A program active from 2004-2009, which was directed by co-principal investigators Dr. Daniel Mazmanian and Dr. Gregory Curtin (currently with the Civic Resource Group in Los Angeles, CA), the Collaborative focused research on e-government, using information technology to enhance the delivery of public services and information. In addition to the activities listed below, the Collaborative also assisted and supported USC/SPPD graduate student research activities related to e-government.

E-Governance Collaborative

This partnership brought together governments as well as experts from academia and the technology industry to explore the creation and sharing of strategies and solutions related to e-government. It sought to:

• Strengthen and facilitate e-governance research, especially around the development and sharing of technology solutions and intellectual property in the public sector;
• Develop various levels of e-training and leadership education for public sector executive and managers focusing on information, technology and communications in the public sector; and
• Provide technical assistance in the planning and implementation of e-government in the public sector.
• The Collaborative was generously supported by the Microsoft Corporation.

ICT Project Partners

• Bedrosian Center, USC SPPD
• Center for Telecom Management, USC Marshall School of Business
• State of California
• County of Los Angeles
• Microsoft Corporation

United Nations Program on E-Government

Dr. Gregory Curtin, former Director of the USC E-Governance Lab, served as the principal investigator for the UN Program on E-Government. In that capacity, he has involved USC in many of the research efforts related to the program. Read more about the United Nations E-Government Readiness Knowledge Base.

Publications/Presentations

• Global E-Government Survey 2008: From E-Government to Connected Governance, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, United Nations, New York
• “Issues and Challenges: Global E-Government/E-Participation Models, Measurement and Methodology: A Framework for Moving Forward”, presented at the UNPAN.
• Expert Group Meeting on E-Participation and E-Government in Budapest, Hungary, July 2006.

The California Connected Project

The USC Collaborative on E-Governance worked with the State of California to:

• Research and develop an ongoing process for collecting information on California citizen e-government needs and collect feedback on the effectiveness of the State of California Web Portal; and
• Incorporate this information on citizen e-government needs into a coordinated web portal development process.

Publications/Presentations

• “California Statewide Telecommunications and Networking Strategy: Strategic Scoping Paper,” prepared for the Chief Information Officer, State of California, by the Collaborative on E-Governance, USC Bedrosian Center, March 2007.
• The Governor’s IT Vision: Bring California into the Electronic Age?, April 2005
• Gateway Cities E-Government and Cybersecurity Assessment Findings, November 2005
• E-Government Solutions Californians Deserve and Expect: California Statewide Portal Project, May 2006

County of Los Angeles Web Portal/E-Government Planning

The USC E-Government Collaborative worked with Los Angeles County to improve the County web portal. A graduate student research team from the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development (now USC Price) assisted the County as part of a policy practicum course required for the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program. The course includes classroom-based learning as well as engaging real world “clients” to conduct a policy-based research project.

Tech-Savvy Leadership Training Program

The USC E-Government Collaborative partnered with the State of California to perform a needs assessment and design and implement a curriculum for “tech-savvy” leadership training for managers in the field of public administration. The project is managed from the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento, which has expertise in the design and delivery of curriculum for public sector and nonprofit executives. The Center currently offers five leadership and management programs targeted to executives in city, county, regional, state and national government. Over 850 participants have been served by these programs during its first six years.

Intellectual Property Rights in the Public Sector

The USC E-Government Collaborative focused research on issues related to managing intellectual property rights in the public sector within the framework of the digital world. Researchers, legal experts, industry and government representatives will explore the implications of public-private partnerships for the assignment of intellectual property rights and the mechanisms that can be developed to overcome barriers to productive e-government collaboration between inter-sectoral partners.

Journal of E-Government

The project launched the Journal of E-Government, the first academic, peer-reviewed journal in the field. It focused on the application and practice of e-government. The journal was published from 2004-2006 and is no longer in print.

Faculty associated with this project were:

• Gregory G Curtin
• Chris Weare
• Richard Callahan
• Dan Mazmanian
• Elizabeth Fife
• Juliette Musso
• Morley Winograd