Nick Letch

Excluded again: implications of integrated e‐government systems for those at the margins

Purpose – This paper seeks to highlight a poorly‐understood dimension of digital exclusion that is not related to access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), but rather to the reduction in flexibility for providing and administering public services following the implementation of an integrated e‐government system.Design/methodology/approach – A case study of a project focused on reducing barriers to the delivery of driver licensing services to a remote indigenous community in Australia was undertaken and the data were analysed using Kling et al.s socio‐technical interaction network (STIN) modelling approach.Findings – The paper makes four recommendations to improve the licensing situation for the community that are induced from the findings. In particular the paper draws attention to the need to carefully analyse possible negative impacts of any e‐government initiative for those at the margins of society.Research limitations/implications – The paper aims to analyse the current situation ...

Investigating cultural heritage data integration with an ANT perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the difficulties encountered when integrating e‐Government systems across jurisdictions. The study focusses on the entanglement of social and technical interests involved in e‐Government integration projects and in particular on managing the tensions which arise between global and local network actors.Design/methodology/approach – A case study of Australias first attempt to make the nations cultural collections accessible from a single online resource is conducted based on extensive archival data. This historical analysis applies concepts associated with Actor‐Network Theory as a theoretical lens to investigate relationships between various actors and to trace the trajectory of the project.Findings – The analysis reveals that although the project originated from large institutions, buy‐in was restricted to individuals and the most significant value was for smaller organisations. Furthermore, although the global networks that governed the project could translate t...

Understanding the Implementation of IT Governance Arrangements and IT Infrastructure Using Actor Network Theory

The implementation of IT governance ITG arrangements and its relationship to IT infrastructure has not received much attention in either the ITG or the information systems IS literature. Based on the premise that the foundation on which ITG is implemented lies in the interaction between ITG arrangements of structures, processes and relational mechanisms and IT infrastructure, the authors present a discussion of how actor network theory ANT can be used as an overarching theoretical framework of explanation. The authors propose a model of ITG implementation and discuss how ANT, in particular the local/global network approach, can be applied to understand the relationship that exists between ITG arrangements and IT infrastructure.

Social Capital in Electronic Networks of Practice: An Analysis of University Blogging Communities

Weblogs are a popular social communication technology enabling individuals to collaborate and share knowledge. This paper investigates how universities use blogging to facilitate student information exchange that is not directly moderated within a classroom environment. Social capital has been identified as a powerful indicator facilitating the transfer of knowledge (Nahapiet and Ghoshal 1998) and is used as the theoretical underpinnings for investigating why students participate in un-moderated university blogging communities. It is postulated that students with higher levels of social capital are more likely to participate within university blogging communities. Results suggest that the following aspects of social capital: trust; personal reputation and the enjoyment derived from helping others; significantly influence student participation in un-moderated blogging communities.

Ecologies of interests in social information systems for social benefit

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore a class of social information systems which are purposefully designed to address wider social objectives. Specifically, the paper investigates the embedding of ICTs into the wider networks of social policy action and explores issues associated with the integration of social information systems into complex problem domains. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of a social information system and its integration into networks of actors with an interest in the underlying social concern is presented. The system under analysis is first described in terms of the emerging characteristics used to define this class of social information system. The wider policy network in which the social information system is implemented is then described and the integration of the social information system into the wider network is discussed. Findings – The case study illustrates that for complex social problems, there can be multiple interests embedded in an ecology of sub-...

Accounting for the contexts of government service transformation: The case of building approvals in Singapore

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the perspective provided by stage models and examine the wider contexts in which government service transformation occurs. Traditional stage models of e-government have been criticised as being too narrowly focussed suggesting that government services are transformed by information and communications technology (ICT) in a linear manner. Design/methodology/approach – Government service transformation involves the interplay of a multitude of social and technical factors over time. We propose that an appreciation of the wider institutional, political and economic contexts is necessary and develop a framework of government service transformation in terms of the locus of context and focus of the change initiative. This framework is illustrated with reference to a case study of the transformation of the building approvals process in Singapore over two decades. Findings – Application of the framework to the case study illustrates that government service transforma...

Exploring the dimensions of project sustainability: a case study of an ICT4D project

The difficulty of sustaining ICT4D projects in developing nations is a challenging issue. Finding ways to ameliorate this problem is critical given the opportunity cost of IT investment failure in developing-world contexts and the consequence of discouraging donor support for ICT-enabled development interventions. This paper presents a study which explores the sustainability of ICT4D projects via a case study of a prominent, large-scale, nationwide ICT4D project that targets agricultural development in a developing nation in South Asia. The case study is interpreted based upon six major dimensions influencing project sustainability that have been identified in the literature. While providing confirmation of the importance and relevance of these dimensions and associated factors, the study highlights the inherent limitations of adopting this approach and proposes an alternative theoretical approach to complement analyses of ICT4D project sustainability.

The Role of Public Policy in Enhancing the Design and Diffusion of Information Systems and Technology for Human Benefit

Technologies for human benefit, such as information systems and information technology, have a key role to play in the realization of quality of life for all citizenry by modern societies. New forms of IS and IT can be developed and used creatively to improve education, health, social equity, environmental conditions, social and environ mental sustainability, government and not-for-profit services, participation in govern ment, and enjoyment of life in general.