Techno-legal entanglements as new actors in the policy-making process

The mechanisms by which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) support public sector reforms have been widely studied in e-government literature. This paper contributes to this literature analyzing how the entanglement of law and technological systems shapes the trajectory of policy-making. The paper discusses the case of the policy-making which led to the approval of changes in key articles of the Italian Digital Administration Code (DAC). The paper contributes to the e-government literature highlighting that the policy-making choices and options are constrained by how previous law and technology have been entangled to support the digitalization of the public administration. The paper provides valuable insights to better understand the impacts associated with the digitalization of the public administration, specifically of legal norms and procedures, on policy-making processes

The Dilemmas Of Public (Middle) Managers Under NPM: Implementing Public Service Outsourcing In Ghana’s Health Sector

Globally, public management underwent substantial reforms over the past three decades. Known as new public management (NPM), reforms have sought to redefine the role of politicians and public managers, redesign public organisations for enhanced autonomy and effectiveness, and restructure service delivery by integrating private organisations to ensure competition believed as necessary for efficiency. Premised on tensional forces of public choice' and `managerialism' the NPM model potentially creates conflicts between managers and professionals. Developed in OECD countries, and applied to less developed countries (LCDs) with generally ineffective public sectors; and admittedly an engrained corruption culture, NPM reforms are typified by increased bureaucratic centralisation, which restricts professionals' discretion. Using semi-structured interviews and a range of qualitative analytic devices, this thesis examines the challenges professional managers encounter under senior managers, when some support functions were privately outsourced, in line with NPM, in two corporatised hospitals in Ghana. Findings suggest professionals feel by-passed, their discretion restricted, and their expertise ignored by senior managers, generating clashes over mediating the conflicting dualities of cost/quality, results/procedures, and output/outcome. Conceptualised as resistance strategies, professionals' response(s) to the encountered issues portrayed appreciable unconventionality and non-deviance, coming close to individualised version of work to rule, and professionalised version of weapons of the weak. Such professionals' resistance strategies elucidate the complexities of Ghana's embedded political, economic and socio-cultural context. The findings suggest the true outcomes of NPM reforms within this and similar contexts are masked, distorted by the refracting effects of corruption, producing a type of bureaucracy that encourages reduced devolution, tending to inhibit rather than aid effective delivery of public services

The Hilltop 3-7-2003

https://dh.howard.edu/hilltop_0010/1115/thumbnail.jp

Accounting for the Gender Imbalance in UK Higher Education Administration: a Discourse Analysis

UK Higher Education is considered to be at the forefront of equality and diversity policy and practice, yet its staff profile is characterised by persistent gender (among other types of) imbalance. This thesis investigates this paradox, focusing on the under-researched professional and support services staff, and particularly female-dominated administrative and secretarial occupations. In contrast to the few previous studies on the topic, this PhD project takes a discursive perspective to explore this paradox. In other words, it examines how university professional and support staff discursively account for the persistent gender imbalance in their sector, with a particular focus on how they talk themselves out of acting to change the status quo, i.e. on discursive barriers to change. A UK case-study university, whose staff gender-imbalanced profile is representative of the national picture, was selected as the epistemological site. Focus groups were conducted with female and male staff in administrative and secretarial occupations; interviews were carried out with managers who had progressed internally from administrative and secretarial roles, and with former employees of the case-study university. Data were analysed and interpreted from a critical realist, feminist perspective. Discourse analysis was conducted, with a specific focus on the functions, effects and implications of participants’ situated use of gendered discourses and discursive constructions, and co-production of patterned accounts. This thesis takes a much-needed step beyond deconstruction and critique of discursive barriers, towards promoting discursive reconstruction and change. It highlights participants’ potentially emancipatory uses of counter-discourses, and provides recommendations for discursive change

The Role of change management on Information Communication Technology projects success in state corporations in Kenya

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Masters of Business Administration at Strathmore University Business SchoolCurrent empirical literature suggests that majority of today’s organizations are embracing change to reduce costs, increase competitiveness or growth, and increase efficiency. However, the anticipated change is sometimes not achieved and may also negatively impact the organization’s functional units and its employees. Technology has been proven to be not just a major cause of transformative change in many organizations but also an enabler of change. The adoption of technological advances through various ICT implementations is a factor influencing transformative change in Kenyan State Corporations. This study aimed to determine the role of change management on information communication technology (ICT) project success in State Corporations in Kenya. The specific objectives were; to determine the role of change readiness on ICT project success in State Corporations in Kenya; to establish the role of communication on ICT project in State Corporations in Kenya; to find out the role of employee training on ICT project success in State Corporations in Kenya, and to determine the role of employee feedback on ICT project success in State Corporations in Kenya. The study adopted the High-Reliability Organizations theory, Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Management Model, and Technology Acceptance Model. The study adopted a positivist philosophy and a quantitative approach to data collection. The study focused on Kenyan State Corporations. Purposive sampling method was used to select 14 State Corporations that have successfully implemented ICT projects in the last 6 years. The study used Slovin’s (1960) sampling formulae to determine a sample size of 205 respondents. Thereafter, a stratified random probability sampling was used to determine respondents from two departments; finance and ICT. Structured questionnaires (closed-ended) was used to collect data. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Analysed data was presented using frequency tables. It was established from the study that most changes in the public corporations have been successfully implemented in the last six years and that corporations take care of employees that are adversely impacted by change. Additionally, the managers at the corporations are receptive to feedback and alternative ideas and encourage open communication. Regarding the communication of change management processes, the study established that state corporations have effective mechanisms for informing employees of expected project results and outcomes. It was also established in the study that employees at the state corporation understood the business reasons for the change, the risks of not changing, and the impact of their day-to-day work activities. Concerning ICT project success, the study revealed that the corporations have clear vision and strategies, and the projects they execute are fully supported by the Government. Regression analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between the variables. It was therefore concluded that the four change management variables examined (i.e. Employee Feedback, Training, Change Readiness, and Communication) significantly influence the success of ICT projects implemented by state corporations. The study established that the execution of these change management practices by the state corporations enabled these organizations to achieve sustainable success in ICT projects implementations

ICT access and use in the remote rural town of Hatherleigh (Devon, UK): towards citizen engagement?

Information communication technologies (ICTs) have reached into everyday life. This emphasises the increasing importance of understanding the relationship between ICTs and society (Giddens 1994; Castells 1996; Walsham 2001). Over the last few decades, ICTs have shaped many aspects of society, and the specific role that ICTs have played in influencing government and governance structures has received particular attention. Today, the term 'governance' is widely used and accepted amongst a variety of academics and practitioners. However, in recent years the processes by which rural areas are governed have changed remarkably. Many scholars accept the conceptual and theoretical debate concerning the actual and potential impact of ICTs as a powerful force shaping governance (Goodwin 1998; MacKinnon 2002), but few have attempted to support their argument by conducting detailed empirical analyses of the role and influence of ICTs for egovernance processes in rural communities. This thesis addresses this gap by analysing the linkages between ICT access and use in a remote rural area of the UK. The thesis presents an in-depth case study analysis of a rural market town (Hatherleigh) located in west Devon. It examines ICT access and use in Hatherleigh considering that individual levels of ICT adoption are uneven, depending on factors such as age, gender, employment and family composition (Ofcom 2006; Selg and Svensoon 2008). It follows a wider call in the area of rural and ICT studies that many remote rural areas face serious challenges in their efforts to benefit from the opportunities offered by ICTs (Woods 2005; Moseley and Owen 2008). The thesis particularly builds on Okot-Uma's (2001), Millard's (2003) and Odendaal's (2003) work on the impact of ICT on governance and potential changes in service delivery to rural areas. To understand the impact of ICTs on e-governance in rural areas more fully, specific emphasis is placed on how Hatherieigh residents use the internet for accessing on-line information and services and how they use the internet to engage with policy stakeholders within and beyond Hatherleigh. A specific focus is placed on analysing barriers affecting e-governance processes ranging from the local to the national scale. Ill The methodology used to collect empirical data is based on a multi-method approach, including questionnaires, interviews and participant observation to explore interactions between Hatherteigh residents and ICTs. The results suggest that ICT has changed the social landscape of rural communities such as Hatherleigh in terms of communication and job opportunities, and that it plays a key role in reducing feelings of distance and isolation. A key result is that the internet plays an important role for e-governance interactions at the regional/national level, but that it only plays a minor role at the local level. A key explanation for these different 'geographies of ICT use' is that remote mral locations such as Hatherleigh are (still) characterized by relatively close-knit communities where physical face-to-face interaction still plays an important role, thereby reducing the need for internet use to access local information. The study also suggests a typology of non-users in Hatherleigh, suggesting that non-users are a highly differentiated group in which some segments are relatively keen to use ICT in the future, while others continue to staunchly resist using ICTs. The latter are a particularly problematic group as they may be 'doubly' excluded by both living in a remote mral area that has lost some of its services (to some extent because of ICT availability) and by not being interested in using ICTs to overcome such disadvantages

Knowledge management in international development charities

This thesis investigates the effectiveness and potential longevity of Knowledge Management in three international development charities, in order to compare their experiences with the commercial context in which Knowledge Management originated. By this means, the research explores how well, or otherwise, Knowledge Management can be fitted into a different setting. It also throws significant light on the transfer of business practices more generally. Chapter one assesses the evolution of the discipline Knowledge Management. It also provides key information about International Development Charities. Chapter two identifies the theoretical foundations of Knowledge Management as a prescription for organisational effectiveness, together with recommended best practices. Two environmental factors are emphasised: the role of information technology and, given the historic link to Japanese workstyles, ideas about organisational `culture'. In chapter three, the methodology for practical enquiry, derived from organisational system theory, is presented, and the problems in assessing effectiveness are discussed. Chapters four and five provide the substantive outcome of the fieldwork. Patterns that emerge from the data are drawn together in chapter six, highlighting the selective nature of Knowledge Management in application and demonstrating both similarities to and divergences from the original concept. In particular, there are specific challenges posed by the international reach of development charities. The overall conclusions in chapter seven confirm that Knowledge Management undoubtedly chimes with the broad aims of international charities. At the same time, the transferability of Knowledge Management depends crucially upon its adaptability to the organisations' aims, resources, and `culture'. Where it is accepted that knowledge handling is needed to build organisational capacity, then Knowledge Management can provide a framework which, when combined with technological advances, is a tool, rather than the answer, for international charities engaged in the continuing struggle to abolish poverty