Research Paper
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LiteraturereviewonhowhasITimpactedgoverningbodiesinpolicymaking.docxLiterature review on how Information Technology has impacted governing bodies’ ability to align public policy with stakeholder needs
Nowadays, the governing bodies both in public and private sectors are dealing with complex systems on a day to day operations. These systems are made up of different components which present varying interactions and interrelationships with and/or among each other; therefore, making their management to be difficult or challenging. Indeed, Ruiz, Zabaleta & Elorza (2016), highlighted that public policymakers have to deal with complex systems which involve heterogeneous agents that act in non-linear behaviors making their management difficult. Neziraj & Shaqiri (2018) also stated that the policymakers are faced with problems which are complex and non-uniform due to a lot of uncertainties and risk situations which dominate their working environment. Data explosion, new technologies, and networking, the emergence of new or unexploited opportunities as well as the availability of new platforms to exchange information and data has been cited of being among the main contributors to the uncertainties surrounding the public working environment (Neziraj & Shaqiri, 2018). The complexity of systems and too many uncertainties as well as risk situations associated with these systems slow down the decision making process.
Nevertheless, new technologies in IT are applied in decision making to analyze the problems and consequences of the selection of any given decision; therefore making the process of decision making as well as decision selection simpler and quicker (Neziraj & Shaqiri, 2018). Janssen, Wimmer & Deljoo (2015) noted that ICT knowhow in open data, opinion mining, computational methods for processing data, modeling and simulation as well rich data sets visualization have changed the policy-making policy for the best by providing sufficient information about given issues. Therefore, allowing policymakers to make data-driven decisions by providing them with a better overview and understanding of the complex systems. Notably, social models such as combined Agent-Based Modelling and System Dynamics have become useful evidence-based empirical tools in improving the policy-making process as well as being useful in public policies assessment process (Ruiz, Zabaleta, & Elorza, 2016).
The importance of ICT in decision making cannot be underestimated especially in an environment with very high uncertainties and risk situations. Indeed, the IT capabilities help in assessment and mitigation of risks situations as well as limitations to making decisions which are effective in addressing public needs (Zhao & Priporas, 2017). Therefore, ICT know-how is essential in strategic planning and prioritizing operations in the mentioned environment. On the same note, the use of ICT by a public institution in provisions of goods and services significantly minimizes the production and transaction costs, thus, improving efficiency (Eckardt, 2014). Zhao & Priporas (2017) reported that the combination of IT resources, related human resources, and IT integration among various enterprises improve their capability to effectively manage the relationships by sharing control, cross-enterprise formalization, inter-enterprise coordination, and hybrid centralization. In the case of public institutions, the good relationship among public institutions is essential to allow them to accomplish their goals of serving the public.
A public policy aims to address a given societal problem(s) facing society. And because the public is the primary stakeholder in the policy-making process, it is necessary to engage their participation throughout the policy-making cycle. The policy maker can use IT tool such as opinion mining to gather the opinion of the public about given decisions or to determine which societal problem the citizens need to be addressed with urgency. Applications such Urban API could be used to exploits the potential of information technologies in promoting e-participation, transparency and public services efficiency as well as supporting evidence-based urban planning decision-making (Khan, Ludlow, Loibl, & Soomro, 2014).
Additionally, the governing bodies can use ICT in making policies which facilitate environmental protection as well as reducing pollution. Asongu et al. (2018) identified that ICT is essential in information sharing aimed at enhancing knowledge on reducing less important traveling which contributes to CO2 emissions. ICT know-how and use of related energy-saving application could also be useful in enhancing the efficiency of public and household management (Asongu, Le Roux, & Biekpe, 2018); this is important in environmental protection. Kavathatzopoulos (2015) also noted that knowledge in ICT is helpful in making policies about sustainability in environment-related issues.
References
Asongu, S. A., Le Roux, S., & Biekpe, N. (2018). Enhancing ICT for environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 127, 209 - 216.
Eckardt, M. (2014). The Impact of ICT on Policies, Politics, and Polities- An Evolutionary Economics Approach to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) . Retrieved from Andrassy universitat: https://www.andrassyuni.eu/pubfile/de-223-awp32eckardtfinal.pdf
Janssen, M., Wimmer, M. A., & Deljoo, A. (2015). Public Administration and Information: Policy Practice and Digital Science (Vol. x). New York: Springer International Publishing.
Kavathatzopoulos, I. (2015). ICT and sustainability: skills and methods for dialogue and policy making . Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 13(1), 13-18.
Khan, Z., Ludlow, D., Loibl, W., & Soomro, K. (2014). ICT enabled participatory urban planning and policy development: The UrbanAPI project. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 8(2), 205 - 229.
Neziraj, E. Q., & Shaqiri, A. B. (2018). The impact of information technology in the decison making process of companies in Kosovo. Informatol, 1(2), 12-23.
Orta, E., & Ruiz, M. (2014). A Simulation Approach to Decision Making in IT Service Strategy. The Scientific World Journal, 2014, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2014/829156
Pitt, M., Monks, T., Crowe, S., & Vasilakis, C. (2016). Systems modelling and simulation in health service design, delivery and decision making. BMJ Quality & Safety, 25(1), 41- 43. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-68619-6_20
Ruiz, M., Zabaleta, N., & Elorza, U. (2016, July 26). Decision making through simulation in public policy management field. doi:10.21125/inted.2016.0911
Zhao, S., & Priporas, C.-V. (2017). Information technology and marketing performance within international market-entry alliances: A review and an integrated conceptual framework. International Marketing Review, 34(1), 5-28. doi:10.1108/IMR-01-2016-0024
