Information A Critical Component For Better Government

E-Government and Information Technology Management is an essential textbook for graduate and undergraduate programs across the world that are taking steps to incorporate courses on e-government/IT as they prepare their students to join the public sector workforce. The book also serves as a comprehensive guide for the growing body of researchers and practitioners in e-government. The text is comprised of 12 chapters from e-government experts, all written in a clear writing style that balances theory and practice. Each chapter provides background information, critical resources, and emerging trends. Along with questions for class discussion, each chapter includes cases to demonstrate the importance of these areas to practitioners, researchers, and students of technology management and public affairs administration.

Today’s security environment is increasingly complex and unpredictable, with cyber attacks and hybrid warfare blurring the lines between conventional and unconventional forms of conflict, threats to energy security such as climate change and natural disasters, and disruptive technologies like AI and quantum computing. The challenge of adapting and responding to these threats calls for cooperation and novel ways of thinking. This book presents 11 edited contributions from the NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC) Strengthening SEE Resilient Cyber Defense against Hybrid Threats (STRENGTH), held as an online event from 26 September – 02 October 2021. The ATC brought together more than 60 military and civilian expert participants with 19 renowned professors, experts and practitioners from 14 NATO Member and Partner countries as speakers and lecturers. The ATC aimed to raise awareness about the Alliance and the South Eastern Europe (SEE) evolving complex-threat environment and establish the foundation for a long-term multidisciplinary collaboration among defense and security experts and academia, with the event serving as a first step in the creation of a SEE Network of defense-security and academic experts which can work across borders, linking state of the art of research and practice to build resilience against hybrid warfare capabilities. Participants learned how state and non-state actors acquire hybrid threats via cyberspace to achieve their strategic ends, and took part in working groups, moderated by invited speakers/lecturers, engaging in the productive discussion of questions related to the course topic. The event concluded with briefings presenting relevant case studies and lessons learned.

Investing to promote agricultural growth and poverty reduction is a central pillar of the World Bank's current rural strategy, 'Reaching the Rural Poor' (2003). This 'Sourcebook' addresses how to implement the rural strategy, by sharing information on investment options and identifying innovative approaches that will aid the design of future lending programs for agriculture. It provides generic good practices and many examples that demonstrate investment in agriculture can provide rewarding and sustainable returns to development efforts. It is divided into eleven self-contained modules. Each module contains three different types of subunits that can also be stand-alone documents: I. Module Overview II. Agricultural Investment Notes III. Innovative Activity Profiles. The stand-alone nature of the subunits allows flexibility and adaptability of the material. Selected readings and web links are also provided for readers who seek more in-depth information. The 'Sourcebook' draws on a wide range of experiences from donor agencies, governments, institutions, and other groups active in agricultural development. It is an invaluable reference tool for policy makers, professionals, academics and students, and anyone with an interest in agricultural investments.

The book is the first of its kind to deal with almost the entire swath of water resources assessment, development and sustainable management. The idea of the book crystallized during the long journey of the Editors on various facets of water issues in India and abroad during their extended association, at all levels with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, as well as International Organizations dealing with water. Currently water-stressed, India is likely to become water scarce in not too distant a future. The global freshwater supply and its sustainable use for human consumption, and conservation of the ecosystem have never come under such a rigorous scrutiny before. The unplanned and reckless exploitation of this precious resource have led to a crisis situation, compounded by a real threat of climate change. This book is, therefore, timely and of particular relevance not only to India but the entire world. The book contains 20 chapters, beside the lead article by the Editors. The chapters are contributed by the eminent professionals, researchers, academicians and civil society representatives having an in-depth understanding of the issues. The contents of the chapters have been chosen to represent all aspects of water. The assessment of water resources using satellite data and in-depth analyses of groundwater sector like, the Aquifer Mapping Programme initiated by Government of India, application of gravity satellite data to assess the resource build up, artificial recharge of aquifers and its contamination, are dealt with by eminent experts. The articles on sustainable management of water through good governance by community participation and involvement of civil society are placed. Flood management both through a basin level approach as well as by building resilience in vulnerable areas is discussed. Other critical issues like water bodies management, constitutional provisions, water governance and financial issues, hydro-power and need of research and development in this sector are also dealt with aptly. In view of emerging crisis and complexities in this sector the future pathways and the paradigm shift that is required in administrative and policy level is also discussed.