For more information contact sppnews@gmu.edu.
Public Policy Professors Philip Auerswald and Steve Ruth participated in a workshop with the Innovations in Technology and Governance (ITG) Project October 30 and 31 at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. The project, part of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, seeks to identify the conditions under which innovations in technology and governance can be most effectively and appropriately harnessed to improve the way societies govern themselves.
Dr. Auerswald, who is also the director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy at GMU’s School of Public Policy, took part in the opening session with three other scholars. Dr. Ruth, the director of SPP’s International Center for Applied Studies in Information Technology moderated an interactive group discussion on lessons learned in designing interactivity into e-governance.
The ITG project uses real-word cases to drive the research towards a greater understanding of the phenomena described earlier. Representatives from such projects around the world came to the workshop to share their stories for analysis and discussion. Participants heard how a Chinese information portal for farmers aimed at providing information on agricultural techniques has evolved into a mechanism for farmers to communicate with one another and to reach global markets. Also discussed, a Brazilian environmental website which captures, aggregates, and tracks anonymous tips local citizens can submit online as a way to combat illegal animal trafficking.
A central research question for the ITG Project is how networks that enable wider and more horizontal communication flows, and at more scales, challenge or alter traditional governance. The ITG Project also aims to better understand the causal relationships between polity, technology, and economy.