Effects of Information Technology on Policy Decision-Making Processes

Evaluation of Sectoral Implementation of Nigerian National Information Technology (IT) Policy

Kerala, one of the federal states of India, is a region known for its high levels of achievements in education, healthcare and social justice despite low per capita income. In line with global trends, in 1998 the government of Kerala formulated an Information Technology (IT) policy. The policy aims at increased application of IT in all walks of life, enhancing the IT industry base, creating a robust state information infrastructure and creating human resources for IT. The paper discusses the government's initiatives, achievements and limitations in the implementation of the IT policy. The paper identifies the pitfalls in the present IT policy and suggests suitable solutions. The study shows that, in spite of financial constraints, Kerala has made significant achievements in E‐governance. The findings of the study also reveal the need for better strategies for promotion of IT industries and PC penetration. The paper also emphasises the need to mobilise additional resources to achieve the policy objectives.

Sweden has had an explicit information technology (IT) policy for about 40 years. The development of Swedish IT policy has been closely connected to the search for internal efficiency in the public sector, as well as the promotion of innovation and economic development. Responsibility for the implementation of IT policy is currently divided among several actors, including a nationally appointed strategy group.

Making a technopolis in Hyderabad, India: The role of government IT policy

Information technology (IT) has become a potent force in transforming social, economic and political life globally (Hafkin & Taggart, 2001). Without its incorporation into the information age, there is little chance for countries or regions to develop. More and more concern is being shown about the impact of those left on the other side of the digital divide—the division between the information “haves” and “have nots.” Most women within developing countries are in the deepest part of the divide, further removed from the information age than the men whose poverty they share. If access to and use of these technologies is directly linked to social and economic development, then it is imperative to ensure that women in developing countries understand the significance of these technologies and use them. If not, they will become further marginalized from the mainstream of their countries and of the world. It is essential that gender issues be considered early in the process of the introduction of IT in developing countries so that gender concerns can be incorporated from the beginning and not as a corrective afterwards (Hafkin & Taggart, 2001). This article first gives a background to the Nigerian IT policy, followed by a gender analysis of the policy. It points out the gender issues to be incorporated in the policy and the strategies of ensuring women’s ability to take advantage of IT. It finally makes recommendations on the way forward for incorporating gender issues in the Nigerian IT policy document.

Pengambilan kebijakan terkait implementasi teknologi informasi pada perguruan tinggi harus disertai dengan komitmen yang didukung oleh analisa mengenai besarnya kontribusi teknologi informasi pada kinerja institusi. Sehingga implementasi tersebut tidak serta merta hanya mengikuti tren yang berlaku, dimana hampir semua perguruan tinggi yang lain telah melakukan implementasi teknologi informasi. Serta menghindari adanya investasi yang sia-sia dikarenakan adanya kesalahan kebijakan dalam implementasi teknologi informasi. Information Technology Productivity Paradox merupakan sebuah perspektif baru dalam bidang tatakelola teknologi informasi untuk mengetahui besarnya kontribusi teknologi informasi pada peningkatan kinerja. Implementasi teknologi informasi selalu melibatkan banyak pihak dan membutuhkan biaya yang cukup besar, sehingga selalu timbul sebuah pertanyaan dalam benak pengambil kebijakan, apakah biaya dan sumberdaya yang dialokasikan untuk implementasi teknologi informasi adalah sebuah investasi yang tepat atau sia-sia. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mendapatkan sebuah model konseptual tentang variabel yang berperan dalam pengaruh implementasi IT/Teknologi Informasi terhadap peningkatan produktivitas pada perguruan tinggi dengan menggunakan pendekatan secara langsung dan tidak langsung. Diharapkan dengan adanya model ini, pimpinan perguruan tinggi mampu menghindari/meminimalisasi terjadinya kegagalan investasi Teknologi Informasi/ Paradox. Dari hasil penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa sumberdaya TI memiliki pengaruh secara langsung yang lebih signifikan daripada pengaruh secara tidak langsung,

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the key Green information technology (IT) components needed to be considered by government-based institutions and to develop a Green policy framework based on the identified Green IT components to facilitate government-based institutions achieve sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe Green policy framework and associated propositions are developed to facilitate government-based institutions achieve sustainability. In addition, a case study approach was adopted to verify the proposed framework based on data collected from open-ended interviews and sustainability report documents from two government-based institutions in Malaysia. Furthermore, the collected data were analyzed based on content analysis using descriptive and narrative method to present the findings of Green IT components adopted in the selected case studies.FindingsFindings show that sustainability considerations are increasingly being deliberated in institutions. Moreover, finding from the analyzed data also indicates that there is an increased interest towards implementation of Green IT initiatives for developing, operating and usage by practitioners and staff within government-based institutions.Research limitations/implicationsFindings from this study suggest that the Green policy framework components have implications to support only government-based institutions address environmental, social and economic-related issues.Practical implicationsThe developed Green IT components serve as robust indicators or constructs to measure management of Green IT initiatives currently being implemented and thereby provide a framework for sustainability committee members to benchmark their current Green IT practice.Social implicationsThis study provides an agenda to guide government-based institutions achieve sustainability goals. Accordingly, government-based institutions can adopt the framework’s components to evaluate their progress, hence improving their target of attaining sustainability. Besides, this research provides an approach for assessing current practices adopted in government-based institutions against the Green IT components.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is attributed to the fact that this study presents Green IT policy framework to be considered by government-based institutions in achieving sustainability. The framework provides an agenda to simultaneously consider all three dimensions of sustainability the people, planet and profit (social, environment and economic). Moreover, this is one of the first studies to explore Green IT practices in government-based institutions.

Malaysia is a resource rich country and a major socio‐economic force in the Asia‐Pacific region. Historically, the economy of Malaysia was based on agriculture and natural resources. In its efforts to transform Malaysia to a developed and industrialized country, the government started to focus on industry and high technology in the 1980s. A key area of focus was Information Technology (IT). The government chose to adopt several policies with respect to the supply and demand sides of IT instead of a national IT plan1. The policies addressed IT infrastructure, education and training, research and development, use of IT in the public sector, and fiscal incentives. These IT policies and the broad economic and industrial policies implemented during this period had a positive influence on demand for IT products and services, number of IT professionals, number of telephones per 100 population, and IT production and use. This experience has laid a firm foundation for formulating more definitive national ...

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This paper investigates the influence of organizational eco-sustainability motivations on the adoption of Green Information Technology (IT) and IT for Green. Drawing from the motivational theory and using data collected from a survey of 176 organizations, the paper develops and tests four hypotheses. The result shows that eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness motives influence the adoption of (a) technologies that improve the energy efficiency of IT infrastructure and that reduce IT related emissions (b) information systems to reduce travel and travel related emissions and (c) policy and practices that cultivate product stewardship focusing on the IT lifecycle from procurement to end of life. The findings show that while a sense of corporate environmental responsibility predicts Green IT policies and IT for Green technologies, cost cutting and energy conservation are main reasons for undertaking Green IT investments. Pressure from market forces will emerge as relevant motive as early adopters demonstrate favorable outcome out of their green practices.

Labour market institutions play a pivotal role in the formation and implementation of laws and regulations to protect the worker’s rights and interests. Ironically, as most of them are applicable only to organized form of employment, majority of the workers are devoid of their benefits. In India, workers of the Information Technology (IT) industry, which represents one of the most sophisticated forms of workplace, also do not benefit from the many labour laws due to the exemption of the industry from applicability of few welfare-oriented labour laws. This paper examines the nature of labour regulations in India and their prospective applicability to the IT industry. A second objective is to investigate conditions of work in the industry using the concept of decent work and discuss their variation across gender and other socio-demographic characteristics. Data has been collected from 272 IT employees using snowball sampling method and the results have been used to discuss the deficiencies in the work conditions despite the existing labour regulations.

As general practice becomes increasingly computerised, data security becomes increasingly important for both patient health and the efficient operation of the practice. To develop guidelines for computer security in general practice based on a literature review, an analysis of available information on current practice and a series of key stakeholder interviews. While the guideline was produced in the context of Australian general practice, we have developed a template that is also relevant for other countries. Current data on computer security measures was sought from Australian divisions of general practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with general practitioners (GPs), the medical software industry, senior managers within government responsible for health IT (information technology) initiatives, technical IT experts, divisions of general practice and a member of a health information consumer group. The respondents were asked to assess both the likelihood and the consequences of potential risks in computer security being breached. The study suggested that the most important computer security issues in general practice were: the need for a nominated IT security coordinator; having written IT policies, including a practice disaster recovery plan; controlling access to different levels of electronic data; doing and testing backups; protecting against viruses and other malicious codes; installing firewalls; undertaking routine maintenance of hardware and software; and securing electronic communication, for example via encryption. This information led to the production of computer security guidelines, including a one-page summary checklist, which were subsequently distributed to all GPs in Australia. This paper maps out a process for developing computer security guidelines for general practice. The specific content will vary in different countries according to their levels of adoption of IT, and cultural, technical and other health service factors. Making these guidelines relevant to local contexts should help maximise their uptake.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) acting through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) was tasked with delivering a report on an appropriate, risk-based regulatory framework for health information technology (IT). An expert stakeholder group was established under the auspices of the Health IT Policy Committee to help provide input into the development of this framework, including how healthcare IT systems could be stratified in terms of risk and recommendations about how the regulatory requirements currently in place should be adapted. In this paper, we summarize the public deliberations and final public report of the expert stakeholder group, and conclude with key suggestions intended to address the charge to recommend the features of a risk-based regulatory framework that promote innovation, protect patient safety, and avoid regulatory duplication.

The corruption of patient data in a hospital prompted a criminal investigation, resulting in approximately 70 nurses being disciplined, with some charged with wilful neglect contrary to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Some nurses received custodial sentences. This paper explains the background. The paper demonstrates the inability of hospital information technology (IT) systems and management to provide reliable evidence and highlights broad problems with poor IT culture affecting manufacturers, hospitals, police, lawyers, and advisors — all the way through to regulators and legislators. Widespread misunderstandings of IT and data compromises both the provision of effective care and legal processes. This paper includes recommendations, the most urgent being that hospitals (the UK National Health System (‘NHS’) and other national healthcare systems more generally) should acknowledge that IT is unreliable, and that they should procure and actively manage IT equipment with this in mind. Keeping up-to-date with legal issues relating to IT generally, as well as keeping up-to-date with cybersecurity measures should be routine. The NHS needs to improve its IT maturity, management and policies. The police, the legal system and regulators also need a more mature approach to IT. Manufacturers are not currently providing dependable systems that are fit for purpose to operate safely and reliably in normal, complex hospital environments. All parties should engage qualified external oversight.Index words: National Health Service, United Kingdom, State Medicine, cybersecurity, information technology, medical ethics

Chapter 1 - Introduction to accessible technology