A Review of Electronic Governance in Public Administration

 

Electronic governance, also known as E-governance, involves the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in public administration. With the application of relevant and recent technology, E-governance aids governments in transitioning into a mode of governance that fosters efficiency, accountability, and transparency.

Notably, E-governance enables the publication of government-related information on government websites or portals, making government administration more accessible and transparent. When adopted into the political and administrative structures, the new system increases the effectiveness of various government institutions.

E-governance also plays an important role in achieving accountability in government by enabling efficient use of information management platforms and providing performance monitoring tools. This ensures that government employees are closely monitored and have a sense of accountability. For instance, sophisticated analytics and data integration can combine data from various information systems, providing decision-makers with new perspectives on how to run the civil service.

Similarly, integrated analytics and data integration can indicate patterns or signs of discrimination, nepotism, bias, waste, and fraud in the civil service. Consequently, when governments combine payroll data with HR data, it assists auditors in getting rid of ghost workers or other redundancies.

By using electronic tools like the internet and mobile connectivity, e-governance aims to facilitate and ensure good governance while guaranteeing public engagement. The use of ICT alters how people interact with the government in the same way that it alters how people interact with one another. It can influence the nation's democratic processes. For instance, by making the voting process less tedious and seamless, ICT can determine whether or not people will participate in elections.

Further, with social media, government websites, and portals, the adoption of e-governance makes the interaction between the government and the public easier. However, it is important to note that there are four dynamics to government interaction regarding e-governance.

The G2C (Government to Citizens) interaction is a form of interaction that centers on communication between citizens and government. This kind of interaction brings the government closer to the citizens. Because the people know who to hold accountable, it makes it easier for them to access basic public amenities and services. It also increases the quality of services while increasing accessibility to amenities provided by the government, making the government more hospitable to the people.

On the other hand, G2B, known as Government to Business interaction, utilizes e-governance systems, enabling the business community to communicate with the government. This interaction seeks to reduce official bureaucracy and speed up operations, saving money. Additionally, it will make doing business with the government more transparent. G2B initiatives support services like licensing, purchasing, obtaining permits, and tax collection.

Similarly, G2G, also known as government-to-government interaction, is a type of interaction that ensures smooth contact and interaction between different governmental organizations. Such interactions can occur between government agencies across the various tiers of government.

Finally, G2E or Government to Employees refers to the interaction between the government and its workers. ICT tools make these exchanges quick and effective, ensuring that employees are satisfied and happy with the working conditions provided by the government.

The Basics of Nonprofit Fundraising

Nonprofit fundraising is an ongoing process where an organization solicits funds and donations from businesses and individual donors to help it grow and fulfill its mission. Fundraising is the main revenue collection method for such entities, meaning they naturally allocate many of their resources to it.

A nonprofit organization can be an artistic, scientific, or philanthropic association. In addition, many universities and most all religious institutions are deemed nonprofit since they don’t keep any received monies as profit, but instead use them to further their work.

Nonprofits raise funds in several ways, including traditional and digital methods. Overall, there are two major methods: individual fundraising and corporate or company fundraising. Individual fundraising, also called personal fundraising, entails seeking financial support from people in an organization’s network, such as family members, friends, and colleagues, or reaching out well beyond this immediate group.

Mostly, nonprofits share their stories with people and ask them to fund their causes. An organization may also implement individual fundraising methods to raise money for a specific emergency or natural disaster, life event, medical expenses, or educational causes.

There are several techniques nonprofits use, including various Internet platforms. Social media allow nonprofits to share their URLs, directing donors to their fundraising or crowdfunding websites. Social media also allows them to share information about their causes. Platforms such as Facebook permit users to run fundraisers on their news feeds.

Mobile donations entail using smartphones and other mobile devices to make donations through specific mobile applications. A nonprofit may have its own mobile application or partner with a company providing such services. Additionally, some send text links using short message service (SMS). Indeed, this is a popular way to raise funds, as it accounted for 50 percent of all donations made in the US in 2018.

Individual events are also ideal places for nonprofits to solicit funds and use P2P (peer-to-peer) fundraising methods. Here, a nonprofit’s supporters and not its volunteers collect funds on its behalf. Such fundraising events include charity dinners, talent shows, rummage sales, concerts, and silent auctions.

On the other hand, corporate or company fundraising is used when an organization has funds it wants to give to better society. A nonprofit may collaborate with such a company and, in turn, this helps the business fulfill its corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals or enhance its reputation and public relations efforts.

A corporate grant is money a business or other profit-making entity gives to a nonprofit. An organization can choose to send the funds directly to the nonprofit or select one from several grant applicants. Therefore, nonprofits should always identify and apply for such grants, since there's an excellent chance one or more organizations will resonate with its mission and support its cause.

Co-venture donations refer to when a nonprofit partners with a business entity and has them share part of their revenue from specific activities. For instance, a telecommunications company may offer a small percentage of all user subscriptions for a particular service to fund a nonprofit’s charitable cause.

Employees may also organize events, charge small fees, or accept donations from invited members. Such events may include golf tournaments, wine tastings, art shows, and karaoke gatherings, among others. Notably, 5K runs as well as longer running races are popular where participants pay entry fees. Also, event organizers may seek sponsorships to participate in such events. Consequently, the organization channels all proceeds to one or more nonprofits.

DEI vs. HR

 

Spring 2022: Presenting and Doin' My Thang at Stanford.

It Wasn’t Intentional…

“It wasn’t intentional.” I hear top-level administrators say that a lot when we challenge the lack of diversity in the workplace. That's the problem—we must be intentional in creating and sustaining a dynamic, diverse, and productive workforce. The reproduction of sexist and racist ideologies permeate in ways that show-up in our everyday culture and workplaces. Many institutions invest a lot of time and money educating their workforce on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or "DEI" practices. This education and/or training is usually parallel to development opportunities connected to human resources practices. Such practices include employment searches. 

Throughout my career there has been much strife regarding the quality of employment searches. Specifically, the recruitment piece and what job qualification barriers may exist allowing staff and faculty to appropriately mirror the students they serve. While our students are becoming more and more diverse, our administrators are often homogeneous; still mostly white and male or white and female AND when women outnumber men, women often are not paid as much as men. Non-binary? Gender fluid? Unfortunately, we are years away from those terms being fully accepted and incorporated into human resources practices. When we go to a restaurant, we expect to have more than two beverage options. However, with gender expression, maybe not so much. I look forward to our collective progress as a society on the gender expression front and elevating trans individuals. Having worked in higher education, it is a privilege to be on the forefront of this progress. Example: Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter? Please. Undergraduates in my area at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas were having that discussion back in 2016—4 years before the tragic murder of George Floyd.

Diversity: The Presence of Difference and That’s All

When we think about diversity, it is important to be explicit about what precisely we are talking about. Typically, administrators will showcase diversity as a pathway to inclusion—if not nirvana. In reality, diversity is simply the presence of difference. There is a diversity of cars in this parking lot. There is a diversity of candy in this dish. Diverse people are just that—lots of different types of people. Research shows diversity in workplace settings actually leads to more conflict. This, because homogeneous work groups frequently know the implicit or “unwritten rules” of engagement when it comes to conflict; what is normal or what are the "norms?" What are the acceptable forms of conflict and what are unacceptable forms of conflict? How do you confront someone? Who defines “respect?” What does respect [even] mean? Is your idea of respect the same as mine? Is there one universally accepted construct of respect? (Spoiler: No.) In a conflict-adverse society—where conflict is viewed as inherently bad and should be avoided—conflict tends to harm the most vulnerable and those who do not have as much power in the organization. Ultimately, conflict can be the point of growth within an organization—but managers needs to engage in the conflict with expertise to allow for future growth. Is your organization suddenly more diverse than it was previously? Be prepared to engage in more conflict. 

Belonging, Inclusion, and Generational Differences

When we think about inclusion, most higher education professionals are truly attempting to talk about belonging, or cultivating a sense of belonging. The goal is for everyone to feel comfortable in the organization. When people feel psychology safe, they express themselves more freely. Yet, the idea that being included for “inclusion” purposes is simply not enough. This is because inclusion does not account for power dynamics. Who has power and control in the organization and who does not? Seniority, title, and positionality typically hold more power and influence—even when that person is wrong. On the flip side, many younger employees lack the maturity to understand that, although being your full authentic self is admirable and desirable—not everyone deserves to experience your full authentic self. Afterall, this is capitalism. Not everyone is worth your time and expertise. Pause. Reflect. Repeat.

We all have to play the game in order to get the paycheck. Knowing that, what are your non-negotiables? Are the people challenging you worth your time and energy and your “full-authentic self?" Likely not. Some folks do not deserve to hear what I have to say; so, I’m going to keep my mouth shut—until it matters most. "What are the consequences to my team or myself if I do not take a stand or speak-up in this situation?" Is it worth it? Do I need to lay down, flip it and/or reverse it?" I like to think of this as different layers of “pick your battles.” Frankly, this is maturity. I expect to hear high school students, undergraduates, and new professionals say “I’m gonna be my full, authentic self no matter what.” However, those with more experience need to ration our energy better than that. Afterall, we are not getting younger. These divergent approaches elucidate competing values that are rooted in generational differences amongst various age groups in the workplace.

More than Burning Crosses

When we think about sensitive topics such as identity, race, discrimination etc. it is critical to understand this is more than the Ku Klux Klan burning crosses on lawns; that is an extreme. Harmful stereotypes and ideologies are learned behavior based off of how we are socialized. This is all reinforced by families and institutions such as schools, media, churches etc. Boys wear blue and girls wear pink. We learn these “rules” at very young ages. Who taught you that? Is that true in every culture? Why is it true for you? We must UN-learn many “truths” we were taught at a young age so that we do not perpetuate harmful systems and behaviors; these behaviors negatively impact those in our new families and other people in the workplace who are more vulnerable than we are. 

Education Level

The snobbery in higher education is real. By requiring a master’s degree as a minimum qualification, you are excluding many first-generation students from opportunities for advancement. What does your organization have the capacity to teach? Can a certain number of years of professional experience substitute for another degree? Do you value military experience? Why or why not? Do you value trade experience? Why or why not? Think about it. Especially think about it if your organization is more homogeneous.

Manipulating Search Processes

Throughout my career, I have witnessed many hiring managers manipulate search processes so their homies can get hired. This, at the expense of other qualified candidates typically outside of the institution. If you want to hire an interim, hire an interim. Just please do not waste your institution’s time and money interviewing people who clearly do not have a fair shot at the actual position. You can invest time and money into developing your talent upfront or you can invest money in a employment discrimination lawsuit later on. You pick.

Always Learning

In the Spring of 2022, I had the honor of co-presenting and developing a workshop on these topics with Dr. Emelyn dela Peña, who is now Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. We explored many of these nuanced concepts for our full-time professional staff and resident fellows in Residential Education at Stanford. In that presentation we covered: implicit bias, microagressions, and microaffirmations. How did I learn this stuff? I read books. I watched documentaries. I listened to those around me. I made a conscious effort to do those things. I do not consider myself an expert. Rather, I try to empathize with folks by remembering when I first learned something new about identities different than my own. I look forward to continuing these conversations and therefore getting better and better with age and practice.

Purrfect Match

Me and Garfield. He is wearing his lion mane.

Throughout my time working professionally in Residence Life/Residential Education in Student Affairs, I have been privileged enough to work for institutions that have pet policies allowing staff to have animals live with them. This is crucial for live-in professionals. It is tough to work where you live and live where you work. In order to fulfill your job responsibilities in an authentic manner, not only do you have to meet basic needs, your home should be comfortable. After all, live-in professionals sacrifice a lot when they choose to live amongst college students. You lose privacy. At one of my earlier gigs, students told me they sneakily came up to one of the windows of my apartment one night and then said: “we saw you in your boxers working out with dumbbells.” Cringe. Usually your apartment is outfitted with extremely sturdy fire-rated furniture that is far from glamourous. Regardless, there is always a give and take to the decisions we make.

As a child, we never had small animals as pets. My mom already had to clean-up after me and my brother. Mom did not want to clean-up after pets.

As an adult, I have now owned many pets over the years. I would like to share more about my furry friends to readers in future posts. Now, we honor my cats, named after cartoons, that helped me start my professional journey.

I did not adopt any furry pets of my own until I moved-out and started working on at a job with a live-in pet policy. I was living in New York City and working in Residential Education at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). No fashion for me, just res life. The school had a pet policy for live-in staff such as myself. Many of my colleagues had small dogs and cats.

Felix

Felix was a tuxedo cat. He was part black and part white—just like me. Felix was abused by his original owners. They shot him with a BB gun. Felix’s tail had to be partially amputated. Felix came from Angelical Cats Animal Rescue in Manhattan. I adopted Felix and his foster dad dropped him off at my studio apartment. This was the day before Thanksgiving in 2009.

Felix was a good cat. Small, quiet, and polite. He always looked stunning in his single-breasted Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo. Yet, he was very reserved. I thought simply” “he might be lonely.” I figured I would get Felix a friend.

Garfield in 2009

Sweet Cat in Manhattan Needs a Good Home

It was December 2009. "Tik Tok" was not a social media app, but a song by a new artist named Ke$ha. Meanwhile, Manhattan was digging-out of a major snowstorm. Me? I searched Craigslist for a potential match for Felix. I came across a listing entitled "Sweet Cat in Manhattan Needs a Good Home." Garfield’s owner was a young woman who was moving back to Tennessee after living in the city. She originally cancelled Garfield’s adoption with me after I told her I was interested. The reason for the cancellation was Garfield was supposed to be a Christmas gift for another Craigslist prospect. I said to myself “Oh, well. It wasn’t meant to be.” Then I get a message on my phone stating the other person backed-out of the adoption and I could still adopt Garfield if I wanted. Then, I heard the voice of my grandpa whisper in my left ear: go get that cat. 

Garfield is the first and only Craigslist purchase I ever made. As Garfield traveled home with me on the subway, his quiet meow contrasted his huge 16-pound frame. This trip on the subway would be the first of many trips Garfield would take with me. We went to the vet and eventually moved to Philadelphia, then to Las Vegas, then to Henderson, Nevada, and eventually to Palo Alto, California. When we got to Stanford, I told Garfield he is my “from sea to shining sea” kitty. Merica.

Felix died in June of 2016—with Garfield by his side. Garfield would go on to out-live two other cats: MC Skat Kat Spinderella and Oro. I have many fond memories with Garfield. I remember petting Garfield after the 1 October mass shooting in Las Vegas. I was working at UNLV at the time. “All those people died” I told my big orange-ish kitty as I stroked his fur.

I often use pets as a way to soften my image and appear more approachable to other people. Ironically, my connection to animals humanizes me more in the eyes of constituents. This is crucial because I am frequently the only man of color in the spaces I am in, if not the only Black man. I am automatically perceived as threatening to others—no matter how many times I kiss a kitty cat on the forehead. 

Nowadays, not allowing pets with live-in professional staff is nearly unheard of. So many professionals adopted pets during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This turned so many non-pet owners into pet-owners who love their fur babies. Yes, we treat them as children since they are extensions of our family. Pets are comforting. People who do not understand do not need to. However, when it is my decision, I will always allow pets for my live-in staff.

Garfield and Felix