Sharing and accessing electronic information: Case studies from New York State and local government

This research focused on three cases of electronic transfer of information between local and state governments in New York and uses made of the resulting databases. The projects began in the 1990s, are ongoing, and involve real estate, dog licensing, and sportsman education.; Interviews with forty-two state and local government officials asked: (1) Does the ability to transmit and to access records electronically improve delivery of services to citizens? Has it raised new problems? (2) What have been the risks and benefits? How do these differ across participants? (3) How are the needs for stewardship, access, and privacy balanced in making decisions about electronic transfer and display of records? How are these decisions made? The research approach was naturalistic, taking place in the real world. The theoretical foundation was a review of literature about issues and conflicting concerns public administrators must understand as they seek both to manage information effectively and to serve the public interest. Participant observation and review of agency materials supplemented interviews.; The findings show service to citizens improved indirectly by making offices more efficient. Database use by citizens is available only when the records are open by law, but use by other agencies is seldom questioned. New problems include differing views on electronic records ownership, e-government state-local competition for funds as the citizen is offered the opportunity to complete forms and submit fees at either level, and Internet display of personal data in records open to the public by law. The benefits are more timely records; the risks involve inaccurate and incomplete records. New uses are emerging for records open by law; yet the same personal information exists in other public records about which officials differ regarding access. State officials prefer that public access remain local, but "practical obscurity," a term applied to paper files accessed locally, is challenged when records accessed locally are part of a central database. Officials differ greatly regarding the sensitivity of records and on information they would or would not provide to the public. An approach to resolving this ethical ambiguity is offered through an application of the "Potter Box."...