Information Technology's Role in Government Decision-Making

Introduction: IT and Informed Decision-Making

Informed decision-making is an integral part of government. Without it, life-changing policies and laws may be enacted that negatively impact a country, a state, or a municipality due to lack of foresight, lack of statistics, and lack of knowledge on key issues. So how does information technology play a role in informed decision-making? It allows policymakers and politicians to gain a better perspective on issues and to assess the effectiveness of policies by presenting available data in an easy-to-digest manner. For example, information technology enables quantifiable data to be analyzed, with results showing either improvement, no change, or negative change.

According to Milakovich and Gordon, there is an ongoing push for politicians and elected representatives to focus on immediate political decisions rather than on long-term policies or values — such as increased productivity — that require thoughtful insight to develop and assess (p. 431). Because of this, there is a growing need to deliver information to politicians as quickly as possible in an easy-to-absorb manner. That means using information technology to collect data through surveys and applying statistical or qualitative analysis to yield results that can be transformed into simple, easy-to-read information.

An example of this in the private and commercial sector is online reviews. Information technology has made it easy for people to post their opinions online regarding how good products are. Thanks to the convenience of smartphones — which allow people to take pictures and upload them alongside product reviews — consumers are able to make informed decisions quickly rather than spending time searching for evidence of a product's efficacy. As Zhang, Zhao, Cheung, and Lee (2014) note, "along with the growth of Internet and electronic commerce, online consumer reviews have become an important source of information that assists consumers to make purchase decisions" (p. 78).

Social Media and Political Communication

Information technology has become an integral part of informed decision-making. Looking to the recent past, President Obama was able to use the power of social media to inform voters about issues in the United States and how those issues could affect the average American. He did this by providing informative posts across various platforms — including Facebook and Twitter — allowing citizens to stay informed from the convenience of their computers. Rather than relying solely on speeches to reach millions, Obama turned to the then-new platform of social media to capture people's attention and keep them engaged.

Qualitative data were collected from social media tools used by the Obama '08 campaign — including the Obama '08 website, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, emails, an iPhone application, and the Change.gov site created by the Obama-Biden Transition Team — along with other public information. Cogburn and Espinoza-Vasquez (2011) found that the Obama '08 campaign created a nationwide virtual organization that motivated 3.1 million individual contributors and mobilized a grassroots movement of more than 5 million volunteers. Clearly, the campaign utilized these tools to go beyond educating the public and raising money — it mobilized ground operations, enhanced political participation, and helped get out the vote (p. 189).

Innovation in information technology and its use to keep people informed has always been part of politics. However, as information technology has experienced a steep rate of innovation, politicians need to maintain the same level of engagement as before to allow for continued improvements in educating both political leaders and the American public on issues and the efficacy of existing legislation. Without adapting to new ways of using information technology, politicians may lose their ability to clarify issues and conduct needed efficacy assessments.

Along with the power of social media in elections, information technology for informed decision-making is especially important regarding budget decisions and ensuring the efficacy of programs and how allotted resources are used (Milakovich & Gordon, 2013, p. 422). Milakovich and Gordon also discuss information theory, noting that "information theory is based on the view that organizations require information to prevent them from evolving to a state of chaos or randomness in their operations" (Milakovich & Gordon, 2013, p. 165). When laws, decisions, or budgeting choices must be made promptly, there needs to be a fast and efficient way to get information to bureaucrats without sacrificing quality. Information technology makes this possible, thanks to the constant innovations carried out in recent years.

Aside from being informed of basic facts, those in charge of political decision-making must also be informed of the risks and potential outcomes of any given decision. Milakovich and Gordon address this on page 195 of their text, noting that decision-makers need to assess the potential for failure and therefore require data to stay informed. The accuracy of that data is imperative, as inaccurate information could either undermine or accelerate the decision-making process. Quantitative data is often preferred for its accuracy, as data is first quantified and then analyzed. Such analysis requires the use of information technology — including statistical software — to produce results that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.

Big Data in Political Campaigns

Big data and its applications have grown substantially and have begun to see full use in politics. Political campaigns use big data to understand voters and tailor campaign messaging and platform issues accordingly. A prominent example is the 2016 presidential election. Though some believed the Clinton campaign was at the forefront of big data sophistication, the Trump campaign also purchased data from big data companies such as L2 and other data vendors.

As Patterson (2017) reported, "The Trump campaign tapped data and analytics firms to micro-target individuals by building complex turnout models and using predictive analytics. Many believe the Trump campaign was purely an earned media machine that won because of tweets and TV appearances. In both the primary and general election, predictive models were heavily used by the Trump team to target and speak to 'likely Trump voters.'"

If big data can be used to garner voters, it can also be used to make informed decisions regarding budgets and policy. Large-scale surveys can be introduced to determine which programs help the American public and which do not. That information can then be analyzed and presented in simple charts that illustrate program and policy efficacy. Such practices are already common in business, with significant success — particularly in marketing and customer outreach.

Conclusion

Information technology has become an integral part of politics. Campaigns have become successful thanks to the use of information technology through social media and big data. But there are other important uses as well: IT provides a means of collecting and processing data in an easy-to-absorb form, and it gives people an opportunity to voice their concerns with ease and convenience.

Information technology — and technology in general — has been continuously innovating, bringing new opportunities for information retrieval and analysis. Quantitative research and analysis are at the forefront of a growing trend in comparative studies that allows politicians to quickly understand key issues, potential outcomes, and risk factors. Without information technology, politicians and the American public cannot remain informed about what needs to change, be implemented, or be developed when it comes to policy, law, and budget.

References

Cogburn, D. L., & Espinoza-Vasquez, F. K. (2011). From networked nominee to networked nation: Examining the impact of Web 2.0 and social media on political participation and civic engagement in the 2008 Obama campaign. Journal of Political Marketing, 10(1–2), 189–213. doi:10.1080/15377857.2011.540224

Harrison, L., & Startin, N. (2013). Political research: An introduction. Routledge.

Milakovich, M. E., & Gordon, G. J. (2013). Public administration in America. Cengage Learning.

Patterson, D. (2017, January 31). Gallery: The future impact of big data in politics. TechRepublic. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/gallery-the-future-impact-of-big-data-in-politics/

Zhang, K. Z., Zhao, S. J., Cheung, C. M., & Lee, M. K. (2014). Examining the influence of online reviews on consumers' decision-making: A heuristic–systematic model. Decision Support Systems, 67, 78–89. doi:10.1016/j.dss.2014.08.005