When researching, teaching or working with information systems in the public sector, one is left with few or often no textbooks that provide useful case studies or surveys on the implementation and effects of integrating information technologies in the organizations' operations. This is surprising since in most first world countries the public sector consumes a substantial part of the gross national product. Even more astonishing is the vast amount of financial and organizational resources that are spent developing and implementing various information systems. We decided to write this book to provide information for those studying information systems at business schools, information and computer departments at collegesl universities, and for those working hands-on with EDI and data networking in public administration. Thus, our primary target groups for this book are professionals, training (MA-courses), computer science, MBA, MP A, and political science. EDI has been seen as a means to wire the various policy areas in the public sector. Those included are not limited strictly to the public organizations, but extend to their trade partners. Also, government has sought ways to stimulate the usage of ED I in the private sector beyond those transactions involving direct communication with the public sector. In this book, we have contributors from eight countries and a total of 14 chapters reporting on issues of importance when developing and implementing EDI, when government wants to stimulate the diffusion of EDI in society, and when organizations want to address the impact of their investments in ED!.
The public sector uses electronic data interchange (EDI) in areas such as the health sector, procurement, meat inspection, taxation, transportation, and the courts. Also, government encourages private sector to enhance their use of electronic communication to secure faster and more reliable exchange of data, to save manpower, and to enable organizational transformation to the information society. In "EDI and Data Networking in the Public Sector" authors from eight countries report on the modes of governmental intervention to stimulate the usage of EDI and the challenges facing government as they try to smoothen their own units via organizational management. With cases (a total of 14 chapters) from Singapore, Denmark, USA, Sweden, England, Australia, and the Netherlands, this book finds that government in some countries is ahead of the private sector in utilization of EDI and that government at both supranational, central and local levels are active players on the field. Local levels of government and the quasi-governmental organizations provide an important supplement to the efforts by central government to increase the overall usage of EDI.
"EDI and Data Networking in the Public Sector" also indicates that the payoff from investments in EDI are slow to evolve. Dreams of quick return are not likely to emerge. Also, return of investments are highly linked to the organizations' ability to change their work processes along with the investments in EDI. The authors indicate that many public sector organizations lack the steam and vision necessarily to transform the government to a more technological based organization, where public procurement, taxation, medicine ordering etc. takes advantage of the potentials in EDI and data networking. "EDI and Data Networking in the Public Sector" will be of interest to all researchers and practitioners in MIS, Computer Science and International Trade working on the adoption of new technology.
