Overview

Information technology has often been largely ignored in approaches to the study of government. This ground-breaking study establishes IT as a vital feature of public administration, exploring in detail the real impact of IT on the central governments of Britain and America over the last 20 years. It reveals the hidden world of two governments' information systems, the struggle to keep pace with technological development, and the battle to fulfil the grand promises of their political masters. Helen Margetts situates IT at the centre of public policy and management. It is now a vital part of any government organization, opening new policy windows and enabling a vast range of tasks to be carried out faster and more efficiently. But it has introduced new problems and challenges. Four in-depth case studies demonstrate how information systems have become inextricably linked with the core tasks of government organizations. The key government departments examined are: * the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration in the US * the Inland Revenue and Benefits Agency in the UK Information Technology in Government seperates the rhetoric of politicians from the reality of the 'information age'. Using the evidence of the last two decades, Helen Margetts questions those who attribute radical transformational powers to IT, pointing to a more ambiguous, complex role for IT in the state of the future.

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9780415174824

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