Government at all
levels is trying to find ways to
- improve services
- reduce costs
- be more responsive to customer demands
- introduce new technologies to enable
all these.
Government agencies are in a
pivotal position to make a difference, as they are both
- policy makers, and
- major employers - often the
largest in their areas.
The following articles are aimed at
providing insight into the issues and current practices.
Progress report on
e-government
April saw the publication by the National Audit Office of some
hard-hitting reports on the progress – or lack of it – of
e-government initiatives in the UK. We analyse the fairness of the
criticisms, and point to some issues the NAO doesn’t address.
Changing the way government works
...or more precisely, the way people employed by government
organisations work. We examine the unique features and drivers for
flexible work in this sector, and highlight the importance of
flexible work for policy and service delivery.
Information Age planning
Everyone keeps telling us that the world is changing with the
"death of distance" in the Information Age. This may have profound
consequences for land use and transport planners. We look at what
is actually known, and what the future spatial and transport
consequences may be of increased use of ICT for work, shopping,
online services and play. Though some things are not yet clear, we
highlight the areas where we know enough to challenge traditional
approaches to planning.
Community development and ICT
The UK government is investing heavily in projects developing ICT
access, facilities and services for communities. We ask "What
for?", look at different ways of going about it, make some
suggestions for achieving value for money, and highlight some
resources for further information. Tackling the Digital Divide
What is it? What is being done to bridge it at the moment? And what should
government agencies and businesses be doing about it?
Putting the
"e-" into local government
We report from a conference, held in Birmingham in February,
covering e-services, e-work, e-learning and (here's a new one!) e-inclusion.
Series of linked articles.
Regeneration
in the Information Age
An outline of the ways in which information and
communication technologies (ICT) can contribute to urban
and rural regeneration
Telework
and Local Authorities
What local councils are doing, what they could be
doing and what they should be doing
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