Can we Learn from Down Under How to Rise Up in E-Government? A Comparative Analysis of the Public Sector Competences in the German and Australian Higher Education Systems

Abstract

Australia has been voted world's second in the last two United Nations e-government surveys 2014 and 2016, despite the acknowledged difficulties that arise in terms of implementation because of its federal structure. Germany, having a similar federal structure, in contrast, only ranks 15 th. The study at hand aims at eliciting, if this development can be ascribed to the higher public administration and e-government education landscape. By means of a content analysis, we examined 126 higher education study programmes with a link to the public sector in Australia and compared them to a similar study in Germany from the year 2015. Results show that there are indeed differences with respect to the delivered contents and the respective competences in Australia that might contribute to the different e-government development in the two countries: Higher levels of socio-technical courses and a more contextualised programme delivery in general are two of the main findings.

Let’s Play … eGovernment! A Simulation Game for Competence Development among Public Administration Students

“…A simulation game can help to gain first-hand insights into situations that are not known to the individual and thus, offer an environment that is ideally suited to practice what is needed later on in corporate contexts [41]. Incorporating a simulation game in eGovernment education thus could support a competence provision that is close to the public servants' needs and offers an integrated perspective on the interdisciplinary nature of competences , instead of offering isolated approaches that do not suffice to close those gaps [24,39]. It has to be emphasized, though, that, as the evaluation shows, employing a simulation game in the education is not a self-fulfilling prophecy and does not guarantee a more targeted provision of the necessary competences.…”

“…As elaborated before, it is especially the targeted competence provision that falls short of expectations in the design of eGovernment curricula and does not meet the actual demands [24,39,40]. Furthermore, "[…] in many cases, the inclusion of innovation in HRM policies and practices does not often extend beyond a passing reference and does not expand in detail the specific skills and capabilities needed."…”

Long-term effects of COVID-19 on work routines and organizational culture – A case study within higher education’s administration

“…Competition in HEIs has intensified across all indicators in recent years (e.g., student enrolment, funding) as well as within and across countries ( Musselin, 2018 , Navarro and Gallardo, 2003 ). This and HEIs’ access to innovation through research displays their similarity to private organizations, which might make them more receptive to innovative trends and, thus, considered more successful adopters of digital changes among public administrations in general ( Ogonek & Becker, 2018 ). Therefore, HEIs’ resemblance with private organizations and their closeness to innovation and research might have served as resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them deal with its demands ( Boyne, 2002 ).…”