1. Public Administration and Information Technology
Karolina Muszyńska
Based on: Reddick Ch. ”Public Administration and Information Technology”, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2011
Sundgren B. ”What Is a Public Information System?”, International Journal of Public Information Systems 1, 2005
Ziemba E., Obłąk I. „The Survey of Information Systems in Public Administration in Poland”, Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management 9, 2014

2. Agenda Introduction How does IT support public administration?
Theories of IT and public administration
The importance of IT to modern public administration
Differences between public and private sectors
Differences between public and private sectors influencing IT adoption
Three dimensions of IT and public administration
Information systems benefits in public administration
Definition of a public information system
Types of public information systems
Solution levels in public information systems
Actors and their interactions in public information systems

3. Introduction IT influences in everyday life – examples Advantages
instant communication with friends, looking up bus/tram schedules, paying for parking/tickets/cinema etc. (Skycash), getting info on events, etc.
Advantages
fast, cheap, convenient, anytime, anywhere
Challenges
Internet/ICT addiction, security/privacy threats

4. What is public administration responsible for and how does IT support it?
IT usage in public administration is very wide and very diverse
IT usage in public administration has quite different constraints and determinants than in the private sector
Public administration is responsible for:
advancing management and policies of government
dealing with management of public programs
IT deals with the use of computers and computer software to securely convert, store, protect, process, transmit, input, output, and retrieve information
IT can:
contribute toward the operational and strategic activities of the public sector organization
provide cost reduction, management support, strategic planning, and outreach to constituencies such as citizens, policymakers, employees

5. Theories of IT and public administration
Technological determinism
When a new technology appears it creates change and will be adopted by public administration
Reinforcement theory
Technology is adopted if it agrees with the view of the public manager on the future direction of the organization
Sociotechnical theory
Technical change is influenced by the demands of the external environment that impacts information systems change in an organization

6. Why is the topic of IT in public administration important?
Trust in Government
it is important for elected officials to increase trust in government to provide confidence in governing institutions
IT is one way to make the public sector more responsive to citizens, by being able to deliver services faster and more efficiently
IT can be used to create more open and transparent government because information on governments can be made freely available and easily posted online
Money Spent on IT and Public Administration – big amounts spent on IT in public administration
structural spendings of Polish public administration on IT (information society) in reached nearly 940 million PLN (telecommunication infrastructure, ICT services – e-health, e-education, e-administration, etc.)

7. Why is the topic of IT in public administration important?
Lack of Performance of Systems
investing in IT can help the public sector improve the efficiency of internal operations through automation; it can also improve the quality of existing public services, creating new types of services that were not previously available
improvement in government performance overall is one of the perceived net benefits of IT spending
Increased Demands by Public Sector Managers for IT
increased demands placed on public sector workers for results
knowledge of IT is important to be an effective manager

8. Differences between public and private sectors
Public sector agencies:
have more concerns and issues than their private sector counterparts
have more complex and ambiguous goals than business firms
have vague, hard-to-measure, multiple, and even conflicting goals with which they must contend
have more formalization, such as excessive rules and procedures that need to be enforced
have more formalized personnel procedures, purchases processes, and other administrative tasks that are regulated by central administrative agencies
lower rating of work-related satisfaction in the public sector than in the private sector, posing a challenge for recruiting and retaining of top workers

9. Differences between public and private sectors
The degree of external control by major institutions, such as political authorities and economic markets, is a significant distinction between the two sectors
Ownership of sources of funding reflects a degree of control, and public agencies have a greater degree of institutional control than their private sector counterparts, which are more likely to be influenced by economic markets

10. Differences between public and private sectors influencing IT adoption and promotion
Organizational environments – public agencies:
are open systems easily influenced by external events
are instable, meaning they have political constraints and there is consistent pressure to achieve quick results because of election cycles
face the absence of competitive pressures
Organizational goals
multiple goals with numerous stakeholders to satisfy
as a result of this goal ambiguity, it is difficult to know if results are being achieved over the short and long run

11. Differences between public and private sectors influencing IT adoption and promotion
Organizational structures
more formal procedures for decision making, less flexibility and high risk aversion
lower managerial autonomy, which means less freedom to react to the circumstances
Public and managerial values
lower motivation by financial rewards
greater desire to serve the public and promote the public interest
lower organizational commitment, because of the inflexible personnel rules and weak link to performance and pay

12. Three dimensions of IT and public administration
External environment
Internal environment
Major issues faced by public organizations

13. External environment
Internet and other ICTs influence the way democracies function (e.g. Internet can be used as a medium for political candidates running for office to reach a broad audience, ICT as the source for online information on candidates, ICT support in elections, etc.)
ICT enabled participation of citizens in the political and policymaking process. With ICT, governments can display and customize information for citizens, creating a more transparent government; citizens can mobilize support for or against a new government policy
ICTs make e-governance possible – delivery of services to citizens by their government. With advances in ICT, public service delivery has fundamentally changed (looking up a city council’s agenda online, renewing a vehicle registration online, sending tax declarations, etc.)

14. Internal environment
Impact of leadership and management on IT and public administration - successful IT adoption in public organizations occurs when leaders support the importance of IT to organizational success. Effective management is a critical catalyst for the development of IT in public administration
E-government through ICT is said to change the internal structures of government by creating more efficient and effective organizations (e.g. implementation of an information system within a department that can communicate across different departments and share information)
Enterprise architecture - use of IT to map the business processes of the organization. Enterprise architecture is a way to integrate information systems into the mission of the organization

15. Major issues faced by public organizations
E-procurement – the use of ICTs to impact the purchasing function in public organizations (ranging from online ordering systems to the removal of paper-based procurement with electronic processing and digital signatures)
E-commerce – the use of ICT for citizens to complete a transaction online (unlike e- government, e-commerce involves a transaction or payment of money for a public service)
Online financial reporting – the use of the Internet to post information about the financial status of government online (city’s audited financial statements or annual budget being posted on the Web)
Human resource information systems in public sector organizations (the recruitment process – online job advertisements, creating a database of employees, observe trends in employment, etc.)
Privacy and security of IT – critical issues connected with adopting IT in public agencies

16. Information systems benefits in public administration
Benefits to government clients include:
access to information for general public,
online services, and
access to timely, relevant and accurate information
Benefits to government units include:
process redesign and standardization,
improved project management practice,
rigorous quality assurance, and
increased support and involvement from all levels of personnel

17. Public information system
Public information systems are information systems available for public use
There are public information systems both in the public sector and in the private sector, and both citizens and businesses may be users of such systems
Public information systems are analyzed from several perspectives as regards users and usages, data contents, and technical, organizational, and legal aspects
Public management information systems are usually defined as information systems used in public management, that is, by organizations belonging to the public sector

18. Types of public information systems
information systems making public data available to the public, e.g. official statistics, maps, directories, catalogues of goods and services, events, standards, patents, etc.
information systems supporting individual actors (persons, companies, etc.), who need/want to perform a certain task through a public authority or institution; tasks initiated and controlled by a citizen/client /patient.
information systems supporting social processes involving citizens, public authorities, and other actors (companies etc.), e.g. democratic processes, processes around children's schooling, etc.
information systems supporting business tasks of public authorities and institutions through individual actors (persons, companies, etc.); e.g. police tasks, medical/social care tasks, etc.
news media and their systems for informing the general public and advocating citizen interests
information systems supporting other public information systems, infrastructural systems, e.g. information systems updating and maintaining the databases and archives of public information systems, systems coordinating agency task management and customer task management, etc.

19. Types of public information systems
Workflow Management Systems (WfMS) – for managing workflow and performing manual actions associated with these processes; WfMS is a system that partially or fully automates the definition, creation, execution, and management of work procedures (workflows). WfMS are used in the public administration for the realization of processes connected with providing services for government clients (citizens and businesses), as well as document flows within government units and between them.
Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) – cover such systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Transaction Systems (TS), and Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM). These systems enhance certain processes in their fields of operation, e.g., human resources processes, accounting processes, or processes of providing services for government clients. The data gathered and integrated in EIS systems most often supply BI systems.
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) – acts as an integrator of the IS and allows for easy management of the flow of government processes. It integrates systems such as ERP, CRM and Enterprise Portals into one system. EAI is rather a technology system than software one.

20. Types of public information systems
Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) – designed for the management processes within an organization, i.e. planning, defining, organizing, and monitoring processes. They combine information technology with management processes.
Business Intelligence (BI) – a technological solution offering data integration and analytical capabilities that provide government managers at various organizational levels with valuable information for their decision making. They use data warehouse technology and advanced tools for multidimensional analysis and data exploration. In the public ad- ministration they are used for the statistical analysis of operational and financial data.
Enterprise Portals – provide a point of access to data and information from the intranet and extranet systems, ERP systems, TS systems, CRM systems, workflow management systems, e-learning systems, data warehousing, Business Intelligence, and others. EP are designed to integrate diverse sources of information and provide knowledge workers with a single gateway, login and user-friendly browser interface to their personal working platforms. EPs are based on web technology. They supply information within government units to its employees, but also outside the system to citizens, businesses, and other government units.

21. Solution levels in public information systems

22. Services of public information systems
The purpose of a public information system is to provide some kind of service or support to a public process, or process involving ”the general public” – citizens of a society, also companies.
The actors involved in a public information system will usually belong to the following three categories:
C – private persons and households/families in their roles as citizens, clients
B – business companies and other types of or organizations, e.g. non-profit organizations
G – government agencies and institutions on different levels (central, regional, local)

23. The typical roles of different actors and the interactions between them

24. CITIZEN
BUSINESS
GOVERNMENT
Citizens communicate and cooperate between
themselves, e.g. on-line communities (bulletin boards, chat rooms, blogs, games, etc.).
Citizens find and acquire products and services from businesses.
Citizens obtain services from government agencies and fulfil duties towards them (e.g. pay taxes). Citizens participate in decision processes and social processes with government representatives.
Businesses serve citizens with or without being paid for it.
Businesses trade goods and services between themselves
and cooperate and/ or compete and struggle with each other.
Businesses obtain services and support
from government agencies and fulfil duties towards them. Businesses participate in decision processes with government representatives. Businesses serve government agencies.
Government agencies provide services and support
to citizens; they check that the citizens follow the laws and take repressive actions,
as required by the laws
Government agencies provide services and support to businesses and check that the business follow the laws
Government agencies cooperate between themselves, e.g. in order to provide more complete services towards citizens and businesses

25. Conflicting interests
A citizen or a company may have a given task to complete, for example applying and obtaining some kind of permit. The citizen (or the representative of the company) would like to complete the task without interruption, and without having to turn to more than one contact point on the governmental side, even if the processing of the application requires several government agencies to be involved, each one with their particular responsibilities specified by laws and regulations.
Each government agency, on the other hand, will primarily look at the parts of the case, for which it is responsible, and attempt to find the most efficient way of finalizing that part from its point of view. However, none of the agencies involved will necessarily deal with the total efficiency from the user’s perspective.
This is due to the traditional, so-called stovepipe organization of the government, where the government (on the national, regional, or local level) is broken down into ministries, sectors, agencies, etc., in a strictly hierarchical way, ignoring the fact that many socio-economical activities in a modern society do not fit into such a pattern.