Digital Government at Work

Steve Halliday, President of Society of Information Technology Management describes the book as a 'rigorous and thought-provoking analysis of the history and the future of digital government', and I would agree with that analysis...the book is also very readable and what is more, should be read. * Chi Onwurah, London Review of Books *
This is an insightful debate about the issues and opportunities of technology to improve public service outcomes. It brings together a rich mix of academic and practical research which challenges preconceptions [and] provides a fresh insight into the complexity of modern, IT-enabled public service policy delivery. It shows just why a more strategic view is required and why IT projects in the public sector are in practice so challenging. It advocates methods of systems analysis and delivery which allow existing infrastructure to be continually adapted to reflect changing political and social priorities. Above all, it makes a compelling case for much more co-design and co-delivery with service users, so that digital government can put the citizen in more control. Policy makers, IT leaders and politicians will all gain from this research. * Jos Creese, CIO, Hampshire County Council and chair, Local Public Services CIO Council *
As cost pressures increase on governments around the world, new technologies are crucial to drive efficiency and boost productivity. Advances in ICT have the potential to dramatically improve the interface between government and citizen, allowing governments to better target services, and citizens to more easily access the support they need. But if digital government is not done well, the costs may outweigh the benefits. In Digital Government at Work, McLoughlin, Wilson and Martin have shown that it is possible to place the human users of technology right where they should be at the centre of government thinking when it comes to digital service delivery. * The Hon. John Brumby *
The authors have done a superb job in illustrating the importance of taking a social informatics perspective in order to better understand the multiple dimensions of digital government and public service innovation and how digital government can be made to work more effectively in practice. With a strong and convincing analysis of rich case study descriptions, this book is a must-read for scholars, practitioners, policy makers and students interested in digital government. * Professor Miriam Lips, Chair in e-Government at Victoria University of Wellington *
This is a rigorous and thought provoking analysis of the history and the future of digital government. A multi-dimensional perspective reveals an evolving maturity of conceptual models and challenges simple notions of the relationship between technology and society. This is an insightful journey beyond transactional citizen interactions, towards genuine innovation in co-produced service design, addressing more complex areas of social need and peoples lives. Digital and service leaders at all levels and across the many public service partnership organizations would benefit from understanding this book. * Steve Halliday, President of Socitm (the society for public service IT leadership) *
... the book has a great deal of relevance for public policy, particularly in considering the need for technology to empower rather than constrain its users. ... the book is also very readable and what is more, should be read. * Chi Onwurah MP, London School of Economics Review of Books *