Creating a sustainable public sector: the role of ICTs
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Creating a sustainable public sector: the role of ICTs.
S u stainab il ity is rapid l y b ec o m ing a l ead ing prio rity f o r pu b l ic and priv ate sec to r o rganisatio ns wo rl d wid e. A gro wing c o nsensu s th at th e ev id enc e f o r h u m an-ind u c ed c l im ate c h ange is irref u tab l e, and f ears o f its po ssib l y c atastro ph ic c o nseq u enc es, l ies b eh ind a signif ic ant u psu rge in ac tiv ities to u nd erstand and ad d ress su stainab il ity c h al l enges. Th ese ac tiv ities inc reasingl y inv o l v e th e u se o f inf o rm atio n and c o m m u nic atio ns tec h no l o gies ( I CTs) as an im po rtant enab l er o f im pro v ed su stainab il ity. O ne v ery v isib l e ex am pl e o f th is th e appl ic atio n o f so -c al l ed “green I CT” to a nu m b er o f su stainab il ity c h al l enges – m o st no tab l y in a b id to red u c e CO 2 em issio ns. Th ere are, h o wev er, m any o th er po ssib il ities f o r I CT to c o ntrib u te to su stainab il ity. Th is paper aim s to stim u l ate d isc u ssio n o f wh at th ese o th er po ssib il ities are in th e pu b l ic sec to r c o ntex t. I n partic u l ar, th e paper c o nsid ers th e po tential rel atio nsh ip b etween su stainab il ity and e-go v ernm ent. I t argu es th at th ese two areas o f go v ernm ent ac tiv ity m ay in f u tu re b e f ru itf u l l y l ink ed to geth er in an ef f o rt to c reate a su stainab l e pu b l ic sec to r. F eed b ac k o n th e paper wil l b e u sed as an inpu t to th o u gh t l ead ersh ip in th is area th at th e Cisc o I B S G pu b l ic sec to r gro u p pl ans to d ev el o p in 2 0 0 9 .
Historic government involvement in sustainability
Wh il e su stainab il ity is a rel ativ el y rec ent c o nc ept c o nc erns ab o u t su stainab il ity are, o f c o u rse, no t new. S o c ietal c o nc ern ab o u t env iro nm ental d egrad atio n h as b een stead il y inc reasing sinc e th e 1 9 6 0 ’s, with th e em ergenc e o f to d ay’s gl o b al env iro nm ental m o v em ent b eing stim u l ated b y sem inal ev ents su c h as pu b l ic atio n o f R ac h el Carso n’s Silent Spring ( 1 9 6 2 ) and th e Cl u b o f R o m e’s L im its to G ro w th ( 1 9 7 2 ) , rel ease o f th e f irst im age o f th e Earth seen f ro m spac e and th e L o v e Canal d isaster o f th e l ate 1 9 7 0 ’s. Th e o rigins o f env iro nm ental ism , o r wh at we m o re u su al l y c al l th e “green” ex tend m u c h f u rth er b ac k in m o d ern h isto ry. Th e ro o ts o f c o ntem po rary go respo nses to env iro nm ental issu es c an b e f o u nd in th e intel l ec tu al th o u gh t c entu ry – perh aps m o st f am o u sl y in th e wo rk o f H enry D av id Th o reau wh o , M a ine W o o d s ( 1 8 6 4 ) c al l ed f o r th e c o nserv atio n o f and respec t f o r natu re and preserv atio n o f v irgin f o rests.
m o v em ent, v ernm ental o f th e 1 9 t h in h is b o o k th e f ed eral
F ro m th is po int f o rward th e U nited S tates o f Am eric a b ec am e an internatio nal l ead er in th e f iel d o f c o nserv atio n. I n 1 8 6 4 , P resid ent Ab rah am L inc o l n signed an Ac t o f Co ngress c ed ing th e Y o sem ite V al l ey and th e M aripo sa Gro v e o f Giant S eq u o ias ( wh ic h l ater b ec am e th e Y o sem ite N atio nal P ark ) to th e state o f Cal if o rnia. I n 1 8 7 2 , Y el l o wsto ne N atio nal P ark was estab l ish ed as argu ab l y th e wo rl d ' s f irst tru l y natio nal park . Th e pro c ess was f o rm al l y
Cisc o I nternet B u siness S o l u tio ns Gro u p ( I B S G)
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m pl eted in 1 8 9 0 th ank s to th e c o m b ined ef f o rts o f c o nserv atio nists, po l itic ians – no tab l y tu re P resid ent Th eo d o re R o o sev el t – and th e N o rth ern P ac if ic R ail ro ad ( wh o se ro u te ro u gh M o ntana wo u l d greatl y b enef it b y th e c reatio n o f a new to u rist attrac tio n) to ensu re e passage o f th e enab l ing l egisl atio n b y th e Co ngress.
B y th e end o f th e 1 9 t h c entu ry natio nal park s h ad al so b een estab l ish ed in Au stral ia, N ew Z eal and , Canad a and S o u th Af ric a. I n Eu ro pe, natio nal park s b egan to b e c reated in th e earl y 2 0 t h c entu ry. Th ese initiativ es enj o yed c o nsid erab l e pu b l ic su ppo rt. H o wev er, th e Great D epressio n and two wo rl d wars pu sh ed c o nc ern f o r th e env iro nm ent to th e b ac k o f th e pu b l ic m ind . F o l l o wing Wo rl d War I I th e ef f o rt to reb u il d sh attered so c ieties and ec o no m ies, and th e su b seq u ent ec o no m ic b o o m , c o ntinu ed to c ro wd o u t env iro nm ental issu es as a m ainstream c o nc ern f o r go v ernm ents.
R ecent government f ocus on sustainability
I n th e f ac e o f resu rgent env iro nm ental ism , sinc e th e 1 9 7 0 s go v ernm ents aro u nd th e wo rl d h av e respo nd ed to c o nc erns ab o u t th e env iro nm ent in m any ways. Th ese ef f o rts h av e m ainl y f o c u sed o n inf l u enc ing th e b eh av io u r o f ex ternal parties ( c itiz ens, b u sinesses and o th er states) th ro u gh a m ix tu re o f treaties, l aws, po l ic ies, estab l ish m ent o f spec ial pu rpo se agenc ies and b o d ies, appl ic atio n o f ec o no m ic inc entiv es and pu b l ic pro v isio n o f inf o rm atio n and serv ic es.
M o st rec entl y, as c l im ate c h ange and gl o b al warm ing h av e b ec o m e po l itic al l y im po rtant, go v ernm ents h av e b een ru sh ing to c o m m it th em sel v es to red u c ing th eir CO 2 em issio ns and ad d ressing o th er “green” c h al l enges. A l ead ing-ed ge ex am pl e o f go v ernm ent c o m m itm ents in th is area is pro v id ed b y th e rec ent U K Go v ernm ent pro gram m e c al l ed G reening G o v ernm ent I C T 1 wh ic h sets o u t a v isio n o f h o w go v ernm ent u se o f I CT wil l b ec o m e c arb o n neu tral ac ro ss its l if ec yc l e b y 2 0 2 0 . Areas wh ere I CTs are targeted to red u c e CO 2 em issio ns and tac k l e o th er su stainab il ity c h al l enges u nd er th is and o th er go v ernm ent pro gram m es inc l u d e: ● ● ● ● ● ●
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b etter m anagem ent o f P Cs, l apto ps and o th er o f f ic e eq u ipm ent; d ev el o pm ent o f energy ef f ic ient d ata c entres;
intro d u c tio n o f green I CT pro c u rem ent pro gram m es; im pro v em ent o f b u il d ing energy ef f ic ienc y;
b etter m anagem ent o f I CT rel ated waste stream s; and m o st rec entl y, u sing I CTs to tel ewo rk ing.
c h ange wo rk prac tic es th ro u gh
inc reased
ad o ptio n o f
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C an I C T contribute more to sustainability?
Wh il e go v ernm ents are c l earl y c o nc erned ab o u t su stainab il ity, and are v ery ac tiv el y wo rk ing o n green I CT initiativ es, it is im po rtant to ask wh at m o re I CT m igh t b e ab l e to d o in th is area. R esearc h u nd ertak en f o r th is paper su ggests th at th e o ppo rtu nities m ay b e m ay b e c o nsid erab l y wid er th an th e th ings go v ernm ents h av e so f ar f o c u sed o n.
As a c o nc ept, su stainab il ity is c o m m o nl y c o nsid ered to h av e th ree pil l ars – env iro nm ental q u al ity, so c ial eq u ity and ec o no m ic d ev el o pm ent – wh ic h need to b e m anaged h o l istic al l y in o rd er to d el iv er b al anc ed and su stainab l e o u tc o m es. Wh il e c o m m end ab l e, c u rrent go v ernm ent su stainab il ity initiativ es th at inv o l v e I CTs are l argel y c o nf ined to ad d ressing env iro nm ental c h al l enges ( o r at l east are presented as su c h ) . Th e f ac t th at go v ernm ents tend to present th eir ef f o rts as green rath er th an su stainab il ity initiativ es m ay b e an ind ic ato r o f a rel ativ el y narro w apprec iatio n o f th e ro l e I CTs c o u l d pl ay in su stainab il ity. Cu rrent initiativ es al so tend to f o c u s o n th d irec t CO 2 red u c tio ns. M u c h l ess attentio I CTs c an h av e in so c iety and th e ec o no m c u rrent and f u tu re generatio ns o f netwo rk ed
e f irst o rd er b enef its th at I CTs c an d el iv er e.g. n is giv en to th e sec o nd o rd er enab l ing ef f ec ts y – espec ial l y if th e tru l y inno v ativ e po tential o f I CTs are f u l l y u nd ersto o d and em b rac ed .
As no ted ab o v e, o u tsid e o f th eir c o m m itm ents to green I CTs go v ernm ents’ ef f o rts aro u nd su stainab il ity are f o c u sed prim aril y o n ex ternal parties. D espite th e rec ent u psu rge in internal l y f o c u sed green I CT pro gram m es, th e ( b ro ad l y d ef ined ) su stainab il ity o f th e pu b l ic sec to r itsel f h as, so f ar, b een l ess c ritic al l y anal ysed o r ac tiv el y ad d ressed . Th ere is as yet no v isib l e pro gram m e aim ing to ex pl ic itl y u se I CT as part o f d ev el o ping an env iro nm ental l y, so c ial l y and ec o no m ic al l y su stainab l e pu b l ic sec to r anywh ere in th e wo rl d . Argu ab l y, th e pu b l ic sec to r c o u l d and sh o u l d b e d o ing m o re to f o c u s o n th e env iro nm ental , ec o no m ic and so c ial su stainab il ity im pac ts o f its o wn ac tiv ities. Th is no t a c h al l enge wh ere th ere is a sh o rtage o f o ppo rtu nities, id eas o r po tential so l u tio ns. Th ere is al so po l itic al c apital read y to b e inv ested in ad d ressing th e c h al l enge. Th e two k ey b arriers to m o v ing f o rward appear to b e: ●
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U nd ers ta nd ing: wid espread , system ic and h o l istic rec o gnitio n o f th e o ppo rtu nities f o r c reating a su stainab l e pu b l ic sec to r is l ac k ing. Th is l ac k ex ists at two l ev el s – th e to p-l ev el v isio n o f po l itic ians and senio r pu b l ic serv ants, and th e m o d el s & f ram ewo rk s o f su stainab il ity req u ired to d esign and im pl em ent c h ange. I nertia : pro gress to ward and l ead ersh ip, institu tio and th e f ac t th at th e m anagem ent c o nc ept l ik
su stainab il ity is h ind ered b y insu f f ic ient internal c o m m itm ent nal b arriers, inf o rm atio n gaps, ad v erse pu b l ic sec to r c u l tu res id ea o f su stainab il ity h as no t b een a m ainstream pu b l ic e eq u ity, ef f ic ienc y o r ef f ec tiv eness.
A k ey assu m ptio n b eh ind th is paper is th at th e sc o pe f o r u sing I CTs to m ak e th e pu b l ic sec to r m o re su stainab l e is c o nsid erab l e. I f th is is c o rrec t, rel ev ant q u estio ns are wh ere d o o ppo rtu nities ex ist and h o w c an go v ernm ents pu rsu e th em ?
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I C T enabled sustainability op p ortunities
Th e ‘interv entio n l o gic ’ and b u siness c ase f o r appl ying I CTs to im pro v ing th e env iro nm ental su stainab il ity o f th e pu b l ic sec to r is wel l -u nd ersto o d and b eing wid el y ac ted o n, so wil l no t b e go ne into in th is paper.
I n regard to ec o no m ic su stainab il ity, th ere appears to b e stro ng argu m ent f o r u sing I CTs to ac h iev e gains in two b ro ad areas. F irst, th e pu b l ic sec to r c an po tential l y im pro v e its f inanc ial su stainab il ity th ro u gh ac c el erating th e u se o f I CTs in im pro v ing th e ef f ic ienc y o f its b ac k -o f f ic e b u siness o peratio ns ( e.g. th ro u gh m o v ing to sh ared serv ic es and new c o m pu ting arc h itec tu res su c h as “c l o u d ” c o m pu ting) , and red u c ing th e c o sts o f po l ic y d ev el o pm ent and serv ic e d el iv ery th ro u gh o ngo ing ad o ptio n o f e-go v ernm ent m o d el s and to o l s. S ec o nd , in d o ing so , th e pu b l ic sec to r c an su ppo rt th e su stainab il ity o f th e wid er ec o no m y b y u sing I CTs to im pro v e its reso u rc e ef f ic ienc y and pro d u c tiv ity, to red u c e th e c o sts o f d eal ing with go v ernm ent and , o v eral l , to red u c e th e b u rd ens it im po ses o n th e ec o no m y. M u c h o f th is o ppo rtu nity is c aptu red b y th e id ea o f I CTs enab l ing th e ‘d em aterial isatio n’ o f m any trad itio nal pro d u c ts and pro c esses. I n th e area o f so c ial su stainab il ity th ere are again two b ro ad areas wh ere I CTs m ay enab l e th e pu b l ic sec to r to b ec o m e m o re su stainab l e. F irst, th ere is an area th at we m igh t c al l ‘institu tio nal su stainab il ity’. To su rv iv e as an institu tio n th e pu b l ic sec to r m u st enj o y th e tru st and c o nf id enc e o f th e pu b l ic it serv es. I nstitu tio nal su stainab il ity is h eav il y inf l u enc ed b y th ings su c h as o penness and transparenc y, o ppo rtu nities and pro c esses f o r pu b l ic engagem ent and partic ipatio n, m aintenanc e o f appro priate v al u es and f reed o m f ro m c o rru ptio n, and th e q u al ity o f serv ic e d esign and d el iv ery. Th ere is no sh o rtage o f ex am pl es o f h o w I CTs c an po sitiv el y im pac t in al l th ese areas in ways th at are ef f ic ient, ef f ec tiv e and , m o st im po rtantl y, transf o rm ativ e.
S ec o nd , o ne o f th e m o st v ital reso u rc es th e pu b l ic sec to r h as is its peo pl e. Go v ernm ents ev erywh ere c o nstantl y stru ggl e to rec ru it, m o tiv ate and retain th e righ t nu m b er and c al ib re o f pu b l ic serv ants to f u l f il th eir respo nsib il ities. Th ey are al so c h al l enged to ensu re th at th at th e perf o rm anc e and pro d u c tiv ity o f pu b l ic serv ants is as h igh as po ssib l e. We m igh t c al l th is th e c h al l enge o f ac h iev ing ‘su stainab l e h u m an c apac ity’ in th e pu b l ic sec to r. Again, th ere are m any ways th at I CTs c an b e inno v ativ el y u sed to ad d ress th is c h al l enge.
S ustainability and e-government
Cl earl y, th e pu b l ic sec to r c h al l enges to u c h ed o n ab o v e are no t new. Go v ernm ents b egan to ad d ress th ese c h al l enges l o ng b ef o re th e ad v ent o f th e c o nc ept o f su stainab il ity o r th e arriv al o f I CTs as a k ey el em ent o f th e m o d ern pu b l ic sec to r. F u rth er, it d id no t req u ire c o nc erns o v er su stainab il ity to c o nv inc e go v ernm ents o f th e v al u e o f inv esting in I CTs and , ev entu al l y, in m aj o r e-go v ernm ent pro gram m es. Th e b u siness c ase f o r u se o f I CTs in th e pu b l ic sec to r h as b een stro ng to d ate with o u t h av ing to f ac to r su stainab il ity into th e eq u atio n. A perf ec t il l u stratio im pl em entatio n o f e-go v ernm ent to argu m ent aro u nd
n o f th is c o m es f ro m th N ew Z eal and ’s e-go v M inisters in th e l ate th e env iro nm ental b
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e au th o r’s o wn ex perienc e in th e d ev el o pm ernm ent pro gram m e. Wh en pu tting th e 1 9 9 0 ’s, th ere was c o nsid eratio n o f inc l u enef its e-go v ernm ent c o u l d d el iv er th ro
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ex am pl e, red u c ing trav el tim e and o th er ec o no m ic and env iro nm ental c o sts asso c iated with rec eiv ing o f f l ine serv ic es. At th e tim e it was d ec id ed th at, al th o u gh su c h b enef its were genu ine and c al c u l ab l e, inc l u d ing th em in th e ad v ic e to M inister’s was no t nec essary. Th e c ase was al read y signif ic antl y po sitiv e and M inisters wo u l d f ind su c h an argu m ent u nu su al . I n ef f ec t, th e d ec isio n was th at th ere was no need to “gil d th e l il y”.
S u b seq u entl y, in 2 0 0 2 , th e N ew Z eal and P arl iam entary Co m m issio ner f o r th e Env iro nm ent pro d u c ed a m aj o r repo rt c al l ed C rea ting o u r f u tu re: Su s ta ina b le D ev elo pm ent f o r N ew Z ea la nd . O ne o f th e b ac k gro u nd papers to th is repo rt id entif ied al l k ey c entral go v ernm ent strategies th at h ad b een d ev el o ped , o r were u nd er d ev el o pm ent, wh ic h were rel ev ant to su stainab l e d ev el o pm ent. S een in retro spec t, th e N Z e-Go v ernm ent S trategy was a gl aring o m issio n f ro m th e 2 8 strategies l isted in th is repo rt. Th ere are two reaso ns th at th is h appened . F irst, in 2 0 0 2 su stainab il ity spec ial ists sim pl y d id no t th ink to ask wh eth er pu b l ic sec to r u se o f I CTs c o u l d c o ntrib u te to su stainab l e d ev el o pm ent – it was no t part o f th e c o nc eptu al wo rl d in wh ic h th ey were wo rk ing. S ec o nd , e-go v ernm ent spec ial ists ( with th e au th o r c h ief am o ng th em ) were no t paying attentio n to su stainab il ity issu es as th ey went ab o u t th eir b u siness. Th e great iro ny o f th is is th at a great m any o f th e e-go v ernm ent ac tiv ities b eing im pl em ented at th e tim e h av e c l earl y c o ntrib u ted to im pro v ing pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity with o u t th at f ac t h av ing b een rec o gnised . N ew Z eal and , h o wev er, was no t al o ne in th is. R esearc h f o r th is paper h as no t id entif ied any instanc e o f e-go v ernm ent b eing ex pl ic itl y inf o rm ed b y and / o r l ink ed to pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity go al s o r v ic e v ersa. Th e b ig q u estio n h ere is, sh o u l d su c h l ink ages b e f o rm ed and , if so , h o w?
M oving f orw ard
Th is paper m ak es two essential argu m ents. F irst, th e pu b l ic sec to r sh o u l d m o v e b eyo nd its c u rrent narro w f o c u s o n “green I CT” to em b rac e a h o l istic v isio n o f h o w I CTs c an c o ntrib u te to its so c ial , ec o no m ic and env iro nm ental su stainab il ity. S ec o nd , th is b ro ad ened v isio n sh o u l d b e inf o rm ed b y, and l ink ed to , an o ngo ing c o m m itm ent to d ev el o pm ent o f e-go v ernm ent. D o ing so c o u l d b o th o pen u p trem end o u s new o ppo rtu nities to im pro v e th e b ro ad su stainab il ity o f th e pu b l ic sec to r and pro v id e f resh im petu s to al read y estab l ish ed e-go v ernm ent go al s and pro gram m es. Cl earl y th ese argu m ents req u ire signif ic ant testing, and giv e rise to a range o f q u estio ns th at wo u l d need to b e answered if u sef u l ac tio n al o ng th e l ines su ggested is to b e u nd ertak en. S o m e o f th e q u estio ns th at arise inc l u d e: ●
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Wh at d o es pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity enc o m pass? I s it h el pf u l to b u il d f ram ewo rk s b ased o n th e f am il iar d im ensio ns o f env iro nm ental , so c ial and ec o no m ic c o nsid eratio ns? Co u l d o r sh o u l d th is b e ex tend ed ? S h o u l d pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity o ppo rtu nities b e c atego rised and , if so , h o w? F o r ex am pl e, is it h el pf u l to l o o k at o ppo rtu nities in term s o f 1 ) d esign and d el iv ery o f po l ic ies and serv ic es, 2 ) go v ernm ent o peratio ns ( f ro nt- and b ac k -o f f ic e) , and 3 ) h u m an reso u rc es? Are th ere o th er areas th at c o u l d b e ex am ined ?
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Wh at are th e c h al l enges in eac h area, and wh at ac tio ns c an im pro v e su stainab il ity? Wh at are th e k ey b arriers to pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity and h o w c an th ey b e o v erc o m e? H o w c an we u se netwo rk ed inf o rm atio n and tec h no l o gy to ac h iev e a b etter u nd erstand and ad d ress su stainab il ity issu es? I n partic u l ar, h o w c an e-go v ernm ent pl ay a u sef u l ro l e? To wh at ex tent d o th e el em ents nec essary to su stainab il ity and e-go v ernm ent al read y ex ist?
I f th e b asic argu m ents rel ev anc e, signif ic ant su stainab il ity and e-go v th is end , read ers are inv
m ad e ab o v e are seen to wo rk to d ev el o p prac tic ernm ent to geth er wil l b e ited to giv e f eed b ac k and
b e al u nd ad v
c reate a ro b u st l ink age b etween
su f f ic ientl y so u nd and o f wid e eno u gh appro ac h es to l ink ing pu b l ic sec to r ertak en in 2 0 0 9 b y Cisc o ’s I B S G. To ic e o n th is paper to :
R u ssel l Craig Ex ec u tiv e Ad v iso r, P u b l ic S ec to r ( Asia P ac if ic ) I nternet B u siness S o l u tio ns Gro u p ru c raig@ c isc o .c o m
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Creating a sustainable public sector: the role of ICTs.
S u stainab il ity is rapid l y b ec o m ing a l ead ing prio rity f o r pu b l ic and priv ate sec to r o rganisatio ns wo rl d wid e. A gro wing c o nsensu s th at th e ev id enc e f o r h u m an-ind u c ed c l im ate c h ange is irref u tab l e, and f ears o f its po ssib l y c atastro ph ic c o nseq u enc es, l ies b eh ind a signif ic ant u psu rge in ac tiv ities to u nd erstand and ad d ress su stainab il ity c h al l enges. Th ese ac tiv ities inc reasingl y inv o l v e th e u se o f inf o rm atio n and c o m m u nic atio ns tec h no l o gies ( I CTs) as an im po rtant enab l er o f im pro v ed su stainab il ity. O ne v ery v isib l e ex am pl e o f th is th e appl ic atio n o f so -c al l ed “green I CT” to a nu m b er o f su stainab il ity c h al l enges – m o st no tab l y in a b id to red u c e CO 2 em issio ns. Th ere are, h o wev er, m any o th er po ssib il ities f o r I CT to c o ntrib u te to su stainab il ity. Th is paper aim s to stim u l ate d isc u ssio n o f wh at th ese o th er po ssib il ities are in th e pu b l ic sec to r c o ntex t. I n partic u l ar, th e paper c o nsid ers th e po tential rel atio nsh ip b etween su stainab il ity and e-go v ernm ent. I t argu es th at th ese two areas o f go v ernm ent ac tiv ity m ay in f u tu re b e f ru itf u l l y l ink ed to geth er in an ef f o rt to c reate a su stainab l e pu b l ic sec to r. F eed b ac k o n th e paper wil l b e u sed as an inpu t to th o u gh t l ead ersh ip in th is area th at th e Cisc o I B S G pu b l ic sec to r gro u p pl ans to d ev el o p in 2 0 0 9 .
Historic government involvement in sustainability
Wh il e su stainab il ity is a rel ativ el y rec ent c o nc ept c o nc erns ab o u t su stainab il ity are, o f c o u rse, no t new. S o c ietal c o nc ern ab o u t env iro nm ental d egrad atio n h as b een stead il y inc reasing sinc e th e 1 9 6 0 ’s, with th e em ergenc e o f to d ay’s gl o b al env iro nm ental m o v em ent b eing stim u l ated b y sem inal ev ents su c h as pu b l ic atio n o f R ac h el Carso n’s Silent Spring ( 1 9 6 2 ) and th e Cl u b o f R o m e’s L im its to G ro w th ( 1 9 7 2 ) , rel ease o f th e f irst im age o f th e Earth seen f ro m spac e and th e L o v e Canal d isaster o f th e l ate 1 9 7 0 ’s. Th e o rigins o f env iro nm ental ism , o r wh at we m o re u su al l y c al l th e “green” ex tend m u c h f u rth er b ac k in m o d ern h isto ry. Th e ro o ts o f c o ntem po rary go respo nses to env iro nm ental issu es c an b e f o u nd in th e intel l ec tu al th o u gh t c entu ry – perh aps m o st f am o u sl y in th e wo rk o f H enry D av id Th o reau wh o , M a ine W o o d s ( 1 8 6 4 ) c al l ed f o r th e c o nserv atio n o f and respec t f o r natu re and preserv atio n o f v irgin f o rests.
m o v em ent, v ernm ental o f th e 1 9 t h in h is b o o k th e f ed eral
F ro m th is po int f o rward th e U nited S tates o f Am eric a b ec am e an internatio nal l ead er in th e f iel d o f c o nserv atio n. I n 1 8 6 4 , P resid ent Ab rah am L inc o l n signed an Ac t o f Co ngress c ed ing th e Y o sem ite V al l ey and th e M aripo sa Gro v e o f Giant S eq u o ias ( wh ic h l ater b ec am e th e Y o sem ite N atio nal P ark ) to th e state o f Cal if o rnia. I n 1 8 7 2 , Y el l o wsto ne N atio nal P ark was estab l ish ed as argu ab l y th e wo rl d ' s f irst tru l y natio nal park . Th e pro c ess was f o rm al l y
Cisc o I nternet B u siness S o l u tio ns Gro u p ( I B S G)
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m pl eted in 1 8 9 0 th ank s to th e c o m b ined ef f o rts o f c o nserv atio nists, po l itic ians – no tab l y tu re P resid ent Th eo d o re R o o sev el t – and th e N o rth ern P ac if ic R ail ro ad ( wh o se ro u te ro u gh M o ntana wo u l d greatl y b enef it b y th e c reatio n o f a new to u rist attrac tio n) to ensu re e passage o f th e enab l ing l egisl atio n b y th e Co ngress.
B y th e end o f th e 1 9 t h c entu ry natio nal park s h ad al so b een estab l ish ed in Au stral ia, N ew Z eal and , Canad a and S o u th Af ric a. I n Eu ro pe, natio nal park s b egan to b e c reated in th e earl y 2 0 t h c entu ry. Th ese initiativ es enj o yed c o nsid erab l e pu b l ic su ppo rt. H o wev er, th e Great D epressio n and two wo rl d wars pu sh ed c o nc ern f o r th e env iro nm ent to th e b ac k o f th e pu b l ic m ind . F o l l o wing Wo rl d War I I th e ef f o rt to reb u il d sh attered so c ieties and ec o no m ies, and th e su b seq u ent ec o no m ic b o o m , c o ntinu ed to c ro wd o u t env iro nm ental issu es as a m ainstream c o nc ern f o r go v ernm ents.
R ecent government f ocus on sustainability
I n th e f ac e o f resu rgent env iro nm ental ism , sinc e th e 1 9 7 0 s go v ernm ents aro u nd th e wo rl d h av e respo nd ed to c o nc erns ab o u t th e env iro nm ent in m any ways. Th ese ef f o rts h av e m ainl y f o c u sed o n inf l u enc ing th e b eh av io u r o f ex ternal parties ( c itiz ens, b u sinesses and o th er states) th ro u gh a m ix tu re o f treaties, l aws, po l ic ies, estab l ish m ent o f spec ial pu rpo se agenc ies and b o d ies, appl ic atio n o f ec o no m ic inc entiv es and pu b l ic pro v isio n o f inf o rm atio n and serv ic es.
M o st rec entl y, as c l im ate c h ange and gl o b al warm ing h av e b ec o m e po l itic al l y im po rtant, go v ernm ents h av e b een ru sh ing to c o m m it th em sel v es to red u c ing th eir CO 2 em issio ns and ad d ressing o th er “green” c h al l enges. A l ead ing-ed ge ex am pl e o f go v ernm ent c o m m itm ents in th is area is pro v id ed b y th e rec ent U K Go v ernm ent pro gram m e c al l ed G reening G o v ernm ent I C T 1 wh ic h sets o u t a v isio n o f h o w go v ernm ent u se o f I CT wil l b ec o m e c arb o n neu tral ac ro ss its l if ec yc l e b y 2 0 2 0 . Areas wh ere I CTs are targeted to red u c e CO 2 em issio ns and tac k l e o th er su stainab il ity c h al l enges u nd er th is and o th er go v ernm ent pro gram m es inc l u d e: ● ● ● ● ● ●
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b etter m anagem ent o f P Cs, l apto ps and o th er o f f ic e eq u ipm ent; d ev el o pm ent o f energy ef f ic ient d ata c entres;
intro d u c tio n o f green I CT pro c u rem ent pro gram m es; im pro v em ent o f b u il d ing energy ef f ic ienc y;
b etter m anagem ent o f I CT rel ated waste stream s; and m o st rec entl y, u sing I CTs to tel ewo rk ing.
c h ange wo rk prac tic es th ro u gh
inc reased
ad o ptio n o f
http://www.cio.gov.uk/documents/greening_govt_ict/greening_gov_ict.pdf
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C an I C T contribute more to sustainability?
Wh il e go v ernm ents are c l earl y c o nc erned ab o u t su stainab il ity, and are v ery ac tiv el y wo rk ing o n green I CT initiativ es, it is im po rtant to ask wh at m o re I CT m igh t b e ab l e to d o in th is area. R esearc h u nd ertak en f o r th is paper su ggests th at th e o ppo rtu nities m ay b e m ay b e c o nsid erab l y wid er th an th e th ings go v ernm ents h av e so f ar f o c u sed o n.
As a c o nc ept, su stainab il ity is c o m m o nl y c o nsid ered to h av e th ree pil l ars – env iro nm ental q u al ity, so c ial eq u ity and ec o no m ic d ev el o pm ent – wh ic h need to b e m anaged h o l istic al l y in o rd er to d el iv er b al anc ed and su stainab l e o u tc o m es. Wh il e c o m m end ab l e, c u rrent go v ernm ent su stainab il ity initiativ es th at inv o l v e I CTs are l argel y c o nf ined to ad d ressing env iro nm ental c h al l enges ( o r at l east are presented as su c h ) . Th e f ac t th at go v ernm ents tend to present th eir ef f o rts as green rath er th an su stainab il ity initiativ es m ay b e an ind ic ato r o f a rel ativ el y narro w apprec iatio n o f th e ro l e I CTs c o u l d pl ay in su stainab il ity. Cu rrent initiativ es al so tend to f o c u s o n th d irec t CO 2 red u c tio ns. M u c h l ess attentio I CTs c an h av e in so c iety and th e ec o no m c u rrent and f u tu re generatio ns o f netwo rk ed
e f irst o rd er b enef its th at I CTs c an d el iv er e.g. n is giv en to th e sec o nd o rd er enab l ing ef f ec ts y – espec ial l y if th e tru l y inno v ativ e po tential o f I CTs are f u l l y u nd ersto o d and em b rac ed .
As no ted ab o v e, o u tsid e o f th eir c o m m itm ents to green I CTs go v ernm ents’ ef f o rts aro u nd su stainab il ity are f o c u sed prim aril y o n ex ternal parties. D espite th e rec ent u psu rge in internal l y f o c u sed green I CT pro gram m es, th e ( b ro ad l y d ef ined ) su stainab il ity o f th e pu b l ic sec to r itsel f h as, so f ar, b een l ess c ritic al l y anal ysed o r ac tiv el y ad d ressed . Th ere is as yet no v isib l e pro gram m e aim ing to ex pl ic itl y u se I CT as part o f d ev el o ping an env iro nm ental l y, so c ial l y and ec o no m ic al l y su stainab l e pu b l ic sec to r anywh ere in th e wo rl d . Argu ab l y, th e pu b l ic sec to r c o u l d and sh o u l d b e d o ing m o re to f o c u s o n th e env iro nm ental , ec o no m ic and so c ial su stainab il ity im pac ts o f its o wn ac tiv ities. Th is no t a c h al l enge wh ere th ere is a sh o rtage o f o ppo rtu nities, id eas o r po tential so l u tio ns. Th ere is al so po l itic al c apital read y to b e inv ested in ad d ressing th e c h al l enge. Th e two k ey b arriers to m o v ing f o rward appear to b e: ●
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U nd ers ta nd ing: wid espread , system ic and h o l istic rec o gnitio n o f th e o ppo rtu nities f o r c reating a su stainab l e pu b l ic sec to r is l ac k ing. Th is l ac k ex ists at two l ev el s – th e to p-l ev el v isio n o f po l itic ians and senio r pu b l ic serv ants, and th e m o d el s & f ram ewo rk s o f su stainab il ity req u ired to d esign and im pl em ent c h ange. I nertia : pro gress to ward and l ead ersh ip, institu tio and th e f ac t th at th e m anagem ent c o nc ept l ik
su stainab il ity is h ind ered b y insu f f ic ient internal c o m m itm ent nal b arriers, inf o rm atio n gaps, ad v erse pu b l ic sec to r c u l tu res id ea o f su stainab il ity h as no t b een a m ainstream pu b l ic e eq u ity, ef f ic ienc y o r ef f ec tiv eness.
A k ey assu m ptio n b eh ind th is paper is th at th e sc o pe f o r u sing I CTs to m ak e th e pu b l ic sec to r m o re su stainab l e is c o nsid erab l e. I f th is is c o rrec t, rel ev ant q u estio ns are wh ere d o o ppo rtu nities ex ist and h o w c an go v ernm ents pu rsu e th em ?
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I C T enabled sustainability op p ortunities
Th e ‘interv entio n l o gic ’ and b u siness c ase f o r appl ying I CTs to im pro v ing th e env iro nm ental su stainab il ity o f th e pu b l ic sec to r is wel l -u nd ersto o d and b eing wid el y ac ted o n, so wil l no t b e go ne into in th is paper.
I n regard to ec o no m ic su stainab il ity, th ere appears to b e stro ng argu m ent f o r u sing I CTs to ac h iev e gains in two b ro ad areas. F irst, th e pu b l ic sec to r c an po tential l y im pro v e its f inanc ial su stainab il ity th ro u gh ac c el erating th e u se o f I CTs in im pro v ing th e ef f ic ienc y o f its b ac k -o f f ic e b u siness o peratio ns ( e.g. th ro u gh m o v ing to sh ared serv ic es and new c o m pu ting arc h itec tu res su c h as “c l o u d ” c o m pu ting) , and red u c ing th e c o sts o f po l ic y d ev el o pm ent and serv ic e d el iv ery th ro u gh o ngo ing ad o ptio n o f e-go v ernm ent m o d el s and to o l s. S ec o nd , in d o ing so , th e pu b l ic sec to r c an su ppo rt th e su stainab il ity o f th e wid er ec o no m y b y u sing I CTs to im pro v e its reso u rc e ef f ic ienc y and pro d u c tiv ity, to red u c e th e c o sts o f d eal ing with go v ernm ent and , o v eral l , to red u c e th e b u rd ens it im po ses o n th e ec o no m y. M u c h o f th is o ppo rtu nity is c aptu red b y th e id ea o f I CTs enab l ing th e ‘d em aterial isatio n’ o f m any trad itio nal pro d u c ts and pro c esses. I n th e area o f so c ial su stainab il ity th ere are again two b ro ad areas wh ere I CTs m ay enab l e th e pu b l ic sec to r to b ec o m e m o re su stainab l e. F irst, th ere is an area th at we m igh t c al l ‘institu tio nal su stainab il ity’. To su rv iv e as an institu tio n th e pu b l ic sec to r m u st enj o y th e tru st and c o nf id enc e o f th e pu b l ic it serv es. I nstitu tio nal su stainab il ity is h eav il y inf l u enc ed b y th ings su c h as o penness and transparenc y, o ppo rtu nities and pro c esses f o r pu b l ic engagem ent and partic ipatio n, m aintenanc e o f appro priate v al u es and f reed o m f ro m c o rru ptio n, and th e q u al ity o f serv ic e d esign and d el iv ery. Th ere is no sh o rtage o f ex am pl es o f h o w I CTs c an po sitiv el y im pac t in al l th ese areas in ways th at are ef f ic ient, ef f ec tiv e and , m o st im po rtantl y, transf o rm ativ e.
S ec o nd , o ne o f th e m o st v ital reso u rc es th e pu b l ic sec to r h as is its peo pl e. Go v ernm ents ev erywh ere c o nstantl y stru ggl e to rec ru it, m o tiv ate and retain th e righ t nu m b er and c al ib re o f pu b l ic serv ants to f u l f il th eir respo nsib il ities. Th ey are al so c h al l enged to ensu re th at th at th e perf o rm anc e and pro d u c tiv ity o f pu b l ic serv ants is as h igh as po ssib l e. We m igh t c al l th is th e c h al l enge o f ac h iev ing ‘su stainab l e h u m an c apac ity’ in th e pu b l ic sec to r. Again, th ere are m any ways th at I CTs c an b e inno v ativ el y u sed to ad d ress th is c h al l enge.
S ustainability and e-government
Cl earl y, th e pu b l ic sec to r c h al l enges to u c h ed o n ab o v e are no t new. Go v ernm ents b egan to ad d ress th ese c h al l enges l o ng b ef o re th e ad v ent o f th e c o nc ept o f su stainab il ity o r th e arriv al o f I CTs as a k ey el em ent o f th e m o d ern pu b l ic sec to r. F u rth er, it d id no t req u ire c o nc erns o v er su stainab il ity to c o nv inc e go v ernm ents o f th e v al u e o f inv esting in I CTs and , ev entu al l y, in m aj o r e-go v ernm ent pro gram m es. Th e b u siness c ase f o r u se o f I CTs in th e pu b l ic sec to r h as b een stro ng to d ate with o u t h av ing to f ac to r su stainab il ity into th e eq u atio n. A perf ec t il l u stratio im pl em entatio n o f e-go v ernm ent to argu m ent aro u nd
n o f th is c o m es f ro m th N ew Z eal and ’s e-go v M inisters in th e l ate th e env iro nm ental b
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e au th o r’s o wn ex perienc e in th e d ev el o pm ernm ent pro gram m e. Wh en pu tting th e 1 9 9 0 ’s, th ere was c o nsid eratio n o f inc l u enef its e-go v ernm ent c o u l d d el iv er th ro
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ex am pl e, red u c ing trav el tim e and o th er ec o no m ic and env iro nm ental c o sts asso c iated with rec eiv ing o f f l ine serv ic es. At th e tim e it was d ec id ed th at, al th o u gh su c h b enef its were genu ine and c al c u l ab l e, inc l u d ing th em in th e ad v ic e to M inister’s was no t nec essary. Th e c ase was al read y signif ic antl y po sitiv e and M inisters wo u l d f ind su c h an argu m ent u nu su al . I n ef f ec t, th e d ec isio n was th at th ere was no need to “gil d th e l il y”.
S u b seq u entl y, in 2 0 0 2 , th e N ew Z eal and P arl iam entary Co m m issio ner f o r th e Env iro nm ent pro d u c ed a m aj o r repo rt c al l ed C rea ting o u r f u tu re: Su s ta ina b le D ev elo pm ent f o r N ew Z ea la nd . O ne o f th e b ac k gro u nd papers to th is repo rt id entif ied al l k ey c entral go v ernm ent strategies th at h ad b een d ev el o ped , o r were u nd er d ev el o pm ent, wh ic h were rel ev ant to su stainab l e d ev el o pm ent. S een in retro spec t, th e N Z e-Go v ernm ent S trategy was a gl aring o m issio n f ro m th e 2 8 strategies l isted in th is repo rt. Th ere are two reaso ns th at th is h appened . F irst, in 2 0 0 2 su stainab il ity spec ial ists sim pl y d id no t th ink to ask wh eth er pu b l ic sec to r u se o f I CTs c o u l d c o ntrib u te to su stainab l e d ev el o pm ent – it was no t part o f th e c o nc eptu al wo rl d in wh ic h th ey were wo rk ing. S ec o nd , e-go v ernm ent spec ial ists ( with th e au th o r c h ief am o ng th em ) were no t paying attentio n to su stainab il ity issu es as th ey went ab o u t th eir b u siness. Th e great iro ny o f th is is th at a great m any o f th e e-go v ernm ent ac tiv ities b eing im pl em ented at th e tim e h av e c l earl y c o ntrib u ted to im pro v ing pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity with o u t th at f ac t h av ing b een rec o gnised . N ew Z eal and , h o wev er, was no t al o ne in th is. R esearc h f o r th is paper h as no t id entif ied any instanc e o f e-go v ernm ent b eing ex pl ic itl y inf o rm ed b y and / o r l ink ed to pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity go al s o r v ic e v ersa. Th e b ig q u estio n h ere is, sh o u l d su c h l ink ages b e f o rm ed and , if so , h o w?
M oving f orw ard
Th is paper m ak es two essential argu m ents. F irst, th e pu b l ic sec to r sh o u l d m o v e b eyo nd its c u rrent narro w f o c u s o n “green I CT” to em b rac e a h o l istic v isio n o f h o w I CTs c an c o ntrib u te to its so c ial , ec o no m ic and env iro nm ental su stainab il ity. S ec o nd , th is b ro ad ened v isio n sh o u l d b e inf o rm ed b y, and l ink ed to , an o ngo ing c o m m itm ent to d ev el o pm ent o f e-go v ernm ent. D o ing so c o u l d b o th o pen u p trem end o u s new o ppo rtu nities to im pro v e th e b ro ad su stainab il ity o f th e pu b l ic sec to r and pro v id e f resh im petu s to al read y estab l ish ed e-go v ernm ent go al s and pro gram m es. Cl earl y th ese argu m ents req u ire signif ic ant testing, and giv e rise to a range o f q u estio ns th at wo u l d need to b e answered if u sef u l ac tio n al o ng th e l ines su ggested is to b e u nd ertak en. S o m e o f th e q u estio ns th at arise inc l u d e: ●
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Wh at d o es pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity enc o m pass? I s it h el pf u l to b u il d f ram ewo rk s b ased o n th e f am il iar d im ensio ns o f env iro nm ental , so c ial and ec o no m ic c o nsid eratio ns? Co u l d o r sh o u l d th is b e ex tend ed ? S h o u l d pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity o ppo rtu nities b e c atego rised and , if so , h o w? F o r ex am pl e, is it h el pf u l to l o o k at o ppo rtu nities in term s o f 1 ) d esign and d el iv ery o f po l ic ies and serv ic es, 2 ) go v ernm ent o peratio ns ( f ro nt- and b ac k -o f f ic e) , and 3 ) h u m an reso u rc es? Are th ere o th er areas th at c o u l d b e ex am ined ?
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Wh at are th e c h al l enges in eac h area, and wh at ac tio ns c an im pro v e su stainab il ity? Wh at are th e k ey b arriers to pu b l ic sec to r su stainab il ity and h o w c an th ey b e o v erc o m e? H o w c an we u se netwo rk ed inf o rm atio n and tec h no l o gy to ac h iev e a b etter u nd erstand and ad d ress su stainab il ity issu es? I n partic u l ar, h o w c an e-go v ernm ent pl ay a u sef u l ro l e? To wh at ex tent d o th e el em ents nec essary to su stainab il ity and e-go v ernm ent al read y ex ist?
I f th e b asic argu m ents rel ev anc e, signif ic ant su stainab il ity and e-go v th is end , read ers are inv
m ad e ab o v e are seen to wo rk to d ev el o p prac tic ernm ent to geth er wil l b e ited to giv e f eed b ac k and
b e al u nd ad v
c reate a ro b u st l ink age b etween
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