Information Technology Comparison: U.S. vs China

Forest S. DeckerNorthcentral University

April 25, 2012

Intro

Discuss– Comparison of information technology use

• United States• China

United States

Open GovernmentSustainabilityFinancial ManagementCustomer ServicePerformance ImprovementTechnologyHuman ResourcesAcquisition Management

US: Open Government

Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government

Open Government Directive– Requires federal agencies to publish info online

US: Sustainability

Federal agencies are required post information on:– Clean energy alternatives– Grants– Government progress in reaching goals– Sustainability plans– Performance indicators

US: Financial Management

Federal government is responsible for managing taxpayer $$– Reduction of improper payments– Increased reliability of financial info– Property management– Collection of money owed the federal government

US: Customer Service

Executive Order 13571, Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service– Customer service plans– Online access– Better websites– Adoption of best practices

US: Performance Management

People depend on federal resources– Improve performance and accountability– Performance analysis– Data-driven reviews

US: Technology

Federal government spends over $80 billion annually on IT– Initiatives to manage cost-efficiently– Increase operational efficiency– Improve cyber security

US: Human Resources

Federal government is a large employer– 2,000,000 civilian federal employees

Pathways hiring program– Designed to efficiently recruit and retain young and mid-career

professionals

US: Acquisition Management

Federal government spends 17% of total budget on contract services

Executive Order 13576, Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government– Directed federal agencies to reduce wasteful spending– Directed the OMB to provide oversight

China

Government InformationGreen IndustryFinancial ManagementCustomer ServicePerformance ImprovementTechnology

China: Government Information

Government officials and legislative bodies

Foreign relations

Economy

Tourism

China: Green Industry

863 Program– Government controlled programming in biology, energy, and

oceanography– Industry driven

973 Program– Multi-disciplinary research on agriculture, energy, health, and natural

resources– Driven by China’s national goals, it is socio-economically driven

China: Financial Management

China is using information technology to make government more financially efficient

China recently has approved electronic banking for its citizens

China: Customer Service

Central government website contains valuable information– Government briefs– Economic reports– Government actions– Trade relations– Cultural information– Educational information

China: Performance Improvement

Information technology is being used in China to improve government performance– Most performance improvement measures in China

are driven by economic possibilities

China: Technology

Website very vague– Discusses technological advances in China– Internet development in China– National programs for IT in China– Mobile phone development in China– Electronic banking in China

Summary

US and China use information very differentlyUS has a vast amount of information available to the public on government operations and services to citizens– China has information for its citizens on website, but discusses it in very

vague terms

US uses IT to manage assets and increase performance– China concentrates IT development to develop basic services such as

mobile phones, electronic banking, and internet

References

Career guide to industries. (2011). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved April 19, 2012 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm.

Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. (2012). The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieved April 23, 2012 from http://english.gov.cn/index.htm.

Delivering an efficient, effective, and accountable government. (2011). White House Press Office. Retrieved April 19, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/13/executive-order-delivering-efficient-effective-and-accountable-government.

Martin, L., Riddle, C., Robinson, T., & Uejio, D. (2011). Charting clearer pathways into public service. Public Manager, 40(3), 6-9.

Open government directive. (2009). White House Press Office. Retrieved April 21, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive.

Science and Technology. (2012). The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieved April 23, 2012 from http://english.gov.cn/about/sci.htm.

Streamlining service delivery and improving customer service. (2011). White House Press Office. Retrieved April 19, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/27/executive-order-streamlining-service-delivery-and-improving-customer-ser.

Technology. (2012). White House. Retrieved February 16, 2012 from http://technology.performance.gov/.

Transparency and open government. (2009). White House Press Office. Retrieved April 22, 2012 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/.