PAD 470/570:
Government Information Strategy and Management (GISM):
Comparative and International Perspectives
Summer 2016
[May 23 – July 01]
Instructor
Office
Phone
E-mail
: Djoko Sigit Sayogo, PhD
: Center for Technology in Government
: (518) 442 3766
: [email protected]
Course Overview
This course draws from literature and case studies to understand cultural differences in the concepts of
digital government, practical applications for building information capabilities of organizations across
national and cultural boundaries and understanding the behavioral aspects of digital government within
the larger society and global economy.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, students will:
•
•
•
•
•
Understand the application of the policy, management and information technology in the design,
operation and evaluation of government operations and public services in global contexts.
Be able to demonstrate, through case study analysis and discussion, how the interactions of the
above three factors shapes the issues, concepts and challenges for government information system
and management in multi-settings and international organizations as well as cross national and
cultural differences.
Be able to critically evaluate, considers and be sensitive to the impact of cultural differences in
managing government information systems.
Be Familiar with current and emerging issues of government information systems and
management in global economy.
Students will have the opportunity to enhance their ability to write concise and balanced policy
briefs.
Readings
All required course readings are available on Blackboard. These include selected news stories, articles
from scholarly and trade publications, material from professional associations, and case studies.
The Course Process
The course content is divided into five modules of study, with each module focused on a common
thematic element pertaining to government information systems and managements in international and
comparative perspectives. You will do much of the processing and analysis of course elements
individually and in teams into which you will be placed on the first day of class and will stay in for the
entire length of the course. Your interactions and performance in your team will be crucial to your success
in the course.
This is a 4 credits course. Hence you should plan on spending 3 to 4 hours per meeting (online) plus
approximately 6 to 8 hours per week doing the reading and preparing the assignments and cases.
For each module of study, we will go through a similar set of steps:
1. You will do a substantial amount of work, both individually and as a team. As the module
progresses, you will continue reading through the assigned texts and will engage in online
activities, both on your own and as a member of your team.
2. As you work through the readings and activity sequence, there will be mini-lectures to help fill in
gaps in your understanding.
The Course Activities
Throughout the course you will engage in the following three activities each week. You will be provided
with a short lecture notes to guide you with detail instructions on the activities for each week:
• Reading. You are required to read several articles assigned to you each week. The readings
consist of case study and research/conceptual papers pertaining to GISM in International
perspectives. The readings and cases will be open since the beginning of the class.
• Discussion. There are two types of discussion each week, namely: individual and team
discussion. For individual discussion, you are required to submit your own opinion or analysis
regarding a particular reading and case assigned for that week. You will post your opinion or
analysis in the discussion thread for the week. For team discussion, you are required to engage in
two types of discussion. First, the short case discussion in which you will contribute by
expressing your analysis to your team member and actively involved in forming the summary of
the short case analysis of your team. Second, you will contribute to the discussion for the large
case analysis. The objective of the discussion is to work collaboratively in deciding your team
strategy to analyze the assigned case. The discussion threads and team workplace will be open
one week prior to the topic.
• Assignment. There are two types of assignment: the individual and team assignment. Each of the
assignment is further classified into: routine (short case / discussion) and large case assignment.
Detail instructions for the assignment is provided in the next section below. The team workplace
for large cases will be open since the beginning of the class.
Course Requirements:
Individual commitment
Your online class performance is key to your success in this course. Attendance, itself, is not graded.
Instead, graded team activities and assignments constitute an important part of the course grade. You will
not likely be able to maintain a passing average without consistent attendance online. Missing timed
tasks or not participating means you will earn a zero for the team activities or assignments missed.
Because of the nature of the assignments, no make-up opportunities will be available. Missing an
assignment or activity that happened during a scheduled time event earns a zero. No make-up
opportunities will be available.
Team works
A major component of your participation in the course will be involvement in scheduled activities. You
will complete some tasks on an individual basis and be involved in many team activities. I expect teams
to perform "in the open." I will create "team rooms" for the group workplace in Blackboard Groups, to
which I and our Peer Educator have access, so we can "witness" your team in action. I do not allow teams
to conduct their activities solely through e-mail. Unless I have "evidence" of the collaboration or conflict,
I will assume the entire team is at fault for the dysfunction and grade accordingly.
I also expect every student to create evidence of participation by being active in the “team room”.
Participation includes meaningful exchange of information with team members which will enhance and/or
correct another member’s contribution. Participation is not merely being present and/or agreeing with
contributions.
If you start a new discussion/blog/wiki in your Blackboard Group be sure to identify yourself to your
team members and me so you can be credited for participation. Finally, we monitor the team rooms from
time to time, sometimes posting a message asking if you need anything or are having any issues.
Note: Completing these activities is crucial to your success in this course. Because of the nature of the
assignments, no make-up opportunities will be offered for these assignments, and no late assignments will
be accepted. However, because circumstances can conspire against our best intentions, sometimes you
will find that you can’t make it to a scheduled session. For this reason, there is 1 drop opportunity for
graded team activities built into the course. If you miss a scheduled session it will be possible to drop the
failing grade you would automatically receive for completing the team assignment. If you do not need to
drop the 1 grade for a missed team assignment, you will be able to drop the lowest score you receive.
Team Member Performance
Because your work in your teams is crucial to your success in this course as well as that of your
teammates, you will be held accountable for your contribution to your team. Your team members will
give you feedback on your performance (peer evaluations) twice during the semester.
Student evaluation and grading
This course has no tests or final exam. Instead, your work will be evaluated throughout the semester on a
variety of assignments. The final course grade breakdown for the course is as follows:
Individual Assignment
• Short case and discussion
• Large case analysis paper
Team Assignment
• Team Activities
• Short case and discussion
• Group Case Analysis paper
A-E graded:
93 – 100% A
90 – 92% A87 – 89% B+
83 – 86% B
80 – 82% B-
77 – 79% C+
73 – 76% C
70 – 72% C67 – 69% D+
63 – 66% D
Undergrad
Graduate
30%
-
20%
20%
20%
20%
30%
15%
20%
25%
60 – 62% D0 – 59% E
Assignment:
Individual Assignments
You will have frequent individual assignments/discussions over the length of the course. We will spend
time online applying and honing case analysis skills individually and in our teams. Since there will be
occasions when missing a scheduled activity is simply unavoidable I encourage you to keep in touch with
your team members for a review of the activities for that day. Individual assignments are considered due
by the time and date specified in Blackboard. There are no make-up opportunities for missed assignments.
While in an ideal world I would expect to receive all of your assignments at the due date and time, I
realize that my scheduling of these assignments sometimes coincides with other responsibilities—both
academic and otherwise—that you are obligated to fulfill. For that reason, you have a “no excuses needed
late pass” for late submission of ONE for the individual assignments and ONE for the group assignment
assigned for the course. You can use this pass to turn in an assignment no more than one day (i.e., 24
hours) late. Because you already have this built-in extension for one individual assignments and one
group assignment, there is no need to ask for additional extensions on the remaining assignments. You are
welcomed and encouraged to contact me for help while you are working on your assignments.
Categories of Individual Assignment:
a) Case Analysis: Short Case
Throughout the course you will be required to submit your analysis of a case or contribute to a
discussion topic each week. The details of the case and instruction are presented in each week topics.
The individual scores for each short case analysis will be averaged to create your final score.
b) Case Analysis: Large Case [ONLY FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS]
The individual large case assignment only pertains to the graduate students enroll in this class. There
is one “large” case analyses throughout the semester. You must submit 2 – 4 pages written report. The
description of the case and detail instructions is provided in the blackboard.
Team Assignments
You will have frequent team assignments over the length of the course. Your work in your teams and the
overall performance of your team is crucial to the success of this course. We will spend time online
applying and honing the skills for work collaboration for analyzing two categories of cases as specified
below.
Categories of Team Assignment:
a) Case Analysis: Short Case
Throughout the course you will be required to work with your team to analyze a case or discuss a
topic. The team must discuss and collaboratively analyze the case using their “team room”. Once your
team reach the desired conclusion regarding the analysis, your team (you can take turn in writing the
report/analysis) must write and submit 200 to 600 words case analysis per case. You can submit your
team report in bullet points or in narrative format. I will grade both your collaborative process and
written submission. The details of the case and instruction are presented in each week topics. The
individual scores for each short case analysis will be averaged to create your final score.
b) Case Analysis: Large Case
There is one large case assigned as the team assignments. You must discuss and/or analyze your case
with the team member in the “team room”. Once you reach an agreement on the analysis results, your
team must write and submit 4 to 6 pages report. The description of the case and detail instructions is
provided in the blackboard.
Submitting Assignments:
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•
•
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Individual and Team short case assignments and discussion are due at 11:59 pm at the end of the day.
Individual and Team large case assignments are due at 11:59 pm at Friday of the week the assignment
is due.
Individual large case analysis should be 2-4 pages at 1.5 spaces.
Team large case analysis should be 4-6 pages typed at 1.5 spaces.
•
•
•
Assignments must be submitted through Blackboard including your case analysis report. All
deadlines are enforced. If you have trouble with the submission system in Blackboard, e-mail me your
assignment before the deadline.
You may submit as often as you like before the due date and time. I will grade the last version of each
file that you submit.
o Once you have submitted a file, you do not need to resubmit it unless it has changed.
If the deadline is approaching, submit! It is much better to submit an incomplete assignment for
partial credit than no assignment for zero credit.
Course Content
Overview
1. [May 23, 2016] Introduction to the course
Module Overview: This module will allow you to become familiar with the course and the
components in Blackboard that we will be using during this term.
Module Learning Objectives: To become familiar with the course and to prepare for this online class.
Module 1: Knowing the Environment, Useful Framework and Concepts [May 25 – 31,
2016]
2. [May 25, 2016] Environment and Concepts of Government Information System and
Management
Readings:
a. Grönlund, AAke, & Horan, T. A. (2005). Introducing e-gov: history, definitions, and issues
b. Millard, J. (2015). Open governance systems: Doing more with more.
c. Koliba, C. & Zia, A. (2015) Educating Public Managers and Policy Analysts in an Era of
Informatics
d. Hu, Q. (2015). Preparing Public Managers for a “Big Data” Era
e. The Data-Driven Society – Pentland, 2013
Case:
a. What Does the Chief Technology Officer of a Country Do
b. Lessons from the World's Most Tech-Savvy Government
3. [May 27, 2016] Multidimensional Thinking: A Framework for Analyzing GISM
Readings:
a. Insider’s Guide to Using Information in Government – Center for Technology in Government
b. Making Smart IT Choices – Chapter 1 and 2
c. Luna-Reyes L. F., Gil-Garcia, J. R., & Romero, G. (2012). Towards a Multidimensional
Model for Evaluating Electronic Government:
Case:
a. Helbig, et al (2015) Stakeholder Engagement in Policy Development
4. [May 31, 2016] The Role of Culture for GISM in International Settings
Readings:
a. Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context.
b. Khalil, O. E. M. (2011). e-Government readiness: Does national culture matter?
c. Egovernment as a carrier of context, Heeks 2005
Case:
a. Introduction to Geoblocking
b. Mkude, C. G., & Wimmer, M. A. (2015). E-government Systems Design and Implementation
in Developed and Developing Countries
Module 2: Information Policy in Global Settings [June 01 – 03, 2016]
5. [June 01, 2016] Framework for Information Policy in International settings
Readings:
a. Janssen, M. & Wimmer, M.A. (2015) Introduction to Policy-Making in the Digital Age
b. Dawes, S. S., & Helbig. (2015). the Value and Limits of Government Information Resources
for Policy Informatics
c. Dawes, S. S. (2010). Stewardship and usefulness: Policy principles for information-based
transparency.
Case:
a. Hosman, L., & Howard, P. N. (2014). Telecom Policy Across the Former Yugoslavia
b. Klischewski, R. (2012). Identifying Informational Needs for Open Government: The Case of
Egypt.
c. In Clinton E-Mail Scandal, Sensitive Information Is Just as Important as Classified
Information
d. Caroline Kennedy Used Personal Email for ‘Sensitive’ Government Business,
e. Secretary Clinton May Have Jeopardized Preservation of a Full and Accurate Historical
Record
6. [June 03, 2016] Information Access, Security and Privacy
Readings:
a. Holt, J., & Malčić, S. (2015). The Privacy Ecosystem: Regulating Digital Identity in the
United States and European Union.
b. Dawes, S. S., Pardo, T. A., & Cresswell, A. M. (2004). Designing electronic government
information access programs: a holistic approach.
c. Hogan, M., & Shepherd, T. (2015). Information Ownership and Materiality in an Age of Big
Data Surveillance.
d. Wu, Y. (2014). Protecting personal data in E-government: A cross-country study.
Case:
a. Openness vs Data Privacy - We’ll see you, anon
Module 3: International Trends in Information Technologies and Policies [June 07 –
16, 2016]
7. [June 07, 2016] Regulating Big Data
Readings:
a. Constantiou, I. D., & Kallinikos, J. (2015). New games, new rules
b. Kamateri, et al. (2015) A Comparative Analysis of Tools and Technologies for Policy
Making
c. World Economic Forum (2011) Personal Data: The Emergence of a New Asset Class
d. Regulating big data_ Rules for the new tools
e. Salas-Vega, S., Haimann, A., & Mossialos, E. (2015). Big data and healthcare:
Challenges and opportunities for coordinated policy development in the EU
8. [June 09, 2016] Open Government & Open Government Partnership
Readings:
a. Wirtz, B. W., & Birkmeyer, S. (2015). Open Government: Origin, Development, and
Conceptual Perspectives.
b. Kassen, M. (2014). Globalization of e-government: open government as a global agenda
c. Gonzalez-Zapata, F., & Heeks, R. (In Press). The multiple meanings of open
government data
d. Open Government Partnership (http://www.opengovpartnership.org)
Case:
a. Browse and analyze the OGP Country’s Action Plan
9. [June 14, 2016] Smart Government: Connecting Open Data to Smart Disclosure Policy
Readings:
a. The dynamics of opening government data, Helbig, et al, 2013
b. Johnston, E. W., & Hansen. (2011). Design lessons for smart governance infrastructures
c. http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2014-06-03/health-datapalooza-harnessing-dataimprove-health-care
d. Gil-Garcia, J. R., Helbig, N., & Ojo, A. (2014). Being smart
e. Yang, T.-M., Lo, J., & Shiang, J. (2015). To open or not to open?
f.
Sayogo, D. S., & Pardo, T. A. (2013). Understanding Smart Data Disclosure Policy Success
Case:
a. Opportunistic Marketers Exploit Opening at Healthcare.gov
b. Schneider, J. (2015) Bringing Government Data Into the Light: Slovakias Open Data
c. Majeed, R. (2012) Disseminating the Power of Information: Kenya Open Data Initiative
10. [June 16, 2016] Key Governance Dilemma for Smart Disclosure: Encouraging Private Sector
Transparency
Readings:
a. Sunstein, C. R. (2011). Informing Consumers through Smart Disclosure.
b. Thaler, R. H., & Tucker, W. (2013). Smarter information, smarter consumers.
c. Private sector transparency: Multinationals are forced to reveal more about themselves
d. Jarman, H., Luna-Reyes, L.F. & Pardo, T.A (2016) Encouraging Private Sector Transparency
e. Luna-Reyes, L. F., et al. (2011). Full information product pricing: An information strategy
Case:
a. Open Data and Smallholder Food and Nutritional Security
b. Demeyer, T. (2012). Apps for Amsterdam.
c. Raman, N. V. (2012). Collecting data in Chennai City and the limits of openness.
Module 4: Managing Government Information Systems in Multi-National Settings
[June 21 – 23, 2016]
11. [June 21, 2016] Managing Information Systems for International Organization
Readings:
a. Managing Information in the United Nations System Organizations
b. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Governance in the United Nations
c. Records and Archives Management in the United Nations
d. Draft Council Conclusions on an updated Information Management
Strategy (IMS) for EU internal security – November 2014
Case:
a. Umoja: United Nations Employee & Manager Self-Service
https://www.unumoja.net/display/public/Home
12. [June 23, 2016] Managing Knowledge in Transnational Network
The group large case assignment due this week
Readings:
a. Gharawi, M. A., & Dawes, S. S. (2013). Exploring the Influence of Contextual Distances on
Transnational Public Sector Knowledge Networks
b. Dawes, S. S., Gharawi, M. A., & Burke, G. B. (2012). Transnational public sector knowledge
networks
c. Dawes, S. & Burke, B.G. (2011) Building Transnational Knowledge Networks to Tackle
Global Problems
d. Dawes, S. S., Burke, G. B. and Zheng, L. (2011). AIRNow-I Shanghai: Crossing Cultures,
Sharing Knowledge.
Module 5: Emerging Issues [June 28 – July 01, 2016]
13. [June 28, 2016] Cybersecurity and Digital Continuity
Readings and cases:
a. Risk Nexus: Overcome by cyber risks? Economic benefits and costs of alternate cyber futures
b. How to back up a country: To protect itself from attack
c. Who Will Defend Tomorrow's Digital Countries,
d. Kostyuk, N. (2014). International and Domestic Challenges to Comprehensive National
Cybersecurity: A Case Study of the Czech Republic.
e. Mauer, T (2011) Cyber Norm Emergence at the United Nations
f. Tikk, E. (2011). Ten Rules for Cyber Security
g. Tikk, E., Kaska, K., & Vihul, L., International Cyber Incidents: Legal Considerations
h. Cyber resilience: securing our cities; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZuF9qSfrh4
14. [July 01, 2016] Digital Single Market
The individual large case assignment due this week
Readings:
a. European Digital Single Market Strategy announcement
b. Digital Single Market – Strategy
c. Government Technology _ EU plans to break down digital barriers with new Digital Single
Market strategy
d. Kolah, A., & Foss, B. (2015). Unlocking the power of data under the new EU General Data
Protection Regulation.
e. Bock, W. D., Wilms, M., Soos, P., & Roeber, B. (2014). Reforming Europe’s Telecoms
Regulation to Enable the Digital Single Market
Course Prerequisites
The course content presumes that you are familiar with the principles, structures, and processes of
American government and administration and some understanding of public administration in other
countries. Students who do not have the prerequisites for this course are suggested also to choose one of
the following books (or a similar one) to gain the needed background knowledge:
Chandler, J. A. (2014). Comparative Public Administration. Routledge.
Jreisat, J. (2011). Globalism and Comparative Public Administration. CRC Press.
Shafritz, Jay M., E. W. Russell, and Christopher Borick, (2010) Introducing Public Administration, 7th
Edition, Longman.
Henry, Nicholas. (2009). Public Administration and Public Affairs, 11th edition. Prentice-Hall.
Otenyo, E. E., & Lind, N. S. (2006). Comparative Public Administration: The Essential Readings.
Emerald Group Publishing.
Course policies
Academic Integrity
It is every student’s responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at the
University. Claims of ignorance, of unintentional error, or of academic or personal pressures are not
sufficient
reasons
for
violations
of
academic
integrity.
See
Academic
Integrity
[http://www.albany.edu/eltl/academic_integrity.php]
Any incident of academic dishonesty in this course, no matter how "minor" will result in
1. No credit for the affected assignment.
2. A written report will be sent to the appropriate University authorities (e.g. the Dean of
Rockefeller College).
3. One of Ø A final mark reduction by at least one-half letter grade (e.g. B → B-, C- → D+),
Ø A Failing mark (E) in the course, and referral of the matter to the University Judicial System
for disposition.
Responsible Use of Information Technology at UAlbany
Students are encouraged to read the University at Albany Policy for the Responsible Use of Information
Technology available at the ITS Web Site:
https://wiki.albany.edu/display/public/askit/Responsible+Use+of+Information+Technology+Policy
Available Support Services
Reasonable accommodation
Reasonable accommodation will be provided for students with documented physical, sensory, cognitive,
learning and psychiatric disorders. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation in this
class, please notify the Director of Disability Resource Center (BA 120, 442-5490). That office will
provide the course instructor with verification of your disability, and will recommend appropriate
accommodations. In general, it is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor at least one week
before the relevant assignment to make arrangements.