...online at www.sciencedirect.com Government Information Quarterly 25 (2008) 155 – 180 E-government policy and practice: A theoretical and empirical exploration of public e-procurement Catherine A. Hardy ⁎, Susan P. Williams Information Policy and Practice Research Group, Discipline of Business Information Systems, Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia Available online 19 April 2007 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to theoretically and empirically explore how public e-procurement policies are translated into practice. The theoretical argument draws on actor network theory (ANT), coupled with Colebatch’s [Colebatch, H. K. (2002). Policy (2nd ed.). Maidenhead, Open University Press.] social construct of policy, to analyze the actors, actions, and circumstances through which understanding of public e-procurement comes to stabilize (or not) into a coherent policy for action. Drawing on three case studies of central government agencies in Italy, Scotland, and Western Australia, we suggest new intellectual perspectives and methodological heuristics that may assist researchers and practitioners analytical efforts in examining sociotechnical change and the implications for policy development and implementation. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: E-government; E-procurement; Actor network theory; Social construction of policy 1. Introduction Public e-procurement, as an information system (IS) enabled innovation in government...
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...employment equity policies in Canada’s 10 provinces and the federal government. We approach the issue of employment equity from the standpoint of challenging systemic oppression. We have sought to describe, explain and suggest ways to rectify a perceived impasse in the effective implementation of employment equity policy regarding the implications it holds for the advancement of visible minority women within the provincial government sector. We premised our study on a recognizable gap between legislative policy designed to promote greater workplace diversity for groups that have experienced systemic oppression within Canada, and the effective implementation of such policies in the workplace. This study combined two elements in its methodological approach. The first was based on policy analysis, the second on a series of qualitative interviews with equity policy stakeholders in, or dependent on, provincial governments. We developed such a methodology to provide an overview of the state of employment equity policy as it is currently formulated in the provincial governments of Canada and at the same time, to assess these policy packages in terms of implementation. This policy study includes a province-by-province general review of the state of employment equity policy across Canada. In Canada’s provinces today, the climate of debate on employment equity stands along a spectrum, from extreme commitment to extreme opposition to the principles on which such policy is based. Within...
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...ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SERVICE CHARTERS ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN MALAWI – A CASE OF SOUTHERN REGION WATER BOARD BY RASHID FRIDAY NTELELA (201004511) A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTERS DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE, BISHO CAMPUS SUPERVISOR PROF. E.O.C IJEOMA 20th January, 2012 1 DECLARATION I, Rashid Friday Ntelela, hereby declare that this research thesis is my own original work, that all reference sources have been accurately reported and acknowledged, and that this document has not previously, in its entirety or in part, been submitted to any University in order to obtain an academic qualification. Rashid Friday Ntelela 20th January, 2012 2 Table of Contents DECLARATION ............................................................................................................... 2 DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. 7 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 1 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Introduction............................................................................................................ 9 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................. 11 Research...
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...ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR WESTERN ASIA (ESCWA) IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL POLICIES ON THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES United Nations Distr. GENERAL E/ESCWA/SDPD/2007/7 11 December 2007 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR WESTERN ASIA (ESCWA) IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL POLICIES ON THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES United Nations New York, 2007 The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Mention of firm names and commercial products does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. References have, wherever possible, been verified. Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. 07-0488 Preface This study has been prepared by the secretariat of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) as part of its regular programme of work for the 2006-2007 biennium. The study draws upon work that ESCWA is implementing within the framework of harnessing technology and enterprise development for the improved productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises, with a view to...
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...how it is used in American society. Public administration allows public policies and actions, decision-making ability and day to day operations of an agency to be executed effectively in our environment. The reader becomes familiar with the historical and social aspects pertaining to the evolving field. Public administration does not have a definite age of existence but has been recognized as reliable tool used to perform public service in the United States for the past century. Following the overview of public administration, an example of a public agency is illustrated to further acquaint the reader to the practice of public administration and how it operates to service the public. Table of Contents I. Introduction – Brief Overview of Public Administration II. Body A. Woodrow Wilson B. Principles behind Public Administration C. Public Administration in the United States D. Luther Gulick and Functions in Management E. POSDCORB III. Community Action Agency- Brief Overview IV. Conclusion V. Bibliography Introduction Public administration is encompasses the management of public agencies, organizations, associations, nonprofit and social services as well as various programs. The field is applied to all levels of government: local, state and federal. Public administration centers itself around organizing programs, policies, initiatives and day to day operations of an agency to allow it to run effectively...
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...SOCIAL POLICY ANALYSIS: WELFARE TO WORK Research is key to the continued development of the theory and knowledge base of social work practice. The AASW supports the undertaking of research as a key activity to build and maintain the mission of the social work profession. Research is an essential area of social work practice and is included in the AASW Practice Standards for Social Workers, (section 4.3), highlighting its importance to social work practice. Social workers are expected to “understand the role of research and evaluation in obtaining and generating new knowledge for practice.” (AASW 2013) Social work research informs professional practice. Through social work research, the profession can: * Assess the needs and resources of people in their environments * Evaluate the effectiveness of social work services in meeting people needs * Demonstrate relative costs and benefits of social work services * Advance professional education in light of changing contexts for practice * Understand the impact of legislation and social policy on the clients and communities we serve Australia’s population is ageing. At the same time, spending on income support payments as a whole (and not just age pensions) is anticipated to increase. Without on-going high rates of economic growth, the nation will struggle to support its ageing population and those who rely on government income support (ABS, 2006). Australian governments have long recognized the...
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...POLICY MAKING IN THE REAL WORLD Evidence and Analysis Michael Hallsworth, with Simon Parker and Jill Rutter 1 Contents About this report Executive summary 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Introduction: The Institute’s Better Policy Making theme Why look at policy making? The drive to professionalise policy making The gap between theory and practice Process Qualities Structures Politics Improving policy making 3 4 15 16 22 30 38 46 64 80 100 103 104 10. Annex A: Methodology for survey of policy characteristics 11. Annex B: The Policy Skills Framework Contents 2 About this report This report is one of three that the Institute for Government is releasing as part of its research into policy making in government. It provides both an in-depth look at attempts to reform policy making over the last fourteen years and draws on both interviews with senior civil servants and ministers, in the last government, to look at the experience of policy making. It also draws on our analysis of government’s own evaluations of policy, our ‘Policy Reunions’ looking at the factors behind policy success and the extensive academic literature on policy making. As such, it forms the evidential and analytic base for our recommendations report, Making Policy Better. This report is largely the work of the Institute for Government’s Senior Researcher Michael Hallsworth. In its early stages, the research was led by former Institute Fellow, Simon Parker, and in the later stages was overseen...
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...An Understanding of Public Administration Master of Public Administration Program Modern Public Administration: Managing Public & Nonprofit Organizations PAD 500 Abstract The purpose of this paper, An Understanding of Public Administration, is to provide the reader with an overview of the field and its application towards public programs, agencies, groups and other associations. It also provides a clear definition, introduces some principles associated with public administration along and how it is used in American society. Public administration allows public policies and actions, decision-making ability and day to day operations of an agency to be executed effectively in our environment. The reader becomes familiar with the historical and social aspects pertaining to the evolving field. Public administration does not have a definite age of existence but has been recognized as reliable tool used to perform public service in the United States for the past century. Following the overview of public administration, an example of a public agency is illustrated to further acquaint the reader to the practice of public administration and how it operates to service the public. Table of Contents I. Introduction – Brief Overview of Public Administration II. Body A. Woodrow Wilson B. Principles behind Public Administration C. Public Administration in the United States ...
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...How the Media Affects Policy Making Through Their Reporting October 30, 2011 How the Media Affects Policy Making Through Their Reporting The debate over how fairly and unbiased the media presents their reporting on issues to the public is an ongoing one. There are those who say the form of the media in which it is presented may have a lot to do with its influence on public opinion. Although, there are others who believe all forms of media hold the same amount of influence. Over the past week, media in the form of newspaper and television has been compared to each other in its reporting on various public policies. The New York Times and ABC’s World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer were looked at comparatively in their handling of stories regarding public policies for the time period specified. The key notes compared are: equal focus on policies within the media form; presence of objectivity or bias within the content; and how in depth the storyline was reported. The lack or overabundance of any of these key notes could have a significant impact on the public view of the same subject. Equal Focus on Public Policy The amount of press given to stories of public policies from The New York Times was much more significant in frequency as compared to the stories focused on by Diane Sawyer from ABC’s World News Tonight. In the past week, The New York Times discussed varied stories ranging from the potential impact the United States’ reaction to the United Nations Educational...
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...SOCIAL POLICY ASSIGNMENT ON ORIGIN OF SOCIAL POLICY An Introduction to Social Policy Social Policy Social policy is the study of social services and the welfare state. In general terms, it looks at the idea of the social welfare. And its relationship to politics and society. More specifically, it also considers detailed issues in Modem government is based on a social contact between citizens and the state in which rights and duties are agreed to by all to further the common intrest . citizens lend their support to a government through taxes and efforts to a country’s good. In return, government acquire legitimacy by protecting the people’s rights and through public policies that benefit all. However, policy making is often captured by powerful groups and elites. Making government policies based and accountable to the majority and citizens. With half the world’s population living below the two dollar a day poverty line. Ineffective social policies can be the spark for state breakdown. Lack of opportunity, authoritarian rule, gross inequity, exclusion and deprivation-all increase the likelihood of a state’s de-legitimization and withdrawal of its citizens support. Leading to social disintegration. Conflict and violence Social policy is an instrument applied by governments to regulate and supplement market institutions and social structures. Social policy is often defined as social services such as education, health, employment, and social security. However, social policy is also...
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...Case Study Critique • What are some possible reasons caseworkers were not aware of the conditions in the Jackson home? The cases workers were not aware of the conditions of the Jackson home because they did not rules and policies did not make them investigate more thoroughly. Social worker and any other child welfare facility must have strict policies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children that they are responsible for. Once these four kids were adopted and the house was “suitable” for them the social workers did not have to check on them as often. I cannot say for sure whether these social workers had any suspicion which they never reported. Apparently they never saw the children when they went they visited because you could clearly tell that they were malnourished. • From the information presented in the case study, determine whether the nine members of the Division of Youth and Family Services staff should have been fired. Why or why not? The nine members of the Division of Youth and Family Services staff should not have been fired but trained. After they fired the social workers the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services implemented several changes to their policies. If these policies had been implanted before this case would have been prevented. • Was justice served in this case? Why or why not? I believe that the sentence that Vanessa Jackson received was too lenient. The purpose of punishment is not only to make the person pay for...
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...to consumer groups or to the public. For example, social worker may conduct educative sessions concerned with parenting skills, marital enrichment, stress management, or various aspects of mental health or health care. System linkage roles Because clients often need resources not provided by a given agency and lack knowledge of or abilty to utilize other available resources ,social workers often perform roles in linking people to other resources. System linkage roles include the following 1. Broker. To perform the role of broker (i.e., an intermediary who assists in connecting people with resources), social worker must have a thorough knowledge of community resources so that they can make appropriate referrals. Familiarity with the policies of resources systems and working relationships with key contact persons are essential to successful referrals. Before some people will avail themselves of resources they may require the social workers assistance in overcoming fears and misconceptions. Social workers also have responsibilities in...
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...clients. * Greater focus on budget management then on clients. * Social worker /client relationship (due to increase workloads) based on control and supervision and not care. The changes that affected social work came about because of a fundamental reconstruction in its relationship to the state and to the social work client. This is because social and political attitudes toward welfare provision and the welfare client changed in the late 1970s with the coming to power of the Thatcher government. Government policy wanted to introduce a move from a Welfare State system to a system of welfare markets and non-statutory providers and also changed the role of the state from provider to regulator. These policies were also followed by “New” Labour when it came to power in the 1990's This has lead to a welfare organisation that is fragmented. The principle of “universalism” i.e.the view that all should be dealt with equally has been replaced by the policy of targetting those most in need which some argue has lead to discontinuities and inconsistencies in provision of social work support. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2008 states this has led to an "inequitable distribution of services and, in some instances, a reduction in quality leading to serious injustice." The multidiscplinary approach affects the practice of social worker because it has led to a "diminution of social work as a central activity in the UK welfare...
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...example could be by identifying drug abuse by noting the use, intentional exposure to, or ingestion of any illegal chemical substances used in a nonmedical way, (Chambers and Wedel, 2005). This also can be defined in another way people are more prone to hearing and can identify better with, addiction; the problem would be better known as addiction instead of using. The definition of policy within the context of human services is a program of actions adopted by the individual, government agency or organization or is based on the specific set of principles, a specific course of action or a selected method chosen from alternatives as a guide to determine present and future decisions along with a plan which embraces the general goals of acceptable policies and procedures. The example of proper use of policy involving a drug addict leads most often to a situation needing or involving some figure of authority, a supervisor, or law enforcement. Breaking the law, a company’s zero tolerance policy, or any person or situation which is causing the present problem is resolved by following a form of policy and procedure. The definition of program within the context of human services is a systematic plan or course of action for meeting a specified goal or...
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...Social Policy and Social Programs HSM/240 7/1/11 Marilyn Gardner Axia College of the University of Phoenix Social Policy and Social Programs 2 The agency I had chosen from week one, was the Lincoln Park Community Shelter. This agency has a clear mission statement to bring community together to empower homeless men and women and to make life changes. This mission statement would be the first step in the fundamental policy elements. The second element, Forms of benefits or services delivered would be their vision statement. According to their website it states; • “We will work to become the model for interim housing in Chicago, focusing on attainment of permanent housing for each guest. • We will provide each guest with comprehensive social services, resources and tools to overcome personal and societal barriers in order to attain self-sufficiency. • We will celebrate guests' daily accomplishments and progress toward long-term goals, continually adapting our services to respond to the changing needs of guests (LPCS, 2011).” The third element would be the Entitlement (eligibility) rules. This is where I chose a program from this agency. LPCS has five programs sponsored by this agency. The one program I found interesting is their one-on-one program. The One on One Program provides direct financial assistance to people moving out of homelessness and into...
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