Research Conversations
We provide an informal and intellectually engaging forum to discuss new projects and current debates, resolve interdisciplinary conundrums and imagine the future of Information Science.
The discussions are approximately 90 minutes in length. All doctoral students are expected to attend.
Visit the research conversation blog for talk summaries and online discussion at http://iresearch.wordpress.com
Archived conversations
Spring 2008 Conversations
Friday, May 16th, Mary Gates Hall 420
Abstract & Bio coming soon!
Friday, May 23rd, Mary Gates Hall 420
Abstract & Bio coming soon!
Friday, May 30th, 2:00 PM, Mary Gates Hall 420
Building integrity for accountability in public information systems: Research from Africa and South Asia
ABSTRACT
Electronic information systems streamline processes and enable a wealth of information to be efficiently managed and quickly accessed. Such systems provide a basis for informed decision making and effective service delivery in government. Often such systems are viewed as tools to reduce corruption and to enhance government accountability. Yet many electronic systems have been introduced in developing countries where manual input information has been poorly managed and little or no account has been taken for maintaining and preserving records as evidence. Instead of streamlining processes, problems prevalent in manual systems are replicated and even exacerbated in the electronic system. Data is often incomplete, inaccurate, and subject to unauthorized manipulation or loss. Rules and procedures must be in place to protect this information over time, to change and update it only when authorized, and to lay an audit trail. Proper management of manual and electronic records preserves the rights and entitlements of citizens and ensures transparency in government decision making.
Through funding from the UK Department for International Development, the London based International Records Management Trust has been exploring these issues by conducting a series of research case studies on various government information systems in Africa and South Asia. Human resources and financial (specifically payroll) management systems have been studied in Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. In addition, and by way of comparison, land management information systems have been examined in Botswana and in Karnataka State in India. Discussion will center on the findings of these studies.
BIO
Michael Hoyle is currently Project Manager and Lead Researcher at the International Records Management Trust. A New Zealand-born Australian based in Seattle, Michael has a Masters in Information Management and Systems from Monash University, Melbourne Australia. He has a background in information management with the federal government of Australia and was a senior manager in the archival authority of New Zealand. Through professional leadership roles, Michael was closely involved in training and education in records and archives administration in the Pacific Islands and has been active in information management issues in the Commonwealth of Nations. He is currently involved in research, the development of guidance and training materials, and the use of assessment tools for governments moving from manual to electronic information systems in developing countries. Michael is specifically interested in aid and development issues, particularly the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) in government and the public sector, and the resulting impact of those ICTs on citizens.
Friday, June 6th, Mary Gates Hall 420
Abstract & Bio coming soon!
Other Seminars
You may also be interested in the UW Business School seminars and the Intel Research Seattle seminars.