The E-Government Challenge for Public Administration

Abstract

As public sector agencies use the e-government model to improve delivery of their services, it is important that this model become integrated into education of future leaders of the public service. A fully scaled implementation of e-government requires more than simple automation of the existing processes. It can affect significantly the overall organizational structure of public agencies, their missions and goals, and the way they interact with customers and with each other. Because of its profound impact on the functions and even structure of government, implementing e-government involves significant challenges, including resistance to change and the problem of lack of information technology skills among public managers. To address these challenges, public affairs programs must include into their curricula courses that would prepare cadre qualified for the era of e-government. Survey results are presented outlining efforts of graduate public affairs programs to meeting demands related to the e-government model. Major components of the model are outlined and the extent to which these components are covered in graduate courses in leading public affairs programs is assessed.