REFORMING THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT: A REGIONAL APPROACH

The aim of this study is to disclose the progress in reforming the public administration through e-government from a regional point of view. The study has revealed that European regions have good performances in e-government development. However, Romania has visible delays in many areas when compared with developed countries. These delays may be compensated with good strategic frameworks and real state reforms. By developing efficient e-government services it is possible to increase the transparency of various systems of the public administration in Romania.e-government, state reform, public administration, European regions

E-Administration as a Way of Increasing the Managerial Capacity in Public Sector

This paper deals with a developing concept, that of public sector reform, and explores it within the boundaries of e-administration practices. International competition and internal raising expectations have lead governments across the world to reconfigure their relationships with the surrounding environments. In doing so, they mostly switched to a newer paradigm, based not on affirmation and mechanical theories, but on the concept of a living, biological system. Following this trend, many governments and their subsequent organizations choose to become flexible and decentralized, to recognize once again the importance of horizontal collaboration and internal partnerships and to value information. In this trend, ITC represents one of the modern instruments that may help implementing democracy and developing current public services as well as educational systems. Fully aware of the need for a revolution in the organizational culture of public administration and of a transition towards a horizontal, service-oriented administration with intensive information exchange among all its partners, Romania has adopted the European vision on e-government and e-governance, preparing itself for a complete transformation that the new technologies both produce and allow. In this context, 'The Government’s Strategy concerning the National Action Plan e-administration', enacted in October 2001 by the Romanian Parliament supports the European idea of getting the governance closer to its citizens. As this vision is described within the paper, the authors will analyze the Romanian solutions to increasing administrative efficiency. In doing so, the most relevant scientific contributions to defining the 'e-administration' concept are to be summarized and implications of its content, exercised against a Romanian backgroundpublic sector reform, e-administration, ITC

REFORMING THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT GENERALIZATION

The paper outlines the role of e-government as the main action in order to reform Romanian public services. E-government is a critical constituent of the new information and knowledge-based society and in the last few years had an exponential evolution at the European Unions’ level. The findings of this study disclose that e-government is the main action to reform public services. Moreover, an advanced level of e-government services development is needed in order to transform the interactions between public administration and citizens or businesses. The study was conducted by combining a wide variety of sources, such as reports, regulations, and the national experience in developing e-government services. Our conclusion justifies the effort invested in developing e-government and also has relevance for policy making in Romanian public administration.E-Government, Public Administration, Reform, Public Services, Internet.

Survey on Principles of e-Regulation project

"There is an increasing use of technology for the development, delivery, administration and reporting of assessment in qualifications offered by AOs. The UK qualifications regulators published Regulatory Principles for e-Assessment in April 2007. This publication set out regulatory principles to address developments in e-assessment activity, where regulation is needed to take account of the specific nature of this mode of delivery, whilst ensuring flexibility and encouraging innovation." - introduction

A journey into e-resource administration hell

The author discusses the administrative problems which can still occur when looking after a large and complex portfolio of electronic resources, and focuses on some of the recurring ‘nightmares’ involving e-journals in particular. Amongst the subjects discussed are lost archives, activation codes which change without anyone being told, unreasonable expiry dates, poor service, wandering URLs, lack of publicity, failure to keep licensing conditions, and title changes. The article ends with a look at some emerging examples of excellent practice to do with e-journal management, proving all parties involved can work together to ensure a smooth and efficient service

Change Management as a Critical Success Factor in e-Government Implementation

Change management in e-government implementation is a very complex issue. E-government services are frequently distributed over different IT systems and organizations. There are also events from outside the public administration that cause changes such as government policies and legislation, public-private partnership, etc., and finally a huge resistance to change exists in public administration proverbial. Another problem is that the e-government is predominantly seen only as a technology mission and not as an organizational transformation issue. Those are probably the main reasons that the existing literature about change management in e-government is still missing at large. There are articles dealing with some aspects of changes affected by the new technology implementation, however, there is no comprehensive framework that would identify changes that have to be managed in e-government implementation. Therefore, the main aim of the paper is to identify a comprehensive set of changes that have to be considered in e-government implementation and the role of leadership in such processes. Finally, the paper proposes a conceptual model of change management in e-government implementation.change management; e-government; new leadership style; change management model of e-government implementation

Circulating free fatty acids, insulin, and glucose during chemical stimulation of hypothalamus in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate plasma free fatty acids (FFA), insulin, and blood glucose during chemical stimulation of the lateral and ventromedial hypothalamic areas (LHA and VMH) in rats. Therefore male Wistar rats were implanted with bilateral cannulas in the LHA or the VMH and into the left and right jugular veins. Freely moving rats were then infused into the LHA and VMH with norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), or acetylcholine or intravenously with NE or E. Before, during, and after the infusions, simultaneous blood samples were taken without disturbing the animals. Infusion of NE into the LHA resulted in a decrease of plasma FFA and a simultaneous increase of insulin. NE infusion in the VMH elicited an increase of plasma FFA, plasma insulin, and blood glucose. E infusion into the LHA did not lead to a change of plasma FFA, whereas insulin and glucose showed an increase. E infusion into the VMH evoked increases of plasma FFA and insulin. Peripheral administration of NE led to a sharp increase of FFA, whereas plasma insulin and blood glucose did not change. E in the periphery elicited an augmentation of plasma FFA and blood glucose and a suppression of insulin during infusion. After termination of E infusion, plasma FFA and glucose levels decreased, whereas plasma insulin showed a sharp increase. It is concluded 1) that the effects produced by administration of NE and E are dependent on hypothalamic localization and local receptor population characteristics; 2) that there are striking differences regarding the effects on the investigated blood parameters between hypothalamically infused NE and E and peripherally infused NE and E; and 3) that the LHA and VMH are able to alter plasma FFA levels independently of blood glucose and insulin levels.

INCREASING EFFICIENCY OF ELECTRONIC PUBLIC SERVICES TO CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES IN CONNECTION WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC SOLUTIONS

European Union enlargement, the existence of new needs and demands, requires the development of innovation and quality of public administration, which means improving public services in the global economy as a requirement of competitiveness. The European Union hopes to achieve the major objectives in what concerns the electronic government by 2010; actions necessary to achieve them are adopting solutions based on information and communication technologies in the Romanian public administration, aimed at developing modern public services. This paper presents some best experiences of e-governance in Romania and the results of e-governance in Gorj County, and the degree of implementation and use by citizens.electronic government, information technology and communications, public services

HELIN Library Consortium LORI Grant Statewide Digital Repository Project for Rhode Island -- Lyrasis Consulting Proposal

Proposal by Lyrasis Phase 1: The consultants will work with HELIN administration and members to gather background information on the project, and hold an initial “Smart Start” project planning meeting onsite in Rhode Island. Following the in-person meeting, the consultants will assist HELIN in development of focus group questions for project research, development of a survey tool, and additional development on stakeholder use case studies. Phase 2: The consultants will work with HELIN administration and members via phone, e-mail and other methods as needed to assist with repository platform selection. Phase 3: The consultants will prepare and deliver a report based on analysis of existing documentation, outcomes of the onsite visit, results of the focus group activity, and survey results. The report will take the form of an action plan, outlining activities needed to implement the Statewide Digital Repository Project for Rhode Island, and recommending potential projects and service providers to assist with next steps. Following the development of the report, the consultants will return to Rhode Island to make a presentation on the final report to HELIN administration and members