E-Government and public policy

Abstract

The e-Government and Public Policy BoF Session had 20 attendees from a wide range of academic and public sector positions. Much of the discussion centered on the role for public participation and increased information availability in decision-making. Participants raised theoretical and practical concerns about the volume, nature, and efficacy of public input. Hopes and concerns were raised about the IT tools currently being developed to capture and analyze such data. A vigorous debate emerged around the concept of transformation and the group failed to reach a consensus about whether or not eGov was likely to produce fundamental changes in public policy processes or outputs. There was, however, general agreement that much of the optimistic speculation surrounding eGov meant that policy processes were adapting to use IT on the basis of an untested assumption that more information throughput is inherently better. Participants noted the recent eGov Act, which seeks to enhance this trend, relied on an unproven premise of a leveling effect when IT increases procedural transparency.