Collegian T he Cameron University
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Monday, February 1, 2016
Volume 94 Issue 2
Dr. Tony
Wohlers eight years of research comes to fruition
Dr. Wohlers earned a doctorate in Political Science from the Northern Illinois University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Illinois, a Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude with Distinction in Political Science from Sonoma State University and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from the University of the Saarland, Germany.
Jacob Jardel Voices Editor
@JJardel_Writing
T
he new year started with a new book for one Cameron University faculty member. Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Tony Wohlers saw eight years of research work come to fruition with the publication of his book “Setting Sail into the Age of Digital Local Government,” co-authored with Lynne Bernier of Carroll University. Wohlers also serves as the Director of Academic Enrichment, so he reserved authorship predominantly for nights and weekends. He said it feels nice to have finished his first book. “It’s a great accomplishment [after] all those years of collecting the data,” he said. “It was a very good experience, and it taught me a lot – how to approach this.” The book experience for Wohlers started in 2008, when he garnered interest in information communication technologies (ICTs) and electronic government, or eGovernment. “I started looking at ICTs, specifically eGovernment at the local level,” Wohlers said. “I quickly expanded. I had these case studies in the southwestern part of the United States, and I started taking a sample from each region in the United States. “Once that was done with the United States, I presented things at conferences,” he said. “That’s where I met Lynne Bernier.” Bernier and Wohlers began working to expand the project. Wohlers was in the process of studying Germany, his home country, particularly Nuremberg. Meanwhile, Bernier received a Fullbright scholarship to France, where she would study eGovernment in Bordeaux. The pair looked for one more cases study to complete their comparative analysis. They turned to Japan, searching for a city to add to the mix. However, this process was easier said than done. “If you approach local government in the United States, it tends
to be very open. You get somebody who will talk to you,” Wohlers said. “It seems that Japan is a very hierarchical society. If you’re not an insider within that government structure, you have much less chance of cooperation.” However, after working with their contact in Japan, they were able to talk with officials in Shizuoka. This fourth location gave them the final bits of material they needed for this unique starting point on the topic. “There is no other book that has this comparative focus,” Wohlers said. “This is novel. It’s a beginning still. There is much more that needs to be done, that’s for sure.” Alongside that work, Wohlers said that he has another potential book in the works with another publisher. This one, however, goes in a different direction from his first. “This one deals with biopolitics and genetically modified foods,” he said. “The perspective is kind of the same in that it is comparative. I have published quite a bit in that area already, too. I’m now at that stage where I have the foundation for a book.” On top of this future publication, Wohlers will also continue with new projects on the conference circuit. “That’s what I always do,” he said. “The next project I’m working on is something completely different, but it relates to what I’ve been doing for years now. That is the role of non-profit organizations.” Specifically, he is working with the Wichita Mountains Prevention Network and how they shape policies and behaviors through their works. He said he may try to turn this research into a book in the future. “That’s kind of my new pet research at this point,” Wohlers said. “I’m kind of starting the process with the conferences right now. Then it’s publication, and maybe sometime down the road there might be another book.”
An interview with Dr. Wohlers
Applying information comunication technology and eGovernment Interview by Jacob Jardel
For full conversation, visit AggieCentral.com What topics does your book address?
We have all these new technologies – we call them information communication technologies (ICTs). Of course, the Internet is the major medium to make those new ICTs possible. The private sector has been using ICTs for a long, long time to interact with the customers and provide services. Eventually, government also bought into this. It first started off at the national level. Then it kind of spread, and eventually the local governments got to use them as well. The book is really about the application of those ICTs to provide information, provide services and allow citizens to engage with their local government.
How long have you been working on this project?
This is a project that I have been working on for many years now – probably since 2008. I started looking at ICTs, specifically eGovernment at the local level. I was aware that things have already been done at the national level as far as both research and the use of it. But I noticed that, at the time, not much was actually done at the local level and what kind of strategies local governments use to implement those ICTs and what kind of services they offer with ICTs. The first one I looked at was Oklahoma. I compared it to the neighboring states – the southwestern part of the United States. I quickly expanded. I had these case studies in the southwestern part of the United States, and I started taking a sample from each region in the United States – the Midwest, the West, the Northeast, the Southeast and what have you. I ended up with about 30 states.
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