The eGovernment research projects undertaken by the STE Lab are directed by several faculty members including Karen Mossberger, Eric Welch, Mary Feeney and Meg Haller. Our work in this area centers around the use of technology for management, service delivery and civic engagement. Some studies have examined adoption and effects of adoption of new information and communication technologies on the management processes and outcomes of public organizations, while others have investigated the effect of new technology deployment by government on citizens. The research questions addressed concern many of the traditional themes of public administration and governance including equity, efficiency and effectiveness. Project details are listed below.
This research aims to develop and administer a national survey of state and local government agencies to examine the extent to which different agencies utilize technology (Internet and non-Internet based) to seek input from citizens and other stakeholders. It is funded by the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) at UIC. This project is designed to provide several levels of information and knowledge about civic engagement and technology-facilitated civic engagement in government agencies in the US. The first level of information will be a baseline descriptive understanding of the status of technology for civic engagement in government agencies. At a second level, the project will provide an understanding of why civic engagement may be more prevalent in one government than in another. Finally, the project will provide a navigable dataset that will include survey data, website data, and other institutional data (e.g. census data) that can be made available to partners or other groups for further analysis. The combination of baseline information, explanatory information, and data is expected to place IPCE at the nexus of the national discussion on technology and civic engagement, and it will provide a valuable resource for agencies, citizens and other stakeholders within the state of Illinois and across the US. See the final report, briefs, publications and conferences based on the IPCE 2010 City Survey here.
This project consists of the design and baseline interviews for an evaluation of an innovative project to integrate digital inclusion initiatives into community-building efforts in several low-income Chicago neighborhoods. The Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) is supporting Dr. Karen Mossberger’s evaluation of the Digital Excellence Demonstration Communities Project, including research on the role that technology plays in engaging citizens in their communities. The Digital Excellence Demonstration Communities project is a partnership involving the City of Chicago, MacArthur Foundation, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Microsoft, and the lead agencies of the New Communities Program in Pilsen, Englewood, Auburn Gresham, and Chicago Lawn. Baseline interviews conducted with organizations in these communities will provide a unique case study of the role of technology in civic engagement for neighborhood revitalization, and will provide a foundation for further quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
The Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) is a new organization at the University of Illinois at Chicago primarily funded by the State of Illinois. IPCE’s mission is to “transform democracy by creating a more fully engaged citizenry with more effective leaders”. In 2009, STE Policy Lab faculty completed at a strategic positioning project to assist IPCE leadership in their startup efforts. This project included an integrated look at the knowledge and practice of how universities, e-government and technology applications interact and relate to civic engagement. Based on this structured examination, three possible future scenarios were developed to help guide the Institute towards achieving its stated mission.