Project website

Primary Investigator

Email

Institution

La Porte, Todd M.

tlaporte@gmu.edu

George Mason University

Abstract
Since 1996, the Cyberspace Policy Research Group (CyPRG) has

• scanned the web for new agency sites across the globe,
• recorded their URLs, and other pertinent information,
• organized the resulting data in a comprehensive database of all national level government agencies on the Web.

In addition, CyPRG analyzes web operations with criteria that measure how transparent, interactive and open websites are to members of the public. These criteria are of particular interest to citizens, public managers, and policymakers, and provide a detailed, quantitative look at how governments use the Web to create and deliver public services, and to restructure their internal operations.

CyPRG also conducts a worldwide web-based survey of webmasters, as well as extensive, in-depth face-to-face interviews to gain insights into how web operations began and have developed, what problems are encountered, and what is expected of them in the future.

CyPRG uses this data in its research into uses and impacts of new information technologies in public organizations, both in the United States and across cultures and policy domains. We find that the Web is causing profound changes to the structure and processes of government, prompting us to rethink what is and is not public, and to consider how new knowledge management practices might be instituted. These trends raise questions about the future accountability of government to citizens, and the capacity of public organizations to perform in the public interest in the age of the Web.