Dubai School of Government launches first Executive Education Program on E-Government Leadership

Announcing the launch, Mohammed Al Gergawi, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, said: "It is particularly appropriate that the Dubai School of Government's first executive education program addresses 'E-Government: Leadership in a Networked World'. We are opening enrolment for this program at a time when Dubai has been singled out as a regional leader in e-government, administrative simplification and regulatory reform." The School next week joins a UAE delegation to Jordan, to present Dubai's e-government experience at a conference on Good Governance.

"The new Dubai School of Government executive education program offered in March is designed for high-level decision-makers from across the region, including ministers, deputy ministers and director generals who are leading e-government initiatives in their countries.," Mr. Al Gergawi continued.

Participation is also open to senior advisors in government departments involved in the areas of science, technology, information, communications, development planning and governmental reform. The program will attract diplomats, development leaders, university presidents, CEOs and CIOs from across the region.

"Significant change in the public sector is being driven by the growing capabilities of information technologies. Technology-related issues need to be understood by leaders throughout any organization, not just by technology specialists," Mr. Al Gergawi said. "As the information age matures, public institutions are turning to computer networks to design and deliver services and - more broadly - to govern."

In line with the Dubai School of Government's mandate to enhance public governance and contribute to the intellectual advancement of the study of government, the Harvard-taught session is designed to help regional public sector leaders develop successful, real-world approaches to technology-related issues.

The program objective is to give executive decision-makers the strategic tools and perspectives that enable them to identify suitable objectives and define the means for their own customized e-government strategies; understand potential hurdles; anticipate and overcome possible obstacles; appreciate general e-government evolution and the challenges and opportunities raised by information technologies; and use themes and concepts from the program to devise their own technology-related strategies and select the resources and partners to implement them.

The Kennedy school's academics will deliver the definitive work and latest research on e-government. Moreover, with the participants they will review and assess global e-government experience and its application to the region. Kennedy School's Associate Professor of Public Policy, Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, and Jerry Mechling, Lecturer in Public Policy and Director of the e-Government Executive Education Project, will teach the course using the famous Harvard Case Study teaching method.

Mayer-Schoenberger's research focuses on information and communication technology policy. Founder of data security company, Ikarus Software, he developed _Virus Utilities, which became the best-selling Austrian software product and advises businesses, governments and international organizations on the regulatory and policy issues of information and telecommunication technologies.

Mechling's studies focus on the impacts of information and digital technologies on individual, organizational and societal issues. An international consultant on the topic, he is primary author of "Eight Imperatives for Leaders in a Networked World". He is a present Fellow of the US National Academy of Public Administration, and was formerly a Fellow of the Institute of Politics.

Full information and enrolment details for "E-Government: Leadership in a Networked World" are available at www.dsg.ae. The Dubai School of Government is the first institution of its kind in the region. Established in 2004 at the directive of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, the Dubai School of Government in cooperation with the Kennedy School is dedicated to enhancing public sector management in the region by developing talented leaders through exchange of ideas and knowledge sharing.

Founded in 1936, John F. Kennedy School of Government specializes in the art and science of public management; applied research on major public programs; degree programs to prepare the next generation of public leaders; executive programs to enhance the knowledge, skills and perspectives of today's leaders; and collaborative efforts that bring together scholars, public officials, and others concerned with public issues.