MSc Global Development (Politics, Governance and Development Policy)

This module covers digital govenance-specific content not covered by other course units.  It is divided into three parts:

1. eGovernment-Specific Applications Delivering Public Reform Goals (Sessions 1-5)

Following an introductory session overviewing what we mean by "digital governance" four sessions cover the main ways in which ICTs are being used to deliver various different parts of the public sector reform agenda:

• eAdministration/G2G
• eCitizens/eAccountability
• eDemocracy/eParticipation
• eServices/G2C & G2B

2. Broader Digital Governance Issues (Sessions 6-9)

This reviews broader digital governance issues).  These may include:

• Citizen digital governance: state surveillance of citizens using digital technology and its implications
• Social media governance: control of content, fundamentalism and polarisation online
• Smart city governance: focusing on implications of smart city dataflows for marginalised groups
• Platform governance: challenges and solutions for regulation of platform markets

3. Presentations (Session 10)

Evaluation of student group presentations on global South digital governance (issues not covered in-depth within the course unit).

Online workshop sessions include lecturer presentation, case study material, student group activities and exercises, and group discussion.

Students are expected to engage with e-learning materials provided via Blackboard to support learning. These include session handouts including cases and exercises; links to further case study and research materials; and online discussion spaces.

The course unit is participative, encouraging students to share knowledge and experience. It is also practical, encouraging students to apply models and theory to real-world case studies.

• describe the main components of digital governance and place those components into a broader socio-political framework

• examine the potential benefits of, and constraints faced by key digital governance projects
• apply critical frameworks to analyse both global South digital governance case studies and their own experience of governance-related digital systems
• analyse the relationship between digital governance and wider socio-economic and political drivers of change
• compare different country experiences of digital governance

• construct a critical presentation on an aspect of digital governance relevant to the global South

• critically review real-world case studies and relevant literature
• work as a group to construct a presentation
• construct a postgraduate-level assessment

• Written assignment (2,700 words)
• Oral assessment/presentation (300 words)

Assessment pro-forma per group provided within 15 working days of presentation.

Dunleavy, P., Margetts, H., Bastow, S. & Tinkler, J. (2006) Digital Era Governance, Oxford University Press.

Filgueiras, F. & Almeida, V. (2021) Governance for the Digital World. Springer.

Gardels, N., & Berggruen, N. (2019). Renovating Democracy: Governing in the Age of Globalization and Digital Capitalism. Univ of California Press.

Graham, M., & Dutton, W. H. (Eds.). (2019). Society and the Internet: How Networks of Information and Communication are Changing our Lives. Oxford University Press.

Just Net Coalition (2020) A Digital New Deal, JNC https://itforchange.net/digital-new-deal/

Milakovich, M. E. (2012). Digital Governance: New Technologies for Improving Public Service and Participation. Routledge.

UN (2020) United Nations E-Government Survey 2020, United Nations

Other materials available from: www.ctg.albany.edu; www.egov4dev.org; www.govtech.com