School of Information Technology

SECOND (Extended ) CALL FOR CHAPTERS

.SECOND (Extended ) CALL FOR CHAPTERS

Submission Deadline: 15 September 2008

E-Governance and ICT Alignment in Public Administration:
Value Management and Service Delivery

Introduction

Almost every government, agency, and jurisdiction aspires to use ICT to integrate information, achieve process efficiencies, transform service delivery, accelerate economic development and advance democratic expression. However, after a decade or so of effort governments and international agencies, such as the OECD the United Nations and the World Bank, have come to realise that the emphasis on technologies, and agency centric solutions have not produced the desired results and that a integrated, holistic approach is required – e-governance.

E-governance is the governance of ICT in the practice and administration of governments. E-governance, addresses issues such as strategic alignment, value realisation and risk management, along with accountability, transparency and public engagement which have particular relevance to public organisations. Confusingly, e-governance is also often used interchangeably with terms with narrower meanings such as; e-government, e-democracy, digital government or even connected government.

Research indicates that significant value and targeted IT services can be achieved when ICT initiatives are successfully aligned with organizational strategies. But ICT alignment in governments is problematic because, unlike financially driven private enterprises, they operate in more complex socio-political contexts with different mandates and non-financial goals. However, although no two countries are alike, the underlying ICT objectives for governments and their agencies are summarized as value realisation, service delivery, efficiency and political return.

Several governance frameworks and international standards such as Weill and Ross’ decision rights perspective, the control objectives for IT (COBIT), the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Val-IT and ISO 20000 - as the international standard for ICT Service Management are available tools. However, value realization and service delivery through ICT strategic alignment remains elusive and is the topic of this book.  

Overall objective of the Book

Public sector organisations are increasingly aware that effective e-governance is necessary if they are to realise the desired service levels and value from their ICT investments. Of the issues addressed by e-governance, strategic alignment of ICT initiatives with organisational strategy has been identified as the single issue that is most likely to produce the desired results from ICT investments. The objective of this book is to examine how strategic ICT alignment can best be achieved by governments. This book will provide an opportunity for practitioners, researchers, consultants, public servants and others to share their experiences and insights into the challenges and benefits of applying e-governance concepts and principles in the public arena. Furthermore, since E-governance is a relatively new area of research this book will be a valuable reference and guide to policy makers in this emerging and important area of government.    
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The Target Audience

Sincee-governance has not been well examined  this book will appeal to a wide audience of practitioners, researchers and students who are interested in the application and management of ICT in governments and their agencies from the perspectives of Information Systems and Technology (IS/IT) and/or public policy and administration. It will also be a valuable resource to senior government officials who are engaged in setting ICT policy and deploying ICT assets to achieve government objectives.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Conceptualisations of e-government, e-governance, e-democracy, connected government and ICT governance
  • What methodologies are employed by governments to evaluate their ICT assets?
  • ICT as a service to government
  • The application of e-governance structures and processes  in Federal, State and local authorities
  • Research related to e-governance in different government forms and structures, eg federated, centralized, monarchies etc
  • Challenges of implementing e-governance in a politically driven environment
  • Managing IT driven changes in government departments and agencies
  • Strategic alignment
  • Value delivery
  • Implementation of frameworks and standards such as: COBIT, ITIL, Val-IT and ISO 20000
  • e-Governance of ICT project management – prioritisation and strategic alignment
  • e-Governance of Public Private Partnerships
  • Case studies of e-governance in specific governance agencies; e.g. Education, Health, Finance

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before 15 September 2008, a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly outlining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by 20 September 2008 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by 31 December 2008. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. The book is scheduled to be published by Idea Group Inc., www.idea-group.com, publisher of the Idea Group Publishing, Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing and Idea Group Reference imprints.

 

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word or RTF document) or by mail to:

Dr Kieth HalesDr. Kieth Hales
School of Information Technology
Faculty of Business, Technology and Sustainable development
Bond University
Queensland 4229, Australia
                    Tel.: +61 7 5595-3356 
                    Fax: +61 7 5595 1160
                    Email: kihales@staff.bond.edu.au