11.522: UIS Research Seminar (Fall 2014) - Discussion notes

Monday, September 29, 2014, 7-9 PM

Implementing Public Services On The Web:
A Case Study of the UK Government Digital Service

Discussion Leader: Ben Golder

Background:

Websites are essential to the future of public services. 85% of the US population has access to the internet. US citizens, in particular the poor, are increasingly using smartphones to access the internet. In just 4 years, smartphone-based web access has jumped 17% to 63%, an adoption rate that far outpaces the adoption of personal computers (Horrigan, 2013). A 2011 survey of US municipalities showed that 53% of municipalities reported that their digital services were primarily one-way (Norris & Reddick, 2012). Only 15% reported that their digital services were mostly interactive or transaction-oriented. Considering the rapid advancement of social media (92% of US municipalities used Facebook), the possibilities to connect with citizens are increasing, but many municipalities lack knowledge about cost-effective ways to implement transaction-based services or engagement platforms. Government web sites are so poorly built that they can endanger the very policies they are intended to implement. The spectacular failure of HealthCare.gov cost the US government $300 million for a non-functional website, and nearly undermined the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Research Questions

This thesis examines the implementation of public service reform, using the UK Government Digital Service as a primary case study. Civic technologists in the United States frequently see the GDS as an exemplary effort in digital service reform, and launching programs emulating the approach of GDS, such as the recently founded United States Digital Service, 18f, and the Oficina de Gerencia de Informática y Tecnología in Puerto Rico. The GDS is part of a national civil service reform initiative in the UK that emphasizes four primary changes from previous national implementation strategies:

1. phased, user-focused service design
2. open source software
3. smaller, less-restrictive procurement contracts
4. transparent accountability metrics.

In a broader sense, this thesis explores strategies for service implementation and reform that institutions can use to address the growing demand for digital services. Literature reviews of E-Government have shown a lack of research about specific methods of implementation. This thesis asks: How does the GDS evaluate the success of its staged public service deployments? What institutional changes were necessary to permit the implementation methods used by the GDS? How have implementation strategies changed over the lifetime of the GDS? Are the implementation strategies of the GDS a significant departure from previous efforts?

Research Methodology

Primary research in this thesis will consist of semi-structured interviews with key participants in the effort, including civil service officers in the UK working inside and outside of the GDS, and civic technologists working in digital service reform efforts in the United States. Secondary research will consist of close readings of academic literature, institutional reports, websites and publicly available data on the performance of civil services in the UK.

Key Readings:

1. Government Digital Service. (2014a). Digital by Default Service Standard. Service Design Manual.
   • https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/digital-by-default
   • Read the 'design strategy,' review the 26 criteria, and skim the rest
2. UK National Auditing Office. Government and IT - “a Recipe for Rip-Offs”: Time for a New Approach. London, 2012.
   • http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmpubadm/715/715i.pdf
   • The National Auditing Office report notes that there are still major challenges to IT service reform, notably the “oligopoly” of large contractors, lack of initiative to replace legacy systems, and the lack of auditable information on the performance of contracts.
   • Read the summary, introduction, and conclusions and skim the rest
3. Norris, D. F., & Reddick, C. G. (2012). Local E-Government in the United States: Transformation or Incremental Change? Public Administration Review, 73, 165–175. doi:10.111/j.1540-6210.2012.02647.x.Local
   • Called Norris_E-Government_in_US_2012.pdf on website and Stellar
   • Norris and Reddick’s analysis of 2011 survey data gives an overview of the challenges perceived by US municipal governments in implementing service reforms. It reports on the existence or non-existence of different types of services across the United States, but does not address service quality.

Additional Reference

1. Horrigan, John B. Adoption of Information & Communications Technologies in the United States: Narrowing Gaps, New Challenges, 2013.
   • http://knightfoundation.org/media/uploads/media_pdfs/DigitalAccessUpdateFeb2014.pdf

Discussion questions:

1. How could the quality of public service websites be assessed? Does anything in the Service Design Manual offer a sufficient method for doing so?
2. What are the biggest weaknesses in using interviews as the primary research method for this topic? What could be improved or replaced?
3. Given the lack of data on the efficacy and quality of previous IT services, how can I evaluate the significance of the approaches taken by the GDS?

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