By Mason Goad

Schar School Partners with UiPath for Robotic Process Automation Initiative

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:51:29 +0000

Schar School Partners with UiPath for Robotic Process Automation Initiative Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/19/2021 - 07:51

In This Story

David Rehr

Originally published on January 11, 2021

The Center for Business Civic Engagement (CBCE) at the Schar School of Policy and Government has announced the beginning of the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Initiative going into 2021. This initiative, partnering the Schar School and UiPath, a leading enterprise RPA software company, will allow experts to determine RPA’s impact on government effectiveness.

What is RPA? RPA is the technology that allows anyone today to configure computer software, or a “robot,” to emulate and integrate the actions of a human interacting within digital systems to execute a business process.

RPA robots utilize the user interface to capture data and manipulate applications just like humans do. They interpret, trigger responses, and communicate with other systems in order to perform on a vast variety of repetitive tasks, only substantially better: An RPA software robot never sleeps and makes zero mistakes.

This can improve productivity, streamline operations, and speed up the delivery of service for public sector organizations, including governments. This initiative, specifically, will also study governance models to further effectiveness and efficiency.

“We are excited to partner with UiPath, a leader and innovator, and look forward to helping determine how RPA usage can improve the working of public sector organizations and succeed in meeting the ever-growing demand for services among stakeholders,” said David K. Rehr, director of the CBCE at the Schar School. “This is a critical endeavor and a timely moment in our history.”

“Our center at ��AV focuses on researching ways to make government more effective and efficient,” Rehr continued. “We have seen recent examples of RPA deployments throughout federal, local, and state governments helping to confront the COVID pandemic while protecting the safety of our citizens.”

“Mason has a history of innovation, technology, and studying public policy,” said Bobby Patrick, chief marketing officer of New York-based UiPath. “We believe the partnership is a great fit and will benefit citizens seeking greater value in public sector programs and initiatives.”

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Schar School of Policy and Government

Schar News January 2021

Panel: The Changing Landscape of U.S. International Alliances

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 03:49:03 +0000

Panel: The Changing Landscape of U.S. International Alliances Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/10/2021 - 22:49

In This Story

Mark J. Rozell

Colin Dueck

Screenshot by Mason Goad/Schar School of Policy and Government

Originally published on October 15, 2020

The Schar School of Policy and Government’s Center for Security Policy Studies hosted its second symposium, this one focusing on international alliances and whether or not they are adapting to 21^st century requirements.

After his welcoming remarks, Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School, turned the floor over to Schar School Professor Colin Dueck, a lecturer on grand strategy who moderated the discussion. Panelists included former Ambassador Douglas Lute, who served as NATO ambassador and deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan under presidents Bush and Obama; Yuki Tatsumi, senior fellow at think tank the Stimson Center; and Soyoung Kwon, director of Security Policy Studies-Korea at the Schar School.

“NATO strikes me as incredibly resilient,” said Lute. “I don’t know too many institutions at the 70-year mark, or maybe even individuals at the 70-year mark, who can’t use a bit of refreshing or reinvigoration. But the pattern over NATO’s 70-year history is that over and again it has been amazingly adaptive and resilient.”

But could the institution withstand a transfer of leadership to Europe?

“The European defense industry, which would build such European capability [to have a Europe-led NATO], is lagging behind by at least a generation from American defense capability,” said Lute. “There’s no quick substitute for the hard American military power that is in NATO.”

As for alliances on the other side of the world, “the Japanese elite really [don’t] see any alternative to anchor their national security policies other than this close alliance with the United States,” said Tatsumi. “These elites continue to have a very high level of confidence in the very institutionalized ways in which this alliance has been managed by government officials on both sides of the Pacific. Their confidence in those institutions is very high, but at the same time, after experiencing the four years of the Trump administration and a lot of unpredictability, it is definitely raising questions in some peoples’ minds.”

In regards to South Korea-United States relations, Kwon said, “In general, the progressive government would favor improving inter-Korean relations and have some form of ‘anti-U.S. sentiment,’ whereas the conservatives are pro-U.S. and anti-North Korea.”

“It has been 67 years since Korea, and the U.S. signed the mutual defense treaty. It has been very steady,” said Kwon, “It has been a lynchpin for security, stability, and prosperity of the East Asian region and peninsula.”

Topics

Schar School of Policy and Government

Schar News October 2020

Study: What Slows Down Innovation in Government Technology?

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 03:29:27 +0000

Study: What Slows Down Innovation in Government Technology? Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/10/2021 - 22:29

Alan Shark: ‘The research project was as much a journey as it was an important study…’

Alan Shark, an associate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, has research interests uncommon in political science, but by no means unimportant. Technology leadership in government, IT governance, and cybersecurity policy are some of his key research areas. Shark is also the executive director of the Public Technology Institute, or PTI, a non-profit organization providing outreach and consultancy to technology executives in local governments.

Shark recently completed a research project titled, “Innovation and Emerging Technologies in Government: Keys to Success,” which was published by IBM’s Center for the Business of Government as a special report. Shark interviewed nine government technology executives to reveal how innovations come about in government, and what inhibits that process. New technologies include blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing, among others.

“The research project was as much a journey as it was an important study,” Shark said. “There were many twists and turns in learning from each subject which led me to others I had never heard of. The most surprising aspect of the research was the absolute dedication towards public service of each of the nine profiles.

“While each was uniquely different, they shared some key common characteristics, such as entrepreneurship, collaborative mindset, adaptive mastery of emerging technologies, and imaginative leadership.” Those characteristics, Shark said, are the true keys to innovative success.

“Despite all the hostility and hyper-partisanship that exists today,” Shark observed, “it is good to know that beneath the political layer there exists a group of highly resourceful and dedicated individuals that focus on serving the public and has spanned many administrations over the years.”

The study will be useful in removing some barriers now that obstructions have been confirmed.

“The obstacles to implementing technological innovation in government often have less to do with hardware and software than people and processes,” wrote Daniel Chenok, executive director of IBM’s Center for the Business of Government, in the study’s forward.

“We hope the interviewees’ stories about using technology in their organizations to improve the lives of Americans provides a useful blueprint, helping innovators and their teams across government to learn about and apply emerging technologies in ways that drive mission success,” Chenok said.

Topics

Schar School of Policy and Government

Schar News October 2020

Schar School Professor Zhang to Study ‘Chinese Coercion’

Anonymous — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 04:37:36 +0000

Schar School Professor Zhang to Study ‘Chinese Coercion’ Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/02/2021 - 23:37

In This Story

Ketian Zhang

Ketian Zhang: ‘…[T]he award itself also indicates the importance of the ‘China question’ for both academic and policy reasons.’

Originally published on November 29, 2020

As China continues its rise as a global superpower—and in doing so, threatening American hegemony—the communist nation has become an inescapable discussion topic among U.S. strategists. Ketian Zhang, who teaches “grand strategy” at the Schar School of Policy and Government, has been awarded a grant to write a book discussing China’s rise.

“This award will help me further conduct my fieldwork in Japan and Southeast Asia when the pandemic is over,” Zhang said. “And winning the award itself also indicates the importance of the ‘China question’ for both academic and policy reasons. That is, what is the rationale behind China’s coercive actions, what does China’s coercion say about rising powers trajectory, and is it generalizable?”

Not to mention “what are the implications for the United States, as well as the rest of the world?” she added.

Zhang’s book will discuss how, when, and why China uses coercion, and what tools the state seeks to employ. Since the early 1990s, China has used coercion to address various national security issues, such as territorial disputes and arms sales to Taiwan. These actions, however, have damaging effects on the Communist Party’s reputation. Analysis of China’s behavior has not been answered systematically, something Zhang hopes to correct.

Zhang’s funding is provided by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, which for more than 70 years has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as other government agencies, to advance the nation’s top priorities.

Schar School fact: The lifetime value of active grants currently awarded to Schar School faculty is $25 million, which places the school near the top of its peer institutions.

Topics

Schar School of Policy and Government

Schar News November 2020