Final Blog: What I Learned

As a whole, the class presented a new dynamic of government and public administration, which is the role of the internet and technology affecting the public and nonprofit sectors.  Understanding the government’s presence on the internet and the potential benefits of further utilization of technology to streamline government activities is a necessary component of a policy maker in the 21^st century.  This class went a long way in providing me with this necessary knowledge. 

There were a number of issues that were addressed in the course that presented new information.   Several of these will serve as valuable knowledge moving forward into my career than other, but all were worthwhile.  Three that come to mind in particular are the lesions on how the internet works, the growth of e-government and e-democracy, and the issue of information validity on the internet.

How It Works
Perhaps the most foreign concept heading into the class was the lesson describing how the internet actually works.  There were two real revelations during this section.  First was the fact that I knew as little as I did about how the internet works, and second was the fact that I had never given it any thought before.  It is something that gets taken for granted.  People turn on their computers and the internet is just there for their use.  Having this understanding may not be the most valuable piece of information I take from the class in terms of usefulness in my future career as I am not pursuing a career in IT, but it will serve as useful knowledge that is not possessed by that many people.

Another bit of usefully knowledge gained in the class that will be beneficial going forward, were the portions on how the internet and technology is transforming the way governments and democracy work.  There have are a number of final thoughts that I will take away from the class in regards to these issues.  This includes how the internet has already changed government operations and democracy, and the potential the internet has to produce further change.

E-Government/E-Democracy
One of the most important developments the internet has produced is an increased amount of transparency in government.  Information is being shared at speeds and in quantities previously unheard of.  The smallest moves and decisions by governments are broadcasted and available to just about everyone.  Transparency leads to a more responsible and responsive government.  It also allows for any wrong doings to be brought to light and dealt with. 

In addition to transparency, the internet has helped make the government more responsive to citizens. Providing services and responding to constituent needs is much faster and streamlined then before.  People can now pay fines, file forms, and request services from their own home, and no longer have to go to a government building.  This makes the process faster not only to citizens, but for the government who can handle several things at once.  It helps with efficiency and costs.  These features will only be expanded upon in the future as more and more services are transferred to the internet.  The potential for increased efficiency in the future is one of the best selling points of IT in government.  As the government’s operating costs have gone up and demand for more efficient government has risen amongst the citizenry, further development of service delivery online will be an attractive option for governments.

The effect on the democratic process has been extensive as well. The internet has provided a whole new medium for the government and politicians to interact with citizens.  It’s also a mostly free way to communicate and get a message out.  It has allowed for citizens to be even more informed on the issues and make better decisions when trying to decide who to vote for.  It also allows citizens to understand what sorts of decisions governments are making with the increased flow of information.


Information Validity
Generally, one would argue that greater access and exposure to information is better.  However, the quality and accuracy of the information people are exposed to needs to be accounted for.  For all the benefits the internet has provided, one of its most damaging attributes is the prevalence of inaccurate or misleading information.  This is seen in great deal with government and commentary on its activities.

When getting their messages out, politicians and governments can pick and choose which information to release and then release it in a way that is most appealing to their own interests.  They can place greater emphasis on information that is beneficial to them and gloss over that which is damaging.  The presence of a well designed website can lend credibility to a person or cause that may not be credible.  Opinion can be presented as fact.  Telling the difference is difficult and determining where the slant is coming from can be tough for the otherwise uniformed reader. 

One of the more fascinating sources of this is whitehouse.gov.  It’s a website run by the administration in power at the time and as a result, is favorable to the administration.  Why this fascinates me is because the president also has his own webpage.  One might think whitehouse.gov would be non partial presentation of information and news from the white house, and the president’s personal webpage would be acting as the political arm. This is not the case however, as both sites basically accomplish the same thing which is to promote the president’s agenda. 

This is a lesson that is valuable to anyone who may be doing policy research in the future.  Identification of reliable, nonpartisan sources of information is crucial for policy makers if they are to be able to support their arguments and present their case.  The value of this lesson to me moving forward is less about personally finding valid information, but understanding that many people are exposed to bad information which they take as fact. This is something to be cautious moving forward in a career in the public sector, and it’s also something that needs to be addressed to lessen its impact.

The material covered in this course will only become more relevant over time as governments become more dependent on the internet for service distribution.  As this process plays out, and understanding of the internet and its impacts on government and democracy will become even more necessary to policy makers than it is now.  As more public and non-profit sector employees emerge from graduate school with an understanding of technology’s capacity to improve efficiency, both industries will be better off.  This is important because these two industries are often among the most strapped for resources.  The knowledge I gained in this course has prepared me to be part of that new class of public sector workers, and I value that greatly.