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Much of the public administration literature over the last 50 years has focused on the perceived gap between theory and practice, and recent studies examine the implications of such a gap for implementing and engaging in e-government initiatives. To identify solutions to such a gap, however, one must first establish that it exists. This qualitative...
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... with large populations (California, New York, Texas) were also better represented in the syl - labi database. Figure 1 shows the number of IT courses per state. ...
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... of full-time faculty 70% number of sections taught, percentage of courses taught by full-time faculty, and number of students in the program. Programs differed considerably in size, from an observed mini- mum of 12 students to a maximum of 396, with an average enrollment of 97. The amount of full-time faculty utilized by these programs ranged from 12% to 100%, with 70% of an average program's faculty employed in full-time positions. The universities whose programs con- tributed syllabi were in cities across all pop- ulation ranges: 11 programs were headquartered in cities with a population of less than 50,000, 11 were in cities with a population of 50,001- 199,999, 9 were center ed in municipalities with a population of 200,000-500,000, and 14 were in cities with greater than 500,000 resi dents. Programs in the South (Alabama, Ark ansas, Flor ida, Georgia) contributed the lar gest num- ber of syllabi, followed by those in the Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wis consin) and mid-Atlantic regions (District of Columbia, Maryland, West Vir ginia). States with large populations (California, New York, Texas) were also better represented in the syl - labi database. Figure 1 shows the number of IT courses per ...
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... Studies in the developing PPE literature mainly focus on PPE experiences of countries (He et al., 2016;Manwaring et al., 2020;O'Neil, 2022) by analyzing syllables (Manoharan & McQuiston, 2016;Wu et al., 2015;Yildiz et al., 2011), important events, institutions, and individuals in the historical progress (Kuo & Kuo, 2012;Mukherjee & Maurya, 2023;Yildiz et al., 2011). Upon examination of the situation in Turkey, it is apparent that the development of PPE has progressed rapidly within the country since the turn of the millennium. ...
... Corporations, by contrast, are motivated to retain autonomy and minimise state interventions that restrict business activity. The problem to be solved for corporations is one of reassuring stakeholders and customers that corporate practices are ethical, and that corporations can self-regulate (Vogel, 2005), sometimes because corporations have better expertise and information than governments (Manoharan & McQuiston, 2016). State regulatory interventions are viewed as unhelpful by corporations because they limit flexibility, hinder innovation, and impose costs (Hong et al., 2022). ...
A range of private actors are positioning varied public and private policy venues as appropriate for defining standards governing the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Three ideal-type pathways – oppose and fend off; engage and push; and lead and inspire – describe distinct sets of corporate and civil society motivations and actions that lead to distinct roles for, and relations between, private actors and states in AI governance. Currently, public-private governance interactions around AI ethical standards align with an engage and push pathway, potentially benefitting certain first-mover AI standards through path-dependent processes. However, three sources of instability – shifting governance demands, focusing events, and localisation effects – are likely to drive continued proliferation of private AI governance that aim to oppose and fend off state interventions or inspire and lead redefinitions of how AI ethics are understood. A pathways perspective uniquely uncovers these critical dynamics for the future of AI governance.
... This study quantifies the level of IT emphasis in the MPA and MPP programs in Asia. Previous research indicates that the vast majority of MPA and MPP programs in the United States do not offer courses in information technologies (Manoharan and McQuiston, 2016;Mauldin, 2016). Such trends were observed in other regions, but many of those studies were nation specific. ...
... Scholars have exhaustively studied the gap between theory and practice in public administration. Being a pracademic discipline, both academic and practitioner perspectives are relevant (Box, 1999;Manoharan and McQuiston, 2016;O'Leary and Vij, 2012;Raadschelders and Lee, 2011;Welch and Wong, 1998). As MPA graduate students come from a wide range of disciplines, they understandably expect to learn theoretical concepts and practical approaches to implementing them. ...
... Many authors have argued that NASPAA must reemphasize IT and e-government in its accreditation standards in order to keep up with the growing use of emerging technologies in public and nonprofit organizations (Ganapati and Reddick, 2016;Manoharan and McQuiston, 2016;Shark, 2016). To that end, Manoharan and McQuiston (2016) created a typology of information and communication education in public administration programs. ...
New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain are changing how the public sector serves constituents. Academic programs in public administration and public policy must adapt their coursework to best serve students in an increasingly technology-based world. This qualitative research analyzed 84 Asian public administration graduate programs to determine the degree to which information technology was taught throughout the region. Our findings indicate that considerable variation existed between the number of information technology classes offered and the types of information discussed in the classes. A majority of public administration programs throughout Asia offered coursework in information technology ; but, core classes and IT-specific specializations in public administration programs were observed at a much lower rate. Discussions of the tactics taken by programs to educate students in information technologies provide actionable suggestions for practitioners , educators, researchers, and administrators alike.
... Despite this, these programs are far from monolithic, and some employability skills are more accentuated than others in the classroom. While it is categorically false to state MPA/MPP programs do not impart any of the necessary skills, inconsistencies help perpetuate the skills gap (Manoharan & McQuiston, 2016). ...
... NVivo 12 software was used to scan for the distribution of subject matter across the syllabi. NVivo is a data analysis software that enables researchers to thematically code and annotate documents (Manoharan & McQuiston, 2016). In addition to the NVivo data analysis, the authors also manually examined all the syllabi, ensuring that no crucial components were excluded. ...
While the praxis of public administration in India is documented in the literature, its pedagogy, and the formal dissemination of its knowledge , is relatively unexamined. This study determines the status of public administration pedagogy in India through a review of the academic programs in public administration at accredited state, central , and deemed universities. After reviewing a sample of the syllabi of public administration programs, the academic context of the field, and the areas of key emphasis, this paper explores the conceptualization of public administration as an independent academic discipline in India. This study makes a significant contribution to global comparative public administration, and also contributes to developing the nascent literature on public administration pedagogy in present day India and South Asia.
... Without proper methods underlying analysis, the use of data in government agencies is essentially useless (Archenaa and Anita, 2015). Advanced data science skills are not taught in many of the feeder disciplines that populate public service (Manoharan and McQuiston, 2016). Public affairs schools, political science departments, sociology, public health, and other allied disciplines provide largely introductory sequences in data analysis and manipulation. ...
... The following recommendations are derived from a synthesis of the included literature review, the review of existing public data science programs, faculty experience, input from advisory board members in civic technology organizations, the included case studies in Section 5, and the core competencies derived from the creation of the Master of Science in Civic Analytics program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. My approach is in part grounded through the work of other researchers, whose research has posited competency models for information technology and e-Government (McQuiston and Manoharan, 2016), global cultural competency (Appe, Rubai and Stamp, 2016), health administration (Rissi, 2014), and diversity (Johnson and Rivera, 2007) Each domain linked to a set of broad competencies, which are further linked with curriculum components that may be used to provide evidence of compliance with a future NASPAA data science accreditation or certification program. They are constructed to account for individual program needs but are focused enough to offer detailed guidance on curriculum. ...
... The call for improved technical capacity in the public workforce has largely been ignored by the field of public affairs, even in the face of an established body of research offering prescriptive guidance in addressing. Manoharan and McQuiston (2016) note that NASPAA once had IT competencies, but "removed the IT requirement from its standards for institutional accreditation because of the subject area's diffuse focus" (184). My hope is that my contribution to the NASPAA data science initiative will provide a foundation for reestablishing information technology as a core element of its wider accreditation standards, in addition to its important purpose of helping to define the bounds of this newly emerging academic discipline. ...
The academic landscape of data science has experienced substantial growth within the last decade, primarily through the establishment of graduate programs within computer science departments, newly formed data analytics departments, and business schools. As a response to the growing demand for public servants with advanced data skills, a small but growing number of institutions have responded by establishing public data science programs. Anchored within the realms of public policy, public administration, and urban planning, these programs can provide a comparative basis for establishing a public data science competency framework. This whitepaper highlights the core insights derived from the process of establishing the Master of Science in Civic Analytics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It is intended to inform the development of competencies for NASPAA MPA and MPP programs that wish to incorporate data science concentrations within their curriculum. It is also meant to introduce program directors to civic technology-informed perspectives of data science, serving as a contrast to other approaches in the field. My intent in crafting this paper is to broaden the construction of public data science beyond the domain of public policy analysis, smart cities, and federal agencies towards a broadly inclusive framework that can appeal to a wider population NASPAA member institutions. My proposed framework is intended for all programs but is intended to show the value of data science for those that specialize in preparing students for careers in state and local government, and the nonprofit sector.
... Scholars have worked to provide empirical support about how e-government works. The vast majority of this research has focused on trust and confidence in government (Tolbert & Mossberger, 2006;Kim & Lee, 2012;Morgeson, Van Amburg & Mithas, 2011); adoption (Schwester, 2009;Schwester, 2010;Moon 2002;Manoharan, 2013); innovation (Tolbert, Mossberger, & McNeal, 2008), changes and challenges faced by government officials (Carrizales, 2008;Dawes, 2008), IT pedagogy (Ganpati & Reddick, 2016;Manoharan & McQuiston, 2016), and social equity (Helbig, Gil-Garcia, & Ferro, 2008;Manoharan & Carrizales, 2011). Much of this research relies on a similar model of e-government development. ...
In this chapter, the authors draw on Scott's work on e-government and democratic theories to examine how governments engage their citizens online. The three theories they focus on-representative, pluralist, and direct-are the most prominent in the democratic theory literature. Using data from 200 U.S. local governments, the authors examine two research questions: What factors drive governments to employ each theory? Which theory predominates in the implementation of e-government? The assumption is that providing answers to these two questions will help set the stage for future research linking e-government and democratic theory. The authors also explore this theory in e-government amidst the rise of m-government, whereby users access e-government services via mobile devices. They suggest as well what governments can do to move forward with their e-government and m-government efforts based on these theories.
... A factor closely related to IT capacity is the level of IT skills among local government employees. Many local governments are facing a shortage of employees with relevant IT skills, and recent studies have clearly identified the mismatch between the e-government courses and topics that academic programs offered and what practitioners needed at the workplace (Manoharan and McQuiston 2016). Accordingly, future studies need to take a pedagogical approach and examine how schools and colleges are emphasizing e-government/IT competencies in their undergraduate and graduate curriculum. ...
... Accordingly, future studies need to take a pedagogical approach and examine how schools and colleges are emphasizing e-government/IT competencies in their undergraduate and graduate curriculum. For example, Figure 1 shows the popular concepts related to e-government and IT based on a review of syllabi of e-government/IT courses from graduate programs in public administration and public policy across the United States (Manoharan and McQuiston 2016). The following questions can guide future research on e-government/IT pedagogy-how are we teaching and training future public-sector employees who will be joining an increasingly digitized workplace? ...
Over the past two decades, governments have used information and communication technologies (ICTs) to integrate their internal functions and improve their delivery of services. Scholars and practitioners have conceptualized these various ICT trends and referred to them collectively as e-government. As the number of citizens using the Internet and mobile technologies increases, the public sector is constantly innovating to keep pace with the changing technologies and citizens’ expectations. This essay reviews the academic literature on e-government among local governments and explores the issues related to its adoption and implementation. Adopting an e-government stages perspective with attention to institutional capacity, the essay examines the factors and determinants of local e-government success. The essay concludes with directions for future research on e-government and innovation in local governments.
... The previous standards successfully initiated the inclusion of greater technology focus in the MPA/MPP programs (Ganpati and Reddick, 2016), and a continued emphasis on this inclusion could have resolved the consequent issue of establishing a uniform standard for e-government/IT education. This lack of uniformity further indicates the need to assess the response of academic institutions in providing essential IT education to current and future public administrators in an increasingly interconnected world (Manoharan and McQuiston, 2016). This fallback would slow the increasing trend of offering e-government/IT courses in MPA/MPP curricula, and runs the risk of widening the gap between academia and practice. ...
Information technology (IT) is often less emphasized in coursework related to public administration education, despite the growing need for technological capabilities in those joining the public sector workforce. This coupled with a lesser emphasis on e-government/IT skills by accreditation standards adds to the widening gap between theory and practice in the field. This study examines the emphasis placed on e-government/IT concepts in Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs, either through complete course offerings or through related courses such as public management, strategic planning, performance measurement and organization theory. Based on a content analysis of their syllabi, the paper analyzes the extent to which the IT/e-government courses in MPA/Master of Public Policy programs address the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration competency standards, and further discuss the orientation of the courses with two of the competencies: management and policy. Specifically, are e-government/IT courses more management-oriented or policy-oriented? Do public management, strategic planning, performance measurement, and organization theory courses address IT concerns?