[AISWorld] Published: International Journal of E-Politics- Special Issue on IT and Homeland Security

[Celia R. Livermore]

It gives me great pleasure to share with you the publication of the latest issue of the International Journal of E-Politics ( IJEP ) - Volume 4 Issue 2. See below a listing of the papers in this issue. 

The International Journal of E-Politics ( IJEP ) is an official publication of the Information Resources Management Association. It is published : quarterly in Print and Electronically by IGI Publishing, Hershey-New York, USA 

ISSN : 1947-9131 EISSN : 1947-914X 
www .igi-global.com/ ijep 

Editor-in-Chief: Celia Romm Livermore , Wayne State University, USA 

GUEST EDITORIAL PREFACE 

Special Issue on Information Technology and Homeland Security 

Christopher G. Reddick , Department of Public Administration, The University of Texas at San 
Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA 

To obtain a copy of the Guest Editorial Preface, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ pdf . aspx ? tid %3D93125%26ptid%3D71624%26ctid%3D15%26t%3DSpecial%20Issue%20on%20Information%20Technology%20and%20Homeland%20Security 

PAPER ONE 

Beyond Counterterrorism : Data Sharing, Privacy, and Organizational Histories of DHS Fusion Centers 

Priscilla M. Regan (Department of Public and International Affairs,George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA) and Torin Monahan (Department of Communication Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA) 

Decentralized organizational approaches to security provision introduce new challenges for controlling information-sharing practices, safeguarding civil liberties, and ensuring accountability. Department of Homeland Security “fusion centers,” and the multiple organizations and databases that are part of fusion centers, engender an environment in which information is migrating beyond original purposes of counterterrorism . Indeed, based on intensive qualitative research, the authors have found that fusion centers that were originally oriented toward “ counterterrorism ” have quickly broadened their scope to include all crimes, and those that began as “all crimes” have migrated only marginally to terrorism. This is the result of three quite predictable factors: fusion centers have to be valuable to their states, there is too little activity that is clearly terrorism related, and fusion center personnel have to use their time and skills constructively. Nonetheless, even if local policing needs are met through fusion-center funding and support, many of the activities of fusion-center analysts lend themselves to mission creep and violations of civil liberties. 

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/article/beyond- counterterrorism /93128 
To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ viewtitlesample . aspx ?id=93128 
PAPER TWO 

Privacy in the 21st Century: From the “Dark Ages” to “Enlightenment”? 

Panagiotis Kitsos ( UoM ITLaw Team, Department of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece) and Aikaterini Yannoukakou ( UoM ITLaw Team, Department of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece) 

The events of 9/11 along with the bombarding in Madrid and London forced governments to resort to new structures of privacy safeguarding and electronic surveillance under the common denominator of terrorism and transnational crime fighting. Legislation as US PATRIOT Act and EU Data Retention Directive altered fundamentally the collection, processing and sharing methods of personal data, while it granted increased powers to police and law enforcement authorities concerning their jurisdiction in obtaining and processing personal information to an excessive degree. As an aftermath of the resulted opacity and the public outcry, a shift is recorded during the last years towards a more open governance by the implementation of open data and cloud computing practices in order to enhance transparency and accountability from the side of governments, restore the trust between the State and the citizens, and amplify the citizens' participation to the decision-making procedures. However, privacy and personal data protection are major issues in all occasions and, thus, must be safeguarded without sacrificing national security and public interest on one hand, but without crossing the thin line between protection and infringement on the other. Where this delicate balance stands, is the focal point of this paper trying to demonstrate that it is better to be cautious with open practices than hostage of clandestine practices. 


To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/article/privacy-in-the-21st-century/93129 

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ viewtitlesample . aspx ?id=93129 


PAPER THREE 

Information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) for Emergency Services: A Survey of Texas Emergency Services Districts 

Dianne Rahm (Department of Political Science, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA) and Christopher G. Reddick (Department of Public Administration, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA) 

While most would suggest that more effective use of ICT bodes well for emergency services, there are issues associated with the introduction of such use. To explore these issues in Texas, the authors administered a survey of Texas Emergency Services Districts ( ESDs ). These districts are charged with delivery of emergency and medical services throughout the state and receive modest tax revenue to fund operations. The results show that in Texas ESDs political and organizational factors are important. Budgets are closely related to the political process in the ESDs , so politics plays a central role. Organizational culture and prevailing sentiments in Texas ESDs are generally supportive of ICT adoption and use. While ICT is seen as essential to service delivery, survey results show that problems of interoperability of communication systems is an issue. The most commonly used ICTs include email, GPS , Google Maps, standard web pages, Wi-Fi networks, smart phones, reverse 911, emergency alerts, Facebook , and database management. GIS , You Tube, VOIP , Cloud Computing, Twitter, LinkedIn , Digital Billboards, 311 for non-emergency disaster, 3D mapping, blogs , podcasts , and Wikis were used by few ESDs . When social media are used, they are not used in such a way as to encourage wider participation of the community in information gathering rather they are used only as an alternative traditional delivery service from the ESDs to the community. Data analysis of past events is used to improve performance. Data management issues of significant concerns include privacy and security. 


To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/article/information-and-communication-technology-ict-for-emergency-services/93130 

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ viewtitlesample . aspx ?id=93130 

PAPER FOUR 

The Gaza Strip as Panopticon and Panspectron : The Disciplining and Punishing of a Society 

Michael Dahan ( Sapir College, Sderot , Israel) 

This paper explores the different yet complementary aspects of the panopticon and the panspectron using the case study of the Israeli controlled Palestinian territory, the Gaza Strip. Beginning with a brief theoretical discussion of the concept of panopticon and panspectron expanding on the existing literature, the paper moves on to discuss the implementation of panoptical and panspectral technologies and practices in the Gaza Strip and situates these within a larger framework of control of the Palestinian population under Israeli occupation, and discusses seepage of these surveillance technologies into Israeli society proper and beyond into the international arena. 


To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/article/the-gaza-strip-as- panopticon -and- panspectron /93131 

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ viewtitlesample . aspx ?id=93131 

PAPER FIVE 

Usability Evaluation of Pakistani Security Agencies Websites 

Saqib Saeed (Department of Computer Science, Bahria University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan), Irfan Ahmed Malik (Department of Computer Science, Bahria University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan) and Fazal Wahab (Department of Computer Science, Bahria University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan) 

In the post 9/11 world, homeland security has become focal issue for every country and governments are constantly improving security mechanisms to protect their citizens. Pakistan being the front line state in the war against terror is one of the heavily affected countries by terrorism. Timely information dissemination to public by security agencies can help citizens to be prepared and carry out protective measures. Information technology artifacts and the internet can be very beneficial for information dissemination purpose. In this paper the author specifically looked at Pakistani security agency websites 1to evaluate usability aspects. Initially we conducted a usability testing in lab setting, where our questions were based on Jakob Nielson ’s heuristics. In order to further validate our findings the authors prepared a questionnaire and got it filled out by end users. Survey results highlighted that these websites have several usability problems which need to be rectified before they could effectively be used. The findings of the study help e-government practitioners and policy makers to develop their websites according to user needs. 

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/article/usability-evaluation-of-pakistani-security-agencies-websites/93132 

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ viewtitlesample . aspx ?id=93132 

BOOK REVIEW 

Public Administration and Information Technology 

Reviewed by Yu-Che Chen, Department of Public Administration, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb , IL, USA 

To obtain a copy of the Book Review, click on the link below. 
http :// www .igi-global.com/ pdf . aspx ? tid %3D93133%26ptid%3D71624%26ctid%3D17%26t%3DPublic%20Administration%20and%20Information%20Technology 

***************************************************** 
For full copies of the above articles, check for this issue of the International Journal of E- Politics ( IJEP ) in your institution's library. This journal is also included in the IGI Global aggregated " InfoSci-Journals " database: http :// www .igi-global.com/ EResources / InfoSciJournals . aspx . ***************************************************** 

CALL FOR PAPERS 

Mission of IJEP : 

The mission of the International Journal of E-Politics ( IJEP ) is to define and expand the boundaries of e-politics as an emerging area of inter-disciplinary research and practice by assisting in the development of e-politics theories and empirical models. The journal creates a venue for empirical, theoretical, and practical scholarly work on e-politics to be published, leading to sharing of ideas between practitioners and academics in this field. IJEP contributes to the creation of a community of e-politics researchers by serving as a “hub” for related activities, such as organizing seminars and conferences on e-politics and publication of books on e-politics. 

Coverage of IJEP : 

The International Journal of E-Politics ( IJEP ) focuses on three major topic areas: the politics of information technology function and its role within organizations, the politics of virtual communities and social networking communities, and the role that electronic media plays in community activism and party politics at the local, national, and international levels. Within these major areas, specific topics of interest to be discussed in the journal include (but are not limited to) the following: 

· E-voting and electronically enabled e-government 
· Impact of globalization on the political role played by the IT unit within organizations 
· Impact of race and gender on electronically enabled political manipulations 
· Party politics and social activism 
· Politics of diffusion of change within organizations 
· Politics of social networking communities, including: learning communities, customers' communities, e-dating communities, gaming communities, support group communities, etc. 
· Politics of the IT function and role in organizations 
· Politics of virtual communities and social networking communities 
· Politics of geographically based virtual communities 
· Use of electronic media for surveillance manipulation and harassment 
· Use of electronic media in industrial and labor relations 
· Utilization of electronic media for governance and politicking at the municipal, state, national, and international levels 
· Utilization of electronic media for political debate, information sharing, political decision making, and fundraising 

IGI Global is pleased to offer a special Multi-Year Subscription Loyalty Program. In this program, customers who subscribe to one or more journals for a minimum of two years will qualify for secure subscription pricing. IGI Global pledges to cap their annual price increase at 5%, which guarantees that the subscription rates for these customers will not increase by more than 5% annually. 
Submission: 

Prospective authors should note that only original and previously unpublished articles will be considered. INTERESTED AUTHORS MUST CONSULT THE JOURNAL’S GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS at http :// www .igi-global.com/journals/guidelines-for-submission. aspx PRIOR TO SUBMISSION. All article submissions will be forwarded to at least 3 members of the Editorial Review Board of the journal for double-blind, peer review. Final decision regarding acceptance/revision/rejection will be based on the reviews received from the reviewers. All submissions must be forwarded electronically. 

All inquiries regarding IJEP should be directed to the attention of: 

Celia Romm Livermore 
Editor-in-Chief 
International Journal of E-Politics 
E-mail: ak1667@ wayne . edu 

All manuscript submissions to IJEP should be sent through the online submission system: 

http :// www .igi-global.com/ authorseditors / titlesubmission / newproject . aspx 


-- 


Celia Romm Livermore (PhD) 
Editor-in-Chief 
International Journal of E-Politics ( IJEP ) 
Wayne State University 
Detroit, MI, 48202, USA 
ak1667@ wayne . edu 
www .igi-global.com/ IJEP 



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