones is driven by external stimuli, the
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© change & Bartlett Learning, LLC internal environment examines changeNOT within public sector DISTRIBUTION from FOR SALE OR organizations. The
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTION

first area covered is leadership and management and its impact on IT and public administration. We often hear there is a lack of leaders in public sector organizations. Leaders are critical for these organizations because they can move and change them in a defined direction. This book argues that successful IT adoption in public
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, the
© Jones organizations occurs when leaders supportLLCimportance of IT to organizational& Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR SALE provide the vision of where IT fits into theNOT FOR SALE OR D success. Leaders need to OR DISTRIBUTION mission of their organization. Management also plays a critical role, because management is responsible for making sure IT projects are properly implemented and produce results. Effective management, according to the literature, is a critical catalyst for the development of IT in public administration.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
A second internal environment stimulus is that of e-government and organizational
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION change. Unlike e-governance, e-government deals specifically with the application

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12

Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

of IT to public sector organizations. The focus on e-government is more on change
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea within the organization. The e-government literature examines best practices and
NOT FOR SALE OR DI
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION how this technology transforms organizations. E-government through ICT is said to change the internal structures of government by creating more efficient and effective organizations. Compared to e-governance, e-government deals more with the “nuts and bolts” of ICT application in the public sector. Examples of e-government are the
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC system within a department that canBartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & communicate implementation of an information across different departments and share information. The literature on e-government
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION has some scholars arguing it will transform the organization, and it has others arguing it will produce more incremental change.
The third internal environmental influence is enterprise architecture, or the use of
IT to map the business processes of the organization. For IT to be integrated holisti& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC cally with the organization, there needs to be a blueprint mapping out all its funcR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR arrangements. The U.S. federal tions and how technology fits into these functional SALE OR DISTRIBUTION government, one of the largest purchasers of IT in the world, is a strong advocate for enterprise architecture because they want new information systems to work in conjunction with the mission of the department or agency. Enterprise architecture
© to integrate information systems into the
© Jones is a wayJones & Bartlett Learning, LLC mission of the organization, and it& Bartlett Lea is discussed in this book. OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DI
NOT FOR SALE

Major Issues
Any introductory book on IT and public administration cannot cover all the major

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC This book has a selection JonesI& Bartlettsome
© of what believe are Learning, LLC issues public organizations face.
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION future issues to consider for this important topic.
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION of the most important present and

First, there is a discussion of e-procurement, e-commerce, and online financial reporting. All three areas involve the use of public resources to provide information or purchase goods to fulfill a service request. E-procurement is the use of ICTs to impact the purchasing function in publicJones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© organizations. This can range from online ordering systems to the removal of paper-based procurement with electronic proR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION cessing and digital signatures. E-commerce is using ICT for citizens to complete a transaction online. Unlike e-government, e-commerce involves a transaction or payment of money for a public service. An example of e-commerce is paying for a public utility bill online or registering a car over the Internet. Finally, online finan© Jones & use of the Internet to post information about the financial status& Bartlett Lea
© Jones cial reporting is theBartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE can DISTRIBUTION of government online. ThisOR take the form of a city’s audited financialNOT FOR SALE OR D statements or annual budget being posted on the Web.
The second major issue covered in this book is human resource information systems in public sector organizations. As the result of ICT, the human resources function has been greatly influenced. Some common examples are through theLearning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett recruitmentOR DISTRIBUTION process, where job advertisement can now be immediately posted OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE
NOT FOR SALE online.
Employees can look up their benefit plans online or change their plans during the

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© 2011 Jones
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Discussion Questions

13

annual enrollment period. Human resource information systems can be used to cre© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Lea ate databases on employees or to look at trends in employment that might be of value
NOT FOR SALE OR DI
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION to the government. Essentially, IT in the human resources department has created a virtual department that is explored in this book.
The third and final major issue covered is perhaps the most important for public sector organizations, that of privacy and security of IT. Because we are in a networked
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC is great value of knowingJones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© the personal information and interconnected world, there of individuals. For example, if politicians know the profile of a likelySALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR voter they can more effectively target that voter in campaign advertisements. Or if a government knows what information and services citizens want, they can better provide these services if they can collect personally identifiable information online. The issue becomes what is being done with personal information, because at the time of collecting the infor& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC mation the individual may not know exactly what it is being used for. Information
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTION important issue related to privacy, examining what protections
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION security is another are in place to secure information systems of public organizations. Both privacy and information security are critical issues as governments move forward adopting IT in their public agencies.

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION

Summary

© Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR SALE OR DI

This introductory chapter for Public Administration and Information Technology sets the context of the book and provides a framework for thinking about IT and public
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLCthe sociotechnical perspective because of its heavy
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC administration. This book uses
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION influence on the field, in which readers need to understand both the social and technological aspects of IT to understand its influence on organizational change. There are three parts to the book examining the external environment, internal environment, and major issues in the field. Each part is important to know because of the unique way public organizations are influenced by Bartlett Learning, LLC
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & environmental pressures. One needs to appreciate the unique context of IT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT in public sector organizations and how it is different from the private sector, and this book addresses this important issue.
The purpose of the book is to provide a broad overview of the theories and major issues in this important and growing area of public administration.

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR Questions
Discussion SALE OR DISTRIBUTION

© Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR SALE OR D

1. What are the three main theories of public administration and IT? What theory is the most useful?
2. Why study public administration and IT?
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
3. What are the most important differences between the public and private sectors and
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION how do they frame the study of public administration and information technology?

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& Bartlett Learning, LLC
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© 2011 Jones
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14

Chapter 1 Public Administration and Information Technology

© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC

Closing Case Study
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION

© Jones & Bartlett Lea
NOT FOR SALE OR DI

SSA and New Baby Boomer Claims

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has increased its use of electronic transactions, expanding by 50%
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC from fiscal year 2008 toJones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© 2009 (Jackson, 2010).
The SSA is struggling to keep up with demand, despite a record number of staff DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR increases, and so is increasingly relying on automated services to meet this demand. Three important factors have influenced increased demand for SSA services: a retiring baby boomer population, an aging workforce, and the worst economic crisis in the late 2000s since the Great Depression. This problem is
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC especially acute as baby boomers reach their retirement and disability-prone
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTIONeconomic times.
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION years in tough
For fiscal year 2010, the SSA estimated it would receive over 375,000 more retirement, auxiliary, and survivors’ claims and over 730,000 more disability claims than were estimated only 2 years before. SSA estimates that over the next
10© Jones &see a 14% increase in claims for Old Age and Survivors Jones & Bartlett Lea years it will Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Insurance, DisabilitySALE OR and Supplemental Security Income, rising fromFOR SALE OR DI
Insurance, DISTRIBUTION
NOT a
NOT FOR combined total of 9.4 million claims in fiscal year 2008 to 10.7 million in 2017.
Budgets and staffing have not kept pace with these increases. SSA has responded to these pressures with a number of strategies, including increased use of online, telephone, and video services; load balancing by shifting work
© Jones & Bartlettoffices; and deferring less essential jobs. However, key among these
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC between Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION strategies are online services. Online services makeNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION sense because the public is increasingly demanding them when they conduct business, without having to wait on the phone on hold or take leave from work to travel to an office and wait to meet in person with an agency representative. In addition to being convenient for the public, this approach also reduces the average time spent
& Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC by employees processing claims. The SSA reported that in fiscal years 2008
R SALE OR DISTRIBUTION number of electronic transactions jumped from 4 million to
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION and 2009 the total
6.1 million. Electronic filings for retirement benefits went from about 400,000 to 833,000 during that period and now account for nearly one-third of total retirement applications being filed. Online filings now account for 83% of total retirement claims growth. Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett
© Jones & Bartlett Lea
Even though SALE OR not market the option to file for disabilityNOT FOR SALE OR D the SSA did DISTRIBUTION benefits NOT FOR online when it launched iClaim, online disability applications have also increased from less than 10% just a few years ago to nearly 25%. SSA launched an improved version of iClaim in December 2008 and saw an immediate increase in the number of retirement applications filed online. In fiscal year
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
2009, more than 30% of retirement applications were filed online, nearly twice
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION as many as in the prior year.

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