[13178] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
CSS 2000 Advance Contents and Invitation to Participate
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Garson@SOCIAL.CHASS.NCSU.EDU)
Thu Mar 16 20:17:30 2000
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 18:19:53 -0500
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This message is addressed to social scientists interested in the social
and political impacts of information technology, and in the instructional
and research uses of technology.
CSS 2000 is the annual meeting of the Association for Computing in the
Social Sciences, whose journal is the “Social Science Computer Review.”
Below are abstracts of the papers for the conference (provisional as of
March), which is to be held online from April 15 through May 15, 2000.
Full papers will be available through the password-protected site.
Registration is free for international participants and $10 for others, with
funds used to finance CSS 2001.
For further information, go to
{ GOTOBUTTON BM_1_ http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/CSS2000/}
For registration, go to
http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/CSS2000/invoice.htm
TOPIC COVERED IN THE CONFERENCE:
Computational Approaches to Advancing Social Science Research
Methodology
Research Strategy and Policy
Qualitative Research
Policy Models
Research Methods
Information Technology in Social Science: Educational Strategies for the
New Millennium
Educational Strategies and Issues
Teaching Strategies
Educational Networking
Information Technology and the Transformation of Everyday Life: A
Research Anthology
Information Systems and Organization Theory
Information Culture
Psychological Impacts
Organizational/Group Impacts
Political Impacts
Section on
Computational Approaches to Advancing
Social Science Research Methodology
Research Strategy and Policy
"Fostering 'Open Source Research' and the Development of Human and
Social Capital Via a Web System"
Authors: Charlie Schweik and J. Morgan Grove
Affiliation: Department of Resource Economics and Center for Public
Policy and Administration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and
USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, respectively
Description: In very recent years we have witnessed the incredibly
productive power of "open source" programming where independent
software developers freely share their source code and collaborate
globally over the Internet. While components of the Internet (e.g., email,
FTP, etc.) have long been used as mechanisms for research
collaboration, it has only been recently¾since the development of the
web, really¾that the Internet as a system for research collaboration has
been available to non technical users. Even so, the free exchange of
research data and products, similar to the open source sharing of
programs is still quite limited. This paper explores the question of how a
web system might enhance and encourage "open source research" and
foster the development of knowledge and social capital among research
communities. We will examine the open source concept as it might be
applied to a research community and investigate the incentives and
disincentives for active participation. We will then review a selection of
prominent research oriented web sites to understand what functionalities
are currently being employed. Finally, we will outline a web design in
progress that is an attempt to initiate two open source communities of
researchers interested in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the
Adirondack Park region in New York State.
E mail: "Charlie Schweik" and "J. Morgan Grove"
"Online Data Collection & Beyond: The Promise of Data Streams for
Social Science "
Authors: Alaina Kanfer and Melanie Loots
Affiliation: National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University
of Illinois, 605 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL
Description: In 1995, Rockwell et al. implied that we stood on the
threshold of a new age of social science computing. Sometimes it seems
that we have been standing there for a long time! For decades,
psychologists have been using computers as a tool for data collection.
This has helped the field of psychology to increase data accuracy and
expand the types of data collected from subjects. Now widespread
Internet access among the general population allows sociologists and
other social scientists who utilize survey methods to also benefit from
computer mediated data collection. However, these online data collection
methods still require social science survey respondents to make
judgements about what data to enter and to expend their own energy to
input data. Therefore social science survey design still is quite limited
and online data collection may still be fraught with errors. We argue that
the real revolution in social science will come with data automatically
collected from monitoring devices, World Wide Web transactions and
emerging networked appliances. Data will be recorded at an increasingly
high sampling rate, approaching continuous recording of activities,
resulting in data sets that look like data streams. These data streams will
be captured in the course of communication, commerce, education and
civic participation through server logs, traditional electronic data
services (EDS), digital telephone exchanges, global positioning units,
archived videoconferences and other technologies under development.
In this article we present some of the potential benefits of such data
streams for the social sciences. We also outline potential problems
associated with relying on large scale data streams for our research For
instance the nature of sampling in the social sciences may change when
nearly complete population data become available. Moreover, social
sciences may benefit greatly from multiple ways to view or segment the
data. On the other hand, the issues associated with the unprecendented
amounts of data that will be available to social scientists include
consolidation data from multiple data sources, data ownership, and data
management. These issues are currently being dealt with in other
disciplines. Therefore we compare the situation of the computational
social scientist to that of the radioastronomer analyzing large datasets
from arrays of instruments, as well as other scientists to draw from
lessons learned in other fields. In addition, we speculate on how the
adaptation of data warehousing and data mining tools currently used in
business and other sciences to social science research may accelerate
the move of social scientists to high performance computing
architectures, particularly large shared memory machines for database
work and clusters for analysis. Finally, when the social sciences do move
beyond online data collection and begin examining the streams of data
generated by our networked lives online, we will still have to confront
concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of data. Thus we will also
discuss the social, legal and technical constraints on conducting social
science research with automatically collected data streams.
E mail: Alaina Kanfer, Ph.D. Melanie Loots, Ph.D.
"User Friendly Statistical Software: Does It Really Promote Scholarly
Investigation?"
Authors: Giampiero Giacomello and Martin Dahl
Affiliation: Department of Political and Social Sciences, European
University Institute , via dei Roccettini, 9 S. Domenico di Fiesole "FI"
I 50016, Italy
Description: Based on a sample of European referred journals of
international affairs "e.g. European Journal of International Relations,
Millennium, etc.", our paper aims to explain why, despite the increasing
friendliness of computer software, quantitative analysis is not more
common among our European colleagues. In fact, according to a much
advertised motto of the software industry, greater user friendliness
should have increase the number of people using computers and
software programs. This should hence also be the case for statistical
software, which appears to be easier and easier to master. However, in
the European framework, this hypothesis does not seem to hold. If we
must abandon this hypothesis, then there are two other possible
explanations: "a" teaching and learning quantitative techniques are
neglected in Europe, or "b" quantitative techniques are not considered
by Europeans scholars fit enough to address post modernist
international relations theory. We also give an assessment of these two
hypotheses, although an in depth analysis is beyond the scope of this
paper. Our paper explains why the user friendliness hypothesis has not
proven valid and considers the reasons for the development of a
"European" quantitative phobia field. Our specific aim is thus to
demonstrate why technical improvements "i.e. user friendliness in
statistical software" does not automatically translate into greater reliance
on quantitative analysis, and, in the long run, better research. Our
generalizations are limited to the European framework, which we hope
will open the possibility of further dialogue between European social
scientists and our colleagues in North America and elsewhere.
E mail: "Giampiero Giacomello"
Qualitative Research
"Testing Hypotheses on Qualitative Data: The Use of HyperRESEARCH
Computer Assisted Software"
Organizer/Author: Sharlene Hesse Biber
Affiliation: Department of Sociology, Boston College
Description: HyperRESEARCH is a computer assisted software program
for analyzing qualitative data. This paper describes the analysis strategy
of the hypothesis testing component of the program. The hypothesis
tester allows a researcher to generate a theoretical framework inductively
from their data, or to test out a pre existing set of theoretical ideas on a
given data set deductively. The hypothesis testing component of
HyperRESEARCH provides a semi formal mechanism for theory building
and hypothesis testing. It provides for validity and reliability checks by
having the researcher describe the inference process used to draw
conclusions from the data. We discuss the theoretical and data analysis
implications of using the hypothesis tester for qualitative research.
Future additions to the program are presented which promise to
revolutionize the way that qualitative research is conducted.
E mail: Sharlene Hesse Biber
Full paper.
"Good Ghost Stories: What Kind of Representativeness is Identified by
Automated Content Analysis?"
Authors: John Ford, Christelle LaPolice, Marilyn Bott, Thomas Stetz
Affiliation: Personnel Resources and Development Center, U.S. Office of
Personnel Management
Description: This research examines the nature of "representative"
stories identified by an automated content analysis procedure. A set of
1,290 ghost stories was collected over several years from newsgroups,
email discussion lists and web sites on the Internet. This collection of
ghost stories is an interesting test corpus for content analysis methods
research because the stories contain both the distinctive language of the
paranormal and the commonplace language of first person narrative
description. Unlike text data from test development (Ford, Stetz, Bott &
O'Leary, 2000) and occupational analysis (Stetz, Ford & O'Leary, 2000)
efforts used in previous research, these stories require no confidentiality
constraints when discussing analysis results. A basic automated content
analysis model (Ford, 1999) was used to organize the text in these stories
for analysis. The 858,366 total words were reduced to a frequency profile
of the 19,276 unique words used in the collection of stories. An
automated procedure was then used to identify words in the stories
which appear much more frequently than expected in American written
English (Zeno, 1995). A subset of these "aberrant frequency" words
(McKinnon, 1995) was identified which appeared in at least 10 stories.
This reduced set of terms was organized into a WordStat inclusion
dictionary (Peladeau, 1999) and used to create a distinctiveness score for
each story. As expected, the distinctive vocabulary drew heavily on
terms not typically found outside of supernatural description (e.g.
paranormal, ouija, hauntings). More interestingly, the terminology of
emotional reaction (e.g. freaked, spooked, scariest) was present as well.
Other categories of aberrant frequency words, such as youth culture
terms (e.g. dorms, roommate, boyfriend) and Internet terminology, likely
reflect sampling bias in the story collection process. Three "modal"
stories (Lebart, Salem & Berry, 1998) were selected from the collection
based on high distinctiveness scores. As a comparison set, three low
distinctiveness stories of comparable word length were also selected. A
sample of 50 college and university students were asked to read these six
stories and rate their quality using several 5 point scales. The rating
dimensions include general judgments, such as interestingness and
clarity as well as more specific judgments, such as frightening and similar
to other ghost stories I have heard. The authors are currently collecting
and analyzing the rating data from story raters. A summary and
discussion of this data will be available for presentation in the final
version of this paper. Systematic differences between the ratings for
stories with highly distinctive vocabulary versus those with more
mundane content will shed light on differences between human and
automated processes for identifying "good" ghost stories. This line of
research is relevant to future use of automated content analysis
techniques to select representative open ended question responses,
critical incidents, and other segments of text from large collections.
E mail: "John M. Ford" ; "Christelle LaPolice" ; "Marilyn Bott" ; "Tom
Stetz"
"Computer Supported Video Analysis: Trends, Tools, and Techniques"
Author: William Evans
Affiliation: Georgia State University
Description: This paper explores new computer tools for annotating and
coding video and the new research opportunities made possible by these
tools. This paper explores the potential impact of computers on
video related research programs in psychology, communication,
marketing, education, and other fields. This paper also considers the role
of social scientific video analysis in the emerging era of digital video and
interactive media.
E mail: William Evans
"Sociometry and Network Analysis: A Computer Focused Introduction"
Author: G. David Garson
Affiliation: North Carolina State University
Description: While some use the term "sociometry" to refer to all
research using quantitative scales, it is used here in its narrower
meaning, sometimes called network analysis or sociography, which is a
method of presenting data about complex individual relationships and
networks in graph form. Sociometry was developed by Jacob L. Moreno
in the 1930s and became closely associated with small group research
and a focus on interpersonal choices. As a largely subjective but
empirical, phenomenological approach to the study of group structure,
sociometry can serve as a contrast or complement to the formal study of
group structure through archival records. However, in this brief paper, an
overview of the field is synopsized, followed by pointers to software for
computer implementation of the methods involved.
E mail: "G. David Garson"
Full Paper
Policy Research
"Modeling the Impact of Federal Taxes, Subsidies and Grants on Family
Resources"
Author: Mason Burley
Affiliation: Washington State Institute for Public Policy
Description: As states take on more responsibility for health, education,
and welfare programs, the interactions between state and federal policies
become critical in informed decision making. State subsidies, grants and
benefits exist side by side with federal regulations on income taxes and
credits. The connection between these structures has grown very
complex. In 1997 alone, over 800 changes were made to the federal tax
code, resulting in 11 new forms and 177 changes to existing forms. The
new child tax credit and credits for higher education expenses will offer
substantial new tax savings for individuals and families. But how are
these benefits distributed across different income levels and household
types? Do these interactions change from state to state? This paper
presents two computer applications that analyze the complicated
relationships among tax credits, transfer payments, subsidies and grants.
The Family Resource Wage Progression Model (FRWP) computes total
monthly resources for low income families with earnings under 200
percent of the federal poverty level. The model calculates federal tax
liability, earned income tax credits, food stamp benefits, and TANF
(welfare) grants according to household composition. This application
shows how families fare as they move to increasingly higher paying jobs.
The Higher Education Resource for Modeling Aid and Need (HERMAN)
is another model that displays the parent, student, and taxpayer
contributions to the cost of higher education at various levels of income.
HERMAN also shows how the federal HOPE tax credit for higher
education will alter state and family contributions to college tuition. Both
applications offer an efficient means to investigate how tax credits and
other benefits affect the financial circumstances of working families.
E mail: "Burley, Mason"
"But the Computer Said!: Credible Uses of Computational Modeling
Methodologies in Public Sector Decision Making"
Author: Desmond Saunders Newton
Affiliation: School of Policy, Planning & Development, University of
Southern California
Description: There has been a continued expansion of the uses of
computer based tools and techniques in public sector endeavors since
the late 1960s. These uses have evolved from the traditional notions of
data collection and management ("bean counting") to the processing of
data into 'information in support of some managerial activities such as
programmatic design, administration and evaluation. As we approach the
next two decades, advances in computational technology based on
emerging work in decision theory, information and cognitive science will
allow for the use of these computational models in more expansive
"advisory" roles to decision makers of all types. To what degree can
public sector decision makers use computational models to support or
advise public sector decisionmaking? Once such is defined, how does
one assure that these models are 'credible' in this process? (In this case
credibility is related to two concepts: analytical validity from the point of
view of modeling epistemology and perceived trustworthiness on the
part of decision makers.) As these new technologies become a routine
part of the policy process, beliefs in computer omnipotence will tempt
public sector decision makers to abdicate personal responsibility for
poor choices. How to become good honest consumers of computing
techniques without overselling the technology will therefore be a crucial
challenge for public sector decision making. The juxtaposition of the
aforementioned capabilities with their increased use in the public sector
raises a number of important questions. What will be the implications
associated with the increased use of computer based models? Will
decision makers abdicate their role to algorithms? Who will be held
accountable for the results of questionable modeling? While the author
has no pretense of exploring these questions in their entirety, the paper
will present a typology of credible uses of computational modeling
techniques for public sector decision making. This typology is
particularly timely given in the increased use of these paradigms and
techniques in public sector agencies and organizations. Included in this
paper will be examples of computational model use from the defense
sector and state government.
E mail: "Desmond Saunders Newton"
Research Methods
"Participation in Online Social Research: Demographic and Motivational
Characteristics"
Author: Nancy Frye, Stacey Rychener, Jacki Fitzpatrick, and Duane
Crawford
Affiliation: University of Florida (Frye), Texas Tech (Rychener,
Fitzpatrick, Crawford)
Description: Researchers have recently recognized the value of the
Internet as a means of data collection. There are currently 35 psychology
online studies listed with Yahoo, suggesting that researchers are utilizing
the unique opportunities for participant recruitment via the Internet. The
Internet offers access to thousands or perhaps millions of individuals to
whom investigators would not be able to contact under traditional data
collection circumstances. What has not yet received much attention is
the characteristics of the individuals who participate in such online
research. Is one type of individual responding to many surveys,
indicating that we are repeatedly reporting findings about the same small
group of participants? Or is there some variability in survey respondents,
suggesting that our results might be more generalizable to the larger
population? This study compared data gathered from two samples that
participated in two separate online studies. We examined whether
respondent demographics differed by (a) means of recruitment, (b) topic
of the study, and (c) motivation for participation. While a wide variety of
people can be found on the Internet, the characteristics of participants
recruited via the Internet may differ both with means of recruitment and
study topic. Thus, the specific goals of the study should be kept in mind
when designing Internet based research.
E mail: Nancy Frye
"Online Survey Research: The Case of Personal Webpage Owners in
Japan"
Authors: Yasufumi Shinanai and Yasuyuki Kawaura
Affiliation: Media Psychology, Department of Social Sciences, Doshisha
University, Kyoto, Japan
Description: Although World Wide Web offers a new way of
communication, surveys of online behavior and attitudes have been
mostly focused on participants in BBSs and newsgroups, and surveys of
webpage owners have seldom reported. In September, 1999, we
conducted a online survey of randomly sampled webpage owners in
Japan. This paper reports our sampling procedure, online survey system,
and basic result of the survey. Several new features in the survey
system, which contribute to the existing computer assisted survey
research are explained, including robot based sampling method and
password registering survey system which enables identification of
respondents and refusal of non target participation.
E mail: Yasufumi Shinanai and "Yasuyuki Kawaura"
"Computer simulated patients as socializing agents in medical schools"
Authors: Lynn M. Harter, Erika L. Kirby, Eric Piela, Brian Bell, and Janine
Jham
Affiliations: Moorhead State University (Harter, Piela), Creighton
University (Kirby, Piela, Bell, Jham)
Description: Conducting medical interviews is one of a physician's core
clinical duties. Traditional methods of teaching the art of medical
interviewing include the use of written case studies, role plays, and
standardized patients (Barrows, 1993). More recently, medical school
faculty and teachers of health communication are using computer based
clinical simulations, reflecting a trend where the design of educational
innovations is primarily driven by technology (Friedman, 1995; Postman,
1993). Of particular importance to communication scholars and
practitioners is the impact of computer based simulations on the
emotional socialization of apprentice medical professionals as they learn
the important skills necessary for facilitating the medical interview. From
an organizational assimilation theoretical framework, we investigate the
merits of using computer simulated patients to train students how to
conduct medical interviews. A primary assumption guiding this
framework is the belief that the teaching of medical interview skills serves
a dual role of socializing medical students into the profession as well as
defining emotional norms for students. A central task of educators is to
better understand how computer simulated patient encounters, as
socialization tools, facilitate emotional expectations within the medical
interview context. We begin with a review of literature addressing the
evolution of pedagogical methods geared toward the development of
interviewing skills. Next, we report an analysis of data collected through
in depth interviews with 20 medical students about their experiences with
computer simulated patients. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and
practical implications of our findings and generate research questions for
future avenues of inquiry.
E mail: Lynn M. Harter
"Neural Network Analysis: A System Information Approach to the
Psychophysiological Problem"
Author: Sergey Miroshnikov
Affiliation: Saint Petersburg State University, Psychology Faculty,
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Description: The proposed approach to the psychophysiological
problem is based on hypotheses about the information and mechanisms
of its existence in the neurophysiological and mental forms. The outputs
are compared to data of neurophysiological researches. For the
evolutionary approach to simulation of neuropsychological systems
ways and factors of complicating the mentality and nervous system of an
organism are considered. The possibility of simulation of the elementary
mental appearances on a rather simple neuronet in a combination with a
simple model of the environment is justified. Relations of the proposed
research of the information structure of neuropsychological appearances
with a neurophysiology and psychology are considered in summary.
E mail: "Sergey Miroshnikov"
"Simulating Correlations in Nonstandard Questionnaires"
Author: K. Scott Alberts
Affiliation: Mathematics Dept., St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057
Description: This paper on simulation describes Q sort methodology (as
distinct from Q methodology), comparing various correlation procedures,
including computational aspects, when dealing with ordinal data.
Section on
Information Technology in Social Science:
Educational Strategies for the New Millennium
Educational Strategies and Issues
"Distance Learning and the Future of the University in New Zealand"
Author: Amy L. Fletcher
Affiliation: Department of Political Science, University of Canterbury,
Christchurch, New Zealand
Description: The debate over the use of information technology (IT) in
higher education divides along the "classroom vs. boardroom" (or
"education versus edutainment") schism. IT companies such as
Microsoft and AT&T see a vast market opportunity in for profit higher
education and argue that new information technologies make it possible
for private companies to provide innovative, specialised, and convenient
educational content. Critics (such as David Noble and Arthur Levine)
contend that these cheery predictions about "telelearning" mask
ideological attempts to remake the university in the image of big
business. Constituted along these extremes, the policy debate does not
provide for alternatives other than capitulation or resistance. This paper
generates a third, more productive approach, by applying Douglas
North's theory of "adaptive efficiency" to a case study of distance
learning at the tertiary level in New Zealand. The role of the government
in providing universal access to higher education is a cultural norm that
runs deep in New Zealand, and one that the interplay between profit and
technology could disrupt. On the other hand, widespread use of IT
would allow New Zealand universities to overcome the disadvantage of a
remote location, enlarging the pool of students and facilitating
cross national educational partnerships. The proposed paper analyzes
how IT is changing higher education in New Zealand, and integrates
these findings within a general model of the costs and benefits of
distance learning.
E mail: "Amy L. Fletcher"
"The Evolution of Chalk to Hybrid to Web: Merging Two Parallel
Tracks"
Authors: Cheryl L. Brown and Frada L. Mozenter
Affiliation: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Description: The literature abounds with theoretical perspectives and
practical applications on the new pedagogical methods of professors in
the era of information technologies. In addition, a growing school of
thought addresses the new role of librarians in the digital world. This
proposal, however, merges the two schools of thought, or parallel tracks,
moving in the same direction. We offer a case study of the evolution of
integrating the use of the Internet and other information technologies
into the classroom with a professor and librarian working together to
accomplish three main goals. First, this collaboration seeks to strengthen
the students' knowledge base in political science, critical thinking and
analytical ability, and digital literacy and research skills. Second, it allows
the professor to change the teaching style, information depth, and
student interactions without sacrificing quality. Third, it affords the
librarian a pivotal role in linking the professor and students to meet the
demands of the changing classroom format, student profile, and
workforce expectations in the new millennium. The "merging tracks
model" we have designed is based on empirical data collected from 1995
to 2000, and it yields findings for adapting the approach to other classes
and disciplines.
E mail: cbrown@email.uncc.edu, flmozent@email.uncc.edu
"Numerical Equity is Not Equity"
Author: Dr. Jill R. Brown, Partnership Technology Integration
Coordinator
Affiliation: Albuquerque Public Schools, University of New Mexico
Description: Issues of equity many times hurt education, when equity is
viewed numerically. When schools and school districts merely count the
numbers of computers in relation to the number of students as a measure
of equity, they are missing the boat. Equity of computer use for students
should be looked at in relation to the types of access that students are
provided. Are students simply playing games, or are they challenged to
use higher level thinking and problem solving skills when they interact
with computers? Are the computers telling them what to do, or are they
telling the comptuers what to do? A second issue of numerically
evaluating our equity issues in schools deals with where these
technologies are placed. Many schools place computers systematically
by classroom regardless of the willingness and/or ability of the teachers
in those classrooms. Many resources sit unused, because "equal"
distribution has been attempted. Can we avoid wasting precious
resources, or is this a necessary growing pain?
Teaching Strategies
"Metaphor, Interface, and Instructional Design II: Comparing WebCT
and TLM"
Authors: David Robinson and Henry Tumanowski
Affiliation: Laurentian University, Canada
Description: This paper is a generalization of 'Metaphor, Interface, and
Instructional Design: Comparing WebCT and TLM,' presented at the
Meetings of the Canadian Economics Association, Toronto. Ontario,
Canada, 28 30, 1999. In that paper Robinson assessed the underlying
instructional philosophies embodied two of the best web based CAI
systems and examined their "adoption technologies". He showed that
the web version of TLM was superior to WebCT in support for
instructional design, support for programs (as opposed to courses), and
in its capacity to support technical and mathematical courses. Although
the programs are roughly equal in the communication facilities they offer
WebCT was found to have a distinct advantage in its pricing structure
and its ease of adoption. He went on to argue that the incentives for
instructors to adopt either technology are weak even though there may
be substantial gains for both students and the institution. Incentive
design may therefore be the key to successful implementation. In the
current paper we consider the recent release of WebCT and the
development of TLM in the light of our experience at Laurentian
University. We consider the application to fields other than economics
and to distance education.
E mail: David Robinson , Henry Tumanowski
"Analyzing High School Students' Use of the Internet: Using Action
Research to Integrate Information Literacy and Social Studies"
Authors: Thomas J. Scott and Michael O'Sullivan
Affiliation: Rosemount High School, Rosemount, MN
Description: This paper analyzes high school students' attitudes toward
the Internet and their impressions of the technology as a learning tool.
Research methods included a nonscientific survey (n=309, grades 9 12)
in which students were asked to identify reasons for using the Internet,
the problems they confronted in usage, the benefits they received from
usage, the types of Internet searches they conducted, and the
educational purposes they felt the Internet served. In addition, 36
reflective essays were collected from 11th grade students in two social
studies classes after they had completed an assessment and evaluation
of Web sites related to social science concepts. The essays were subject
to content analysis. From an analysis of the data four themes emerged:
the Internet as a tool for learning, the Internet as a tool for
communication, the benefits of using the Internet, and constraints in
usage. These themes are analyzed from an holistic perspective and
embedded in the theory of the Internet as a cultural space. The
implications of the Internet for learning and the role information literacy
plays in enhancing pedagogy will also be presented and discussed.
"E mail: Thomas J. Scott
"Web based Materials for an Interdisciplinary Course in Cognitive
Science"
Author: Paula Goolkasian
Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of N.C., Charlotte
Description: This paper describes a set of web based modules that are to
be used as the required reading for an interdisciplinary course entitled
"Introduction to Cognitive Science" (PSYC/CSCI 3126). The modules
include 1) easy to understand introductory material, 2) interactive
exercises/virtual laboratory, 3) immediate updates, student feedback and
critiques, and 4) pointers to existing material on the web. When
completed the web site will include 14 modules centered on a core set of
cognitive science topics and several contemporary issues. A project
team comprised of faculty from computer science, psychology,
philosophy, and linguistics is developing the materials with the support
of a National Science Foundation grant. Our approach to using the web
in support of instruction differs from distance learning initiatives
because it is centered around an instructor and classroom experiences.
The web based modules are used to supplement classroom lectures and
to provide the interdisciplinary perspective that is fundamental to a
course in cognitive science.
E mail: Paula Goolkasian
Educational Networking
"Let your Online Learning Community Grow: Three Design Principles for
Growing Successful Email Listservs and Online Forums in Educational
Settings"
Author: Caleb Clark
Affiliation: Graduate Student, Department of Educational Technology,
San Diego State University
Description: This paper proposes 3 principles for growing successful
email listservs and online forums in educational settings. These
principles are derived from: The study of successful online communities
like The WELL, Echo, and MUDs; The author's experience growing an
online learning community for distance learners; growing the NoEnd
Web developers group; hosting a forum on Netscape Inc.'s
"Professional Connections". The three principles are: (1). Online learning
communities are grown, not built; (2) Online learning communities need
leaders; and (3) Personal narrative is vital to online learning communities.
Specific examples of how educators can apply these principles to the
design and growth of email listservs and online forums are given, as well
as examples of how they worked in successful online communities.
Full Paper
"Virtual Pathways to Teacher Professional Development: The Asia
Online Project"
Author: Lan Wang
Affiliation: Asia Online Project, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Description: The move towards using the Internet and other online
services as a resource for teaching and learning assumes that educators
are both motivated and capable of using the information technologies
effectively. But in many cases, teachers are neither comfortable with the
Internet, nor do they know how to apply the available online resources
to their classrooms. How then do we encourage teachers to commit their
time to develop and enhance their Internet skills? The Asia Online
project assists educators in this by marrying the needs of studies of Asia
teachers with the potential of online technologies. A package of online
services has been developed, including an email discussion list, a
workshop and self paced online tutorial, a resource directory and a
noticeboard of events. By being directly relevant to a specific area of
learning, the project has created an active online community and
participants are motivated to improve their Internet skills and knowledge.
The workshop and online tutorial use a flexible mode of delivery,
providing many practical examples which teachers can easily apply to a
range of classroom contexts. This model could potentially be applied to
other subject areas. The Asia Online project is an initiative of the
Australian Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth
Affairs (DETYA), under the National Asian Languages and Studies in
Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy, and is jointly managed by
Curriculum Corporation and the Asia Education Foundation, Melbourne,
Australia.
E mail: Lan Wang
Section on
Information Technology and the Transformation of Everyday Life:
A Research Anthology
Information Systems and Organization Theory
"Public vs. Private Management Information Systems: Is There a
Difference?"
Authors: Bruce Rocheleau and Liangfu Wu
Affiliation: Northern Illinois University and Management Information
Systems (Downers Grove, IL) respectively
Description: In 1986, Bozeman and Bretschneider presented an argument
and provided a model that posited that there were significant differences
between public and private information systems in terms of important
criteria such as their goals, environment, and prescriptions. Since then,
there has been some (but not very much research) that has tested for
differences between the information systems in the two sectors. Some
authors continue to hold that there are important differences between the
two. However, a stronger trend is for the assumption that the two sectors
share more similarities than differences. Indeed, many private sector
innovations (e.g., purchasing approaches, outsourcing, creation of a
chief information officer, and use of best practices in general from the
private sector) have been applied uncritically to the public sector. In this
paper, we present a thorough overview and synthesis of the research
reflecting on the public vs. private differences. Next, we present empirical
data based on a study of 75 pubic and 45 private organizations
(randomly selected) concerning computer training done by their
organizations. We test hypotheses that private organizations would view
computer training as more important, spend more on it, and have higher
evaluations of the training done. The results and their implications for
the broader public vs. private organization debate will be discussed.
"An Analysis of Internet Users' Level of Online Privacy Concern:
Relationship to Demographics and Internet Experience."
Author: Dara O'Neil
Affiliation: Research Associate/PhD Student, Information and
Telecommunications Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
Description: As the Internet permeates almost every aspect of our daily
lives, some argue that the benefits of its use are diminished by threats to
personal privacy. Privacy is a desire to keep personal inform ation out of
the hands of others. There is a growing concern among the U.S.
population that easily accessible information and databases available on
the Internet are giving rise to serious privacy v iolations. In the late
1990s, numerous surveys revealed that Internet users were becoming
increasin gly worried about the data being collected about them via the
Internet: According to a 1996 survey by Equifax of 1,005 U.S. adults,
nearly two thirds agreed that the g overnment needs to scan Internet
messages to prevent online fraud, and 64 percent said that compani es
providing services via computers should not be able track users for the
purpose of sending them marketing messages. A 1997 survey by
TRUSTe, an independent, non profit privacy organization whose mission
is to build users' trust and confidence in the Internet, found that three
out of five consumers do not trus t online merchants. More than 70
percent of the 9,300 consumers who responded said they were more
concerned with privacy on the Internet than in traditional media. An
online survey by the Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center at the
Georgia Institute of Technology found 71 percent of respondents believe
there should be laws to protect privacy on th e Internet. Clearly, online
privacy is a salient issue for users of the Internet. To address these
concerns a nd protect the growth of the Internet, numerous private and
public organizations stress the importa nce of providing privacy
statements on websites. A survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by
researchers at Privacy & American Business and Louis Harris &
Associates Inc. showed that although 81 perc ent of Internet users are
concerned about their privacy while online, only 39 percent of adults sai
d that had ever seen a privacy policy posted on a website. Not
surprising, a study by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported that
only 14 percent of the 674 websites surveyed had privacy policies in
1998. The number is increasing though, as a Georgetown University
Internet Privacy Policy Survey revealed that the number of commercial
websites with posted privacy policies increased considera bly in the past
year. The survey found that 66 percent of the 364 websites it surveyed
had a posted privacy policy. However, Internet research company Jupiter
Communications concluded that 64 percent of online consumers are
unlikely to trust a website even if the site prominently features a privacy
policy. Other research indicates that controversies about spam, cookies,
and the clickstream are merely the beginning of more fundamental
debates about trust as online communications become more widespread.
Policymakers at the local, state, and federal level have proposed
legislation to protect the online privacy of American consumers, but to
date no significant legislation has passed. The debate over privacy
issues on the Internet must consider the public perceptions on this issue
as concern for privacy is a subjective measure one that varies from
individual to individual based on that person' s own perceptions and
values. Using data from a 1998 Internet survey conducted at the
Graphics, Vis ualization, and Usability Center at the Georgia Institute of
Technology, this paper presents the shared characteristics of individuals
with low, medial, or high levels of online privacy concerns as related to
users' demographics and experience in using the Internet.
E mail: "Dara O'Neil"
"Understanding Internet Usage: A Social Cognitive Approach"
Authors: Dana Mastro, Robert LaRose, Matt Easting
Affiliation: Mississippi State University
Description: A number of studies have applied the uses and
gratifications paradigm to explain Internet usage. This framework has
been likened to Bandura's social cognitive theory in that it explains media
use in terms of expected positive outcomes resulting from media use, or
their gratifications. However, uses and gratifications research has been
found to account for relatively little variance in Internet behavior. As
such, the present research draws upon social cognitive theory to identify
new variables that might further explain Internet usage. Measures of
self control such as self efficacy and self disparagement were developed
for the domain of Internet behavior. In addition, Internet addiction was
interpreted as a variety of self monitoring cognition. Finally, the negative
outcomes of on line behavior were analyzed for their potential impact on
Internet usage. In a survey of 171 college students the social cognitive
model was found to explain 60 percent of the available variance in
Internet usage using multiple regression analysis, a significant
improvement over prior uses and gratifications research.
E mail: "Robert LaRose"
Information Culture
"Real Friend vs. Virtual Friend"
Author: Irina Shklovski
Affiliation: University of Southern California
Description: Rapid development of the Internet has introduced new
modes of communication into everyday human interactions. E mail and
other Internet tools have become almost as essential as a fax or a phone.
However, computer mediated modes of communication filter
conventional social cues when presenting an entirely text based
interaction. This research paper focuses on relational topography of
real time text based Virtual environments known as MUDs (Multi User
Dungeons) network accessible, multi participant adventure
game concepts initially based on the role playing ideas of Dungeons &
Dragons. Current users of MUDs were contacted via Internet and
randomly assigned to complete a web based survey either on MUD
(virtual proximity) relationships or on Real Life (physical proximity)
relationships. It was hypothesized that on line relationships would
appear just as important as their off line counterparts, but much less
burdensome and easier to manage. Over 131 subjects completed the
survey. While working on the questionnaire, 77 participants were asked
to think of a Real Life friend and 54 of a MUD friend. The results showed
that although Real Life (RL) friendships appeared more developed
overall, the difference between physical (RL) and virtual (MUD)
proximity relationships was not significantly different. However,
participants who spent more time (on average more then 20 hours/week)
on a MUD (participating in the game and interactions) reported to have
significantly less difficulty in maintaining their relationship. It was
concluded that a MUD virtual environment provides an inherently social
environment with a powerful context that facilitates formation of
meaningful personal relationships.
"The Technological Transformation of Leisure"
Author: Jo Bryce
Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire,
Preston, UK
Description: This paper explores ways in which existing issues and
themes in leisure research, e.g., constraint, gender and inclusion, have
relevance to leisure related computer use. The positive and negative
implications of the technological transformation of leisure are discussed,
and new issues for leisure research identified. The societal and individual
impact of leisure pursuits such as computer gaming, pornography on the
Internet, and the emergence of global communities organized by leisure
preferences and lifestyles are examined. The potential of computer
technology to alter the experience and organization of leisure provides a
context in which the distinction between core and periphery is
increasingly blurred. This provides opportunities for increased access to
sources of information and images considered as deviant or antisocial in
leisure, and raises issues related to the perceived freedom and choice in
leisure. Conversely, blurred distinctions between core and peripheries
provide opportunities for leisure based integration and interaction with
people of different cultural, geographical and ideological perspectives.
The theoretical orientation of the paper is social constructivist. To
conclude, an agenda for future research on the technological
transformation of leisure will be suggested.
E mail: Jo Bryce
" Trust through Evaluation and Certification?"
Author: Daniel Osterwalder
Affiliation: Bern, Switzerland
Description: This paper examines the extent to which an IT product can
be sold from the perspective of "trust". Trust is a common aspiration in
information and IT security. Typical situations include those in which
the intention is to sell security policies, measures, standards and
procedures as promoting security. To name but a few examples, trust is,
furthermore, important in terms of what is known as the Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI), the digital signature, and in the same context
e commerce.Public keys and digital certificates, including a list of the
blocked and invalid certificates, are stored and published in a database
directory service. The degree of trustworthiness increases with the
certificate class with trust resulting, however, from simple estimations.
According to Luhmann, trust is achieved by reducing complexity. A
distinction is made here between different orientations (instrumental
orientation versus expressive orientation). The former does not promote
trust but replaces it with event control which increases the possibilities
for unpredicted events to take place. However, national and international
standards for basic IT protection tend to take the form of event control.
There are three main theories to be explored in connection with
information and IT security: Do evaluation, certification and
standardization serve in creating trust by reducing complexity in such a
way that they can be understood and verified by the user? What are
the conditions that so called functional authorities must fulfill to be
recognized as such from the perspective of social sciences? Can these
conditions be fulfilled by national standardization institutes (which are
responsible for the processes of evaluation and certification ) or
certification authorities? The theories adopted from the social sciences
shall provide help in the interpretation of the above mentioned efforts to
establish trust in IT security.
Psychological Impacts
"The Re shaping of Cyber Identity"
Authors: Arthur Helweg and Adrian Mihalache
Affiliation: Western Michigan University, Dept. of Anthropology 125
Moore Hall, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008 5032
Description: The cyberculture practices have profound influences on the
reliability of a person's identity. The paper examines comparatively the
process of identity construction in real life and in cyberspace. Several
causes responsible for the erosion of human identity are analyzed: the
free assuming of various identities within different cyber communities,
the detachment of the self from the body (the disembodied identity) and
the absence of specific forms of fiction which would mediate human
interactions. It is shown that the re shaping of cyber identity provides
new insights into the debate on body soul dualism.
Full paper.
Organizational/Group Impacts
"The Virtual Ladder: A Gendered Analysis of Teleworking Careers"
Author: Andrea J Whittle
Affiliation: Doctoral candidate, CRICT, Brunel University (UK)
Description: This is a literature review and preliminary report on a
doctoral study in progress, funded by the ESRC in Britain under the
theme of 'Effects of new technologies on people." The research project
covers telecommuniting, inequality in computing, information systems
and organisational theory, and organisational impacts of computing. A
central focus is telework and differential gender impacts.
"Approaches Used to Introduce Women Entrepreneurs to Online
Networking"
Author: Dale Vaillancourt
Affiliation: Doctoral Candidate, University of Toronto
Description: Time, distance and extra home duties is such a factor for
women entrepreneurs, that business networking is a challenge. One of
the ways that may help this growing population overcome their dilemma
is to try networking online with those they have already met. To help
introduce the concept of online networking, considerations for privacy,
social and epistemological interaction, and participant attitudes toward
computer use, however, is required. This paper will describe the first 6
months of a year long study and approaches undertaken to help a group
of self employed women try online networking for the first time. My
research interests relate to conducting qualitative research on North
American women entrepreneurs to determine if this population are
constructivist knowers and whether an electronic online learning
organization would be of benefit to them. In addition, approaches such
as the use of dialogue, reflection and learning situations that support
self employed women's search for practical networking opportunities is
of general interest to me. My master's research (in Adult Education) was
on the on the supporting roles of post secondary education for mature
aspiring women entrepreneurs. Through my current Ph.D. research
project, I have continued to build upon this general topic and am now
working with women entrepreneurs who are managing their own
businesses. Both research projects indicate a need for online networking.
"Information Technology in the Workplace:Lessons from Public
Employees as Told to MPA Students"
Author: Alana Northrop
Affiliation: California State University Fullerton
Description: Based on 400 interviews by CSUF MPA students over four
years, this paper will concentrate on offering tips on how to get the most
from computer applications in the public sector. Advice will range from
the old lessons, obviously never learned, about general issues like
implementation and training to more specific advice such as how to
implement a GIS system.
"Facilitating Therapeutic Communication over the Internet: Experimental
Evaluation of Induction on Cancer Discussion Groups"
Authors: Jason E. Owen, Anette Vaga, Diane C. Tucker,Jeffrey M Bellis
Affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of
Psychology, UAB School of Public Health, Department of Health
Behavior
Description: Psychosocial interventions for cancer have received
widespread attention and are thought to improve patients’ overall quality
of life. Given poor rates of availability and participation in such
interventions, recent work has attempted to make psychosocial support
services available online (Gustafson et al., 1995). However, there is little
data to suggest which methods may be most efficacious for providing
psychotherapeutic services using an online diagnosis and treatment for
cancer, were randomly assigned to an Internet discussion group. Three
distinct induction procedure were used, based on the procedure of
Whalen (a minimal instructions condition, a computer modelling
condition, and an annotated computer modeling condition). Group
communications were classified using Whalen’s criteria: perceived
closeness to fellow group members, quantity, and quality of responses
served as dependent variables. Gender differences in dependent
variables and applications to cancer populations will be discussed.
E mail: Jason.Owen
Political Impacts
"The Impact on Bureaucracy of the Electronic Freedom of Information
Act, 1996 2000."
Author: Jeremy R.T. Lewis
Affiliation: History and Political Science, Huntingdon College
Description: The author's previous research explored the massive
document handling processes involved in the federal FOIA, finding them
essentially Dickensian in nature and examining a few promising
technological solutions. Some agencies receive thousands of requests
per year and have thousands backlogged. The federal government has
suffered some lawsuits including two dozen Supreme Court opinions.
Since then the 1996 EFOIA has mandated that agencies disseminate
unclassified records online and expand reporting of the process. To
some degree this has encouraged the adoption of computerized
redaction editing of documents. A number of more developed hardware
and software solutions are currently being tested in federal agencies.
This paper, following an account of the causes of technological
backwardness in records handling under FOIA, gives an early
assessment of the progress made by the new initiatives.
E mail: "Dr. Jeremy Lewis"
"Community Networks or Networked Communities: The State of the Art"
Author: Bruce E. Tonn, Persides Zambrano, and Sheila Moore
Affiliation: University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Tonn, Zambrano); Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (Moore)
Description: The article provides an overview of the state of the art in
community networks. Forty community networks were reviewed,
thirty four from the U.S., and six from other countries. A protocol was
developed to guide the evaluation of each site and closely linked sites.
The protocol covered what information is provided by the community
network and how the network may contribute to strengthening the social
capital in the community it serves. It was found that communities are
now served by several types of systems: non profit community
networks; websites administered by local governments; and various
commercial sites. In most cases, the non profit community networks act
as portals to links to all the communities' websites. The government sites
typically only provide information about themselves. The commercial
sites are usually run by tourism and economic development
organizations, newspapers or by national firms trying to establish
presences in communities around the country by providing chat
services, local travel information, etc. It does not appear that, either
individually or in combination, the websites are explicitly working to
strengthen the social capital of the communities they serve. It is
recommended that a community's information networking organizations
work together to provide integrated services that include attention to
fostering community dialogue, provision of up to date information on
community events and real time information about traffic, weather, etc.,
and resources and programs to help people better meet their citizenship
responsibilities.
E mail: Bruce Tonn
" The Citizen and the Digital Government: Connection Failed?"
Author: Jo Steyaert
Affiliation: Department of Communication Science, Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Description: Since the mid nineties local governments are developing
new tools to interact with their residents. Referenda, city talks and a
renewed attention for audio visual media are just some examples of this
trend. One of the most important and certainly one of the more visible
examples of these efforts is nevertheless the growth of the number of
governmental web sites. Government web sites are primarily developed
or intended as new tools to better serve the citizens needs for
information, services and participation at once and in one æplaceÆ. One
important question in this aspect is whether the government at local or at
national level is successful in doing so. Are these new ways of
communicating, organizing democracy or fulfilling services in any way
'better'? This question will be answered based on a survey with the
general public that took place in the summer of 1999.
E mail: "Jo Steyaert"
"IT & E Governance: New Organizational Compacts for a Connected
State"
Authors: G. Paquet and J. Roy
Affiliation: Centre on Governance, The University of Ottawa
Description: The objective of this paper is to investigate the governance
of IT deployment in the public sector. Increasingly complex processes,
involving both information technology (IT) and information systems (IS)
are linked to a widening array of public private sector partnerships which
recasts public management in Canada (and elsewhere) in ways that are
poorly understood. The main premise is that a new form of connnected
state is beginning to take shape requiring new operational structures
and managerial skills in order to adapt both efficiently and effectively. In
terms of structure, it is not the scope of state activity and reach that is
diminishing but rather it is the traditions of a core public service, based
around departmental structures of vertical control and clear
accountability. Along side this system (still very much in good currency)
is an emerging governance network based on multi stakeholder
management and interdependent relationships encapsulated by the
over arching paradigm of new public management. This latter, and
increasingly important dimension of state activity is comprised of a
dynamic set of formal agreements and informal interactions which
translate into more fluid governance mechanisms in constant need of
negotiating, monitoring, assessing and adapting. Two important trends
emerged from a recent OECD report: i) Models of both horizontal (across
government agencies) and vertical (across levels of government and
economic sectors) integration are being employed to provide one stop
shopping to consumers of government services; and ii) Technology as
an agent of change as the availability of technology infrastructure, e.g.
electronic commerce and associated secure technologies, automatic teller
machines and the internet, make certain government applications
possible and creates public expectations
(www.oecd.org/puma/govrnance/it). These new structures require very
different skill sets of public servants. According to one recent study of
12 industrialized countries, "the civic servant of the future will have to be
a shrewd negotiator, a team player, and a proven bargain hunter in order
to get ahead" [PriceWaterhouse Coopers/ The Economist 1999].
Indicative of the growing pressures likely to accelerate public sector
reform, this same study also concludes that Canada "is behind Britain,
the United States, and New Zealand in allowing private enterprise to
begin performing core functions. The impacts of the growing
sophistication of IT may be the most acute for national governments
the largest and most sophisticated public sector organizations, but also
often the most resistant to change. Yet, the advent of IT creates both
pressures and opportunities for new partnerships across all levels of
government changing considerably the dynamics of inter governmental
coordination. One of the most interesting debates in the literatures
exploring IT's impact on democracy and pubic administration is the
extent to which technology is a force for devolution to more local state
processes, or rather a centralizing one, allowing national governments to
re assert themselves in models of both service delivery and citizen
engagement at all levels. Scenarios for Reform: In a manner consistent
with this discussion, Kathryn McMullen, of the Canadian Policy
Research Network (CPRN) has suggested that there are four scenarios
that governments everywhere are implicitly choosing from. These
scenarios include: i) an evolutionary model, which implies that the
traditional model continues, but with some revisions; ii) a market based
model in which privatization, outsourcing, and reliance on temporary and
contract workers predominates; iii) a participatory or "high performance"
model in which incentives and rewards are shaped to the needs of
knowledge workers; and iv) a deregulation model where government's
profile in the economy and society is much reduced overall. (adopted
from, Restructuring Government: Human Resources Issues at the
Workplace Level, OECD PUMA Activity Meeting, June 1998) We
examine the current mix of these four options within The Canadian state
(including a look at federal, provincial and multi level initiatives). We will
also draw from a current survey of private, public and civic
decision makers in the Ottawa region (preliminary results due by April
2000) in order to compare the views of politicians, public servants, and
potential state partners on questions of both intra and
inter organizational relations for a connected state. The paper will
compare the conceptual foundations of each of the four scenarios, as
they apply to IT's impact on the public sector, with present experiences
in Canada in order to generate some general propositions as to the future
evolution of both state structures and public management in a changing
public sector.
E mail: "Jeffrey Roy"
"Public Engagement, the Internet and Electronic Democracy"
Author: Amanda Coe
Affiliation: Public Policy Forum, Ottawa, Canada
Description: Howard Rheinhold has argued that the rapid convergence
of information and communications technologies and the development of
computer networks have the capacity to challenge the monopoly of
existing political hierarchies over powerful communications media and
perhaps the ability to revitalize citizen based democracy (Rheinhold,
1995: 14). The relationship between governments and the citizens they
represent has been the focus of increasing debate. Citizens wish to relate
to their democratic institutions in new and different ways. They want to
have a say in the policies that affect them most. This desire, combined
with a fundamental rethinking of the nature of governance at all levels,
has prompted governments to re visit and re evaluate some of the basic
issues of why and how they engage citizens in policy making. New
technologies, and in particular the Internet, have the potential to
fundamentally affect our ability as citizens to have a voice in shaping our
future, changing the practice of politics in substantial ways. The modern
Internet, dating from 1993 with the development of the World Wide Web
and browser technology, represents a new way for engaging the public
more directly in government decision making. The Internet has brought,
amongst other things, the possibility for the re emergence of direct
democracy on a large scale. In its simplest form, democracy entails
having all citizens participate directly by voting on all policies. In large
nation states this has not been sensible or even possible. The Internet,
however, is breaking down the age old barriers of time and distance that
originally precluded the nation's people from voting directly for the laws
and policies that govern them. With the advent of the Internet, direct
participation in policy decision making can now be more easily
facilitated. However, much of what has been written about the Internet,
democracy, and how the combination of both might change the
relationships among government and citizens is speculative based
upon little empirical analysis. Further, the use of the Internet to enhance
public engagement presents several challenges. The aim of the paper will
be to explore the potential of the Internet to enhance public engagement
in government decision making. A literature review of the theory and
concept of public engagement and of the potential of the Internet to
enhance public engagement in government decision making will be
conducted. A number of projects in which the Internet is currently being
used to engage citizens will be reviewed, with a particular focus on the
extent to which these initiatives are consistent with principles of
effective public engagement. The intent is to provide an empirical basis
against which to evaluate the effectiveness of the Internet as a tool for
engaging citizens. Lessons learned will be drawn from a review of these
initiatives. Conclusions will also be drawn with respect to potential
opportunities and dangers associated with the use of the Internet for
public engagement.
E mail: "Amanda Coe"
"Voting Online: The Key to Improving Political Participation"
Author: Tyson Chaney, Executive Director
Affiliation: Millennium 3 Foundation
Description: Voter turnout is at a national low. Many states also face
all time lows at elections. Apathy and anger are enveloping the political
process. However, there is an new concept coming soon that will
revitalize American politics: voting via the Internet. The idea of voting
online isn't entirely new; it's similar to voting by mail except that the
ballots are submitted via keystroke rather than via the Postal Service. An
article from the Knight Ridder News Service included the point that
"Californians could be voting over the Internet in five years with a
computerized system that could revolutionize the state's voting process
and boost sagging voter turnout." There are concerns that people with
more wealth and better education who tend to use the Internet in greater
numbers would skew online elections. However, the point is missed
that, due to the present election structure, richer people already have a
disportionate say in who is elected. There are economic factors in online
voting but the technology can be developed to ensure that all people
have a chance to vote on the Internet. Already, dozens of candidates
and organizations have Web sites with much more in depth information
than any 30 second commercial can encompass. Interviews with
representatives of Minxmag.com and the Democracy Network will
describe how the Internet can be used to advance political agendas.
Discussions with leaders of policy groups and elected officials across
the political spectrum will serve as practical examples of how the Internet
improves communication and awareness, across a state or the country.
The technology is already under development. Modifying the secure
servers that have enabled e commerce to flourish in the last few years
will allow honest elections to held online. Janelle Brown, technology
correspondent for Salon, said in an interview that the necessary
technology could be available within the next five years. Several
companies are working on election server technology and interviews
with officers of some of these companies will shed light on the
technological feasibility of online voting. An important concern with
online voting boils down to trust. There are legitimate concerns about
psychological and sociological issues. People want to know that their
votes are counted honestly. Kim Alexander, president of the non profit
California Voter Foundation, said in an interview that on a state
commission on which she serves that is considering the viability of
Internet voting personal, not technical, issues were the key stumbling
block toward its acceptance. A few cases of past voter fraud will be
examined to show that hand counted ballots are not as pure as claimed.
To the contrary of what some Louisiana Republican Party members
believed when they squelched a primary earlier this year that would have
been held online, my research shows that neither major party has an
inherent advantage or disadvantage with potential online voters. Minor
parties, due to the dramatically lower cost of maintaining a Web site, may
do better.
"A Methodology for Measuring the Function of Party Websites"
Authors: Rachel K. Gibson and Stephen J. Ward
Affiliations: European Studies Research Institute, University of Salford,
UK
Description: The growth of party activity on the World Wide Web
(WWW) over the past five years has provoked much comment and
criticism. While initially most assessments were descriptive and
anecdotal, more recent studies have taken a more systematic and
quantitative approach to this topic. This article builds on the existing
literature by developing a coding scheme that addresses two central
research questions applicable to all political web sites: (1) what the
purpose of the sites are, and (2) how effectively they deliver their
contents. In doing so it attempts to standardise the study of party
web sites and to promote the growth of cross national and longitudinal
comparative research in this area.
E mail: Rachel Gibson
Full Paper
"The Mainstreaming of Cyberspace"
Author: John Hughes
Affiliation: Department of Political Science, Monmouth University
Description: This article will examine the changing makeup of Internet
users over a two year time period using parallel surveys conducted in
1996 and 1998. The goal of the paper is to determine whether or not
Internet users are starting to match the political characteristics of
non Internet users. It is well known that Internet users are politically
distinct when compared to the general public. They are more active, more
knowledgeable, and possibly more libertarian. What is unknown is the
extent to which these differences are attributable to users adopting an
"Internet Culture" or to self selection. This study will examine the
changes in demographic and political characteristics of the on line
population over a two year time period. In addition, the study will look at
the differences among recent and long term users. Ultimately, the goal is
to understand whether Internet use shapes the political attitudes of its
users or whether the Internet will instead be shaped by its users.
E mail: John Hughes
"The Acquisition of Computer Aided Dispatch Systems: Administrative and
Political Considerations"
Author: Dale Nesbary
Affiliation: Department of Political Science, Oakland University
Description: While many have explored the impact of technology on police
agencies, less attention has been paid to the factors regarding a decision to
acquire new technology. This paper examines the process of selecting computer
aided dispatch systems in large municipal police agencies. Specifically, it
examines the experiences of the Boston Police Department in selecting a new
computer aided dispatch (CAD) system operationalized on June 7, 1994. The
influence stakeholder groups, including politicians, administrators, and
department, is considered. Department staff members are interviewed to
determine whether they believe that the CAD acquisition has made a difference
after five years of operation. Finally, a series of recommendations regarding
the selection of a CAD system is presented.
E mail: "Dale Nesbary"
" A Political Biographical Database for Scotland: A Research and Information
Resource"
Author: Linda Stevenson
Affiliation= Department of Politics and International Relations University of
Aberdeen Scotland
Description: For the past decade and more the focus of attention within certain
sectors of Scottish politics has been on how to obtain devolution from
Westminster, a counter to the Nationalist’s call for Independence for Scotland.
Following years of consultation and debate and a referendum following the
election of the Labour government in 1997, the people of Scotland voted in
favour of establishing a Parliament in Scotland with tax varying powers. For
the first time in almost 300 years legislation will be enacted in Edinburgh.
This prospect has led to a great deal of discussion relating to the new
politics in Scotland. Devolution has been heralded as an opportunity to put
right all that has been wrong with the Westminster system to date. The desire
to create a better democracy based on more open and transparent government in
which wider participation is encouraged has regularly been discussed as is the
promotion of IT as the means by which citizens of Scotland can be kept informed
about the politics of their country by which they can participate in the
political affairs of their country and as the means by which they can be made
to feel part of the process rather than removed from it. Of course the use of
IT as a means by which to disseminate information is being promoted in all
sectors as being the way forward, not just by government’s reaching out to
citizens. The higher education sector is no different. In our own case we
decided to develop a database relating to key political figures within the
newly devolved Scotland that could be used as a research and information
resource by students and staff within the Faculty of Social Science interested
in studying modern Scottish politics. We also approached modern historians
within the University to establish whether this would be a resource that would
interest them. However having discussed the idea more widely during the design
and development stage it became apparent that the database could be of interest
to researchers outside the university. Also by separating the data out to
provide information on two levels it should be possible to provide a contacts
directory as a front end to the database that could be accessed once mounted on
the Internet by anyone with access to the World Wide Web. So from the seeds of
an idea relating to the use of IT as a research and education tool at a
departmental level we hope soon to provide this resource to a much wider
audience. For the general public there will be a comprehensive directory
providing contact details for key political figures, not just elected officials
at local Scottish, Westminster, and EU levels but also trade unionists party
officials interest group leaders and key civil servants. Our aim is to
ensure that the information is easily accessible and easily downloadable.
At a second level more in depth sociopolitical data gathered by means of
questionnaires sent to each potential entrant will be available to
researchers who will be able to devise their own datasets from the main
database and who will then be able to export their dataset out for
analysis using , for example, SPSS. Access to this data will be available
to registered password holders only for security purposes. The benefit
of such a database is that it can be cross referenced unlike the many
paper sources that are available, and it can be regularly updated and that
it is comprehensive as well as being unique within the UK. As long as
users have access to the Internet they should be able to access the
information contained within the database from anywhere in the world.
This is presented as a good example of just how useful computers can be
within the social sciences.
__________________________________________________________
G. David Garson Editor, Social Science Computer Review
NCSU Box 8102 Full Professor, Department of Political
Raleigh, NC 27695-8102 Science & Public Administration, NCSU
Express Mail, add: Tel. 919-515-3067
106 Caldwell (PSPA) Fax 919-515-7333 or 7856
Hillsborough St. E-mail: David_Garson@ncsu.edu
