The Changing Governance Series (2001 - 2004)
The Changing Governance Series was part of the Crossing Boundaries Project (see Recent Projects) and was launched to encourage discussion on issues in public sector management and governance arising from the spread of information technology. This highly successful series ran from 2001 – 2004. Don Lenihan served as its editor and the lead writer on most of the 12 publications, each of which was distributed to over four thousand individuals and organizations on the CB subscribers list, as well as being posted on the CB website.
Volume I: Collaborative Government in the Post-Industrial Age: Five Discussion Pieces:
As governments entered the Information Age, there was much discussion of the transition to the new collaborative or networking model, while strengthening democratic values and principles. These articles consider how countries such as Canada were changing from industrial to knowledge-based societies and focused on the idea that collaboration was the appropriate democratic response.
Volume 2: Opening the E-Government File: Governing in the 21st Century
This paper defines e-government: what it is, how it may change government, what this might mean for Canadians, and what must be done to ensure that e-government is not only faster, smarter government but also more open, accountable, transparent, fair, and respectful of individual privacy. The paper was a primer for the first Crossing Boundaries conference, held on March 28-30, 2001.
Volume 3: Measuring Quality of Life: The Use of Societal Outcomes by Parliamentarians
The Library of Parliament invited Don Lenihan to organize a series of three seminars to engage parliamentarians, senior public servants, and members of the policy community on the use of societal indicators by parliamentarians as tools of governance for the 21st Century. Properly leveraged, diversity can become a powerful contributor to learning and innovation — both crucial conditions for success in a knowledge-based economy.
Volume 4: Leveraging our Diversity: Canada as a Learning Society
This paper explores the idea that, in a knowledge-based society, diversity should be recognized as a resource. It proposes that diversity be viewed as high-grade social capital that has a significant contribution to make in developing the human capital needed for the 21st Century. Properly leveraged, diversity can become a powerful contributor to learning and innovation — both crucial conditiobs for success in a knowledge-based economy.
Volume 5: Post-Industrial Governance: Designing a Canadian Cultural Institution for the Global Village
The Department of Canadian Heritage commissioned this paper on the possible development of a “digital commons” to help promote Canadian culture online. The paper considered some basic questions around the idea, including: What is a digital commons? Why is the internet the central vehicle? How would such an institution work? What public purpose would it serve?
Volume 6: Realigning Governance: From E-Government to E-Democracy
This essay provides a clear, readable account of the current thinking on e-government. The goal was to create a narrative or storyline that would provide people across the public policy community with a accessible account of the key issues, challenges, and opportunities, and provide a foundation for further planning and debate on the issues.
Volume 7: E-Government: The Message to Politicians
This paper offers an account of e-government that speaks to elected representatives. It was jointly authored by the Crossing Boundaries Political Advisory Committee (PAC), which included eight elected representatives from all three levels of government, a variety of political parties, and different regions of the country, as well as the Chair of the CBill project.
Volume 8: E-Government: The Municipal Experience
This paper deepens understanding of e-government at the municipal level. It is based on interviews with municipal leaders from across Canada, as well as a discussion of key issues at the Crossing Boundaries Municipal Roundtable, held in Hamilton on June 2, 2022, at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Annual General Meeting.
Volume 9: E-Government, Federalism and Democracy: The New Governance
This article focuses on the long-term impact of information technology on pluralism, federalism and democracy in Canada. The paper suggests that a tension may be emerging between, on one hand, the increasing pluralism and diversity of civic society and, on the other, the drive to alignment and integration behind seamless government. It proposes a new vision of Canada for the 21st century and sketches a strategy to help balance the competing visions by realigning some basic governance practices.
Volume 10: A Question of Standards: Accounting in the 21st Century
This publication was considered the future of accounting standards in Canada, including the loss of public trust following a high-profile series of accounting scandals in the United States. The report was developed with the advice and input of a discussion group organized by Don Lenihan, with support from the Certified General Accountants of Canada.
Volume 11: Finding Our Digital Voice: Governing in the Information Age
This publication provided the basis for the agenda of the second Crossing Boundaries National Conference and contains significant recommendations on the future direction of e-governance in Canada.
Volume 12: Governance in the Agreement on Internal Trade
This discussion paper examines the governance implications of the Agreement on Internal Trade at its 10th anniversary and explores new directions for enhancing the Agreement’s effectiveness, especially stakeholder involvement in the implementation of the Agreement and the dispute resolution process. This report was developed in consultation with a small working group made up of trade experts, public servants, politicians, and representatives of industry and civil society, and with the support of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada.
