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Sixteen students from around the world selected to participate in July 8-14 event 

Albany, NY - The University at Albany’s Center for Technology in Government (CTG) is holding the first annual Institute on International Digital Government (DG) Research in New York City this week. Sixteen doctoral students from around the world will attend the week-long, residential program focused on ways to advance, study, and understand digital government research in an international context. 

This year’s Institute is organized around the theme of “The City” as a coherent unit of government that operates within a larger world. It includes both academic activities and practical field visits. The faculty team comprises internationally known researchers as well as senior government officials from the City of New York. 

“The overall goal is to help young scholars develop an appreciation for the global impact of information and communication technologies on the public sector,” said Sharon Dawes director of CTG and Institute director. “During the institute, the students will compare DG research themes, methods, and results; develop a deeper mutual understanding of the multi-disciplinary and international nature of DG research; and to begin to form international professional relationships that will continue throughout their careers.”

The nationalities of the sixteen students chosen to attend include Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Italy, The Netherlands, South Korea, Togo, and the United States. They come from multiple academic disciplines and are currently studying at 14 different universities in the US, Europe, and India.

The institute academic program will cover cross-cultural and interdisciplinary research strategies and digital government research frameworks. The practical focus will emphasize city management, citizen services, urban regeneration and simulation, and migration and border security. Senior government officials will serve as guest faculty and hosts of site visits to agencies that use information and communication technology, along with innovative public management approaches, to provide services to citizens and to support the ongoing business, regulatory, and policy processes of city and state government. Site visits and discussions with these government leaders will provide the essential link to government needs that characterizes digital government research. 

Faculty include:

• Sharon Dawes (Institute Director), director, Center for Technology in Government (CTG) and associate professor, Public Administration and Policy, University at Albany
• Valerie Gregg (Institute co-Director), assistant director for development, Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California
• Alan Borning, professor, Computer Science, University of Washington
• Steven Curwell, professor, Built Environment and scientific director, IntelCities Project, University of Salford, UK
• Gale Brewer, member of the New York City Council and chair of the Technology in Government Committee
• Rey Koslowski, associate professor, Political Science and Public Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany
• Denis Simon, provost, Levin Institute of International Relations/SUNY

The Institute is hosted by CTG and and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of a larger $1.4 million grant to build and sustain an international digital government research community. Other major activities included in the grant are a reconnaissance study describing the current status of international digital  government (DG) research and a framework for supporting the formation of several international working groups. This project is being carried out in partnership with the Digital Government Research Center (DGRC) at the Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California. For more information on the Institute please visit https://www.ctg.albany.edu/projects/dg_inst.

The mission of the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany is to foster public sector innovation, enhance capability, generate public value, and support good governance. We carry out this mission through applied research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration at the intersection of policy, management, and technology. 

The University at Albany-SUNY has a broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, life-enhancing research and scholarship, and a commitment to public service. A University at Albany education brings the world within reach to students through nine schools and colleges, and an honors college. A student body of more than 17,000 students has a global connection to more than 140,000 alumni. For more information about this internationally ranked institution, visit www.albany.edu. For UAlbany's extensive roster of faculty experts, visit www.albany.edu/news/experts.php.