Democracy Betrayed: The Rise Of The Surveillance Security State

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In the aftermath of 9/11, in collusion with booming technological advancements, a new and more authoritarian form of governance is supplanting liberal democracy. The creation of the Security Industrial Complex — an “internal security state-within-the-state” fueled by tech companies, private security firms, and the Intelligence Community to the tune of $120 billion a year — is intruding on civil liberties to an extent never before seen in our history. Politicians tolerate it; the average citizen at times welcomes it, thinking it is the way to keep the America safe in a time of uncertainty and terrorism. But how real is the terrorist threat, and is it worth the loss of our individual privacy?

As a society, the author maintains, we have yet to comprehend the meaning of universal digital connection, its impact on our psychology, and its transformation of our government and society. America is at a crossroads in contending with our overreaction to terrorism, allowing the beginnings of a police state, and the erosion of our country from a “liberal democracy” to a “secure democracy” – one where government overreaches, tramples on civil liberties, and uses great advancements in technology to spy on the populace.

Local Government In England: Centralisation, Autonomy And Control

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The book explores the claim that English local government exists in one of the most centralised relationships with national government. Such a position fundamentally undermines any notion of local self-government and makes the term ‘government’ in local government a misnomer. The book will examine how the erosion of the autonomy, powers, roles, functions and responsibilities of English local government came about, the arguments of centralisers and localisers to support their view of the constitutional status of local government, and its overall role in the government of England. The book offers an antidote to the onward march of centralisation by offering a new vision of local government which emphasises both ‘local’ and ‘government’.

Digital Government

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This book focuses on the implementation of digital strategies in the public sectors in the US, Mexico, Brazil, India and Germany. The case studies presented examine different digital projects by looking at their impact as well as their alignment with their national governments’ digital strategies. The contributors assess the current state of digital government, analyze the contribution of digital technologies in achieving outcomes for citizens, discuss ways to measure digitalization and address the question of how governments oversee the legal and regulatory obligations of information technology. The book argues that most countries formulate good strategies for digital government, but do not effectively prescribe and implement corresponding policies and programs. Showing specific programs that deliver results can help policy makers, knowledge specialists and public-sector researchers to develop best practices for future national strategies.