Foreign Ministries and the Information Revolution: Going Virtual?

Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-90-04-16900-5
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 2, 252 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 244 mm, Gewicht: 567 g

Reihe: Diplomatic Studies

The ongoing information revolution is perceived as a profound organizational challenge for foreign ministries. Yet there is only scant empirical evidence on the nature of the change dynamics. Anchored in new institutionalist approaches in political science, this book reconceptualizes diplomacy as an institution of the modern state order and identifies its key organizing principles maintained by the global group of foreign ministries. With this conceptualization as a point of departure, the book provides a comparative analysis of information technolology effects in the foreign ministries of Canada, Norway and Slovakia. The result is a comprehensive assessment of the magnitude and the direction of change in the organizational machinery of diplomacy in early 21st Century.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bátora, Jozef

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Diplomatie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
IT-revolution and diplomacy
Institutional resilience of diplomacy
IT-revolution or institutional resilience?
Organization of chapters

Chapter 2: THE ORGANIZATIONAL BASIS OF MODERN DIPLOMACY:
ITS EMERGENCE, CHARACTERISTICS AND CHANGE
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The ‘informational prerogative’ of the state and the organizing principles of modern diplomacy
2.3 Diplomacy as an institution of the interstate order
2.4 Conclusion

Chapter 3: ANALYZING IT-EFFECTS IN FOREIGN MINISTRIES
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Foreign ministries and the information revolution(s)
3.3 IT and institutional change dynamics
3.3.1 IT-enabled institutional transformation
3.4 Operationalizing the core organizing principles of diplomacy
3.5 Multiple scenarios of IT-effects on the organizational basis of diplomacy
3.6 Methodology
3.7 Conclusion

Chapter 4: DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Institutional background and characteristics of DFAIT
4.3 IT-infrastructure of DFAIT
4.4 IT-effects on hierarchy
4.5 IT-effects on secrecy
4.6 IT-effects on communication with the public
4.6.2 Level of centralization of communication with the public
4.7 Conclusion

Chapter 5: ROYAL NORWEGIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Institutional background and characteristics of N-MFA
5.3 IT-infrastructure of N-MFA
5.4 IT-effects on hierarchy
5.5 IT-effects on secrecy
5.6 IT-effects on communication with the public
5.7 Conclusion

Chapter 6
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Institutional background and characteristics of MFASR
6.3 IT-infrastructure of MFASR
6.4 IT-effects on hierarchy
6.5 IT-effects on secrecy
6.6 IT-effects on communication with the public
6.7 Conclusion

Chapter 7: CONCLUSION: THE ORGANIZATIONAL BASIS OF DIPLOMACY RENEWED
7.1 Introduction
7.2 IT-effects on the core organizing principles of diplomacy: the main findings
7.2.3 IT-effects on communication with the public
7.2.4 Additional observations and findings
7.3 What were the drivers of change?
7.4 Theoretical observations
7.5. Revolution ante portas?

References
Appendixes

Über Autor(innen)

Jozef Bátora, PhD. (2006) in Political Science, University of Oslo, is Research Fellow at the Institute for European Integration Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.