STKD6050 Innovative e-governance in Local Democracy Course description

Electronic governance (e-governance), generally understood as the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in various spheres of political life, plays a significant role in democratic societies. Researchers in computer and social sciences have examined e-governance as a tool for strengthening local democracy and realizing direct participation of citizens in political life.

The main topic of this course will focus on the role of ICT in enhancing the accessibility, transparency, and accountability of public services in contemporary democracies. Communication between citizens and government has historically been challenged by inefficiencies and limited opportunities for dialog.

The course will also provide a platform for further research, co-creation and co-production on the following topics:

• empirical analysis of ICT in political systes.
• comparative local e-governance in different types of democracies.
• local ICT policy reforms and their implementation.
• ethical reflections on security, privacy, and surveillance of e-governance solutions cooperation in intercultural and interdisciplinary communication and networkin.

In addition to the general requirements for the Summer School, students need to have completed a Bachelor's degree to be admitted to the course.

After completing this course the student should have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge

On successful completion of the course, the students will have advanced knowledge on:

• the fundamentals of e-governance and e-democracy.
• local government systems and participation processes in general.
• the use of ICT for local administration, service production, and democratic participation.
• the possibilities and constraints which ICT brings about to local governance, security and privacy issues as well as ethical dilemmas connected to using ICT for political participation.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the students will have the ability to:

• develop ICT-centric ideas and solutions for communities and local governments concerning citizens political participation and effective communication among State and non-State actors.
• use critical thinking and interdisciplinary approaches to examine e-governance approaches in a variety of democratic political systems.
• analyze quantitative and qualitative data on the role of ICT in political participation.
• effectively present complex information in a way that is understandable and accessible for the general public prototype new ICT tools for e-governance.

General competence

On successful completion of this course, the students understands:

• e-governance as a concept and its development through time.
• the role of cooperation of various actors in the political field including government agencies and the ICT industry.
• ethical reflections on the role of ICT in political participation.
• relevant interdisciplinary research collaboration and intercultural communication.

The course will take an interactive approach and combine diverse teaching methods as well as active and engaged problem based learning.

Course participants will be offered:

• lectures by course instructors.
• workshops.
• diverse discussion groups.
• analysis of case studies.
• simulations, guest lectures from some prominent representatives of industry, civil society, or government officials.

None.

The students submit the following individual assignments:

1. An oral 30 minute presentation, which counts for 40% of the final degree.
2. A student-project which counts for 60% of the final degree.

The student-project can be either a 4000 – 8000 word rapport, or in a multimedia format to agreed with course instructor. With the multimedia format the students can either select one or combine different types of media (text, audio, video, pictures, graphics, etc.) into a single cohesive product.Each partial exam must be assessed to E or better for the course as a whole to be given a final grade.The oral presentation cannot be appealed.aa

All support materials are allowed for both assessments.

The final assessment will be graded on a grading scale from A to E (A is the highest grade and E the lowest) and F for fail.

Two examiners will be used, one of which can be external. External examiner is used regularly.

No overlaps.