E-Government

The course examines main opportunities offered by digital technologies for governments’ action. The use of the Internet and other communication technologies in order to provide information and services to citizens, businesses, and other public organizations will be discussed, along with the implications for government efficiency, transparency, communication, service delivery, and engagement with citizens. It will also tackle how international organizations and NGOs could leverage on ICTs.
The course is organized in formal (ex-cathedra) lessons complemented by case studies and testimonials.
The assessment will be undertaken in a form of collaborative group projects (30%) and a written exam (70%).

Reading materials:

• Cantoni, L., Tardini, S. (2006). Internet. New York: Routledge (Chapters 4-6).
• Janowski, Tomasz (2015). From electronic governance to policydriven electronic governance – evolution of technology use in government. In L. Cantoni & J.A. Danowski (eds.) Communication and Technology, Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
• United Nations E-Government Survey (2016). (Chapter 2. Transparency through open government data).
• Picco-Schwendener, A., Jost, R., & Cantoni, L. (2017). Usage Practices and User Types of a Municipal Wi-Fi Network: The Case of “WiFi Lugano, ICEGOV2017 Proceedings, ACM.