Jane Fountain, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the National Center for Digital Government, gave the keynote address at the national electronic government conference, eFörtvaltings Dargna 2010 (eGovernment Days 2010), in Stockholm, Sweden on November 16. Her address, “Government 2.0: Potential and Challenges,” explored the potential for Internet and emerging technologies to transform government processes and relations.
eGovernment Days brought together academic researchers, government officials, and business leaders to discuss the future of Internet and governance in Sweden. Fountain also was invited to present the “diamond award,” a prestigious, national award given to an outstanding example of innovation in Swedish government, at the conclusion of the conference.
While in Sweden, Professor Fountain also presented a lecture at VINNOVA, the Swedish Government counterpart to the United States National Science Foundation, and briefed the Swedish e-Government Research Network, a national group of academic researchers whose focus is the Internet and governance, on her current research.
In addition to her international addresses at eGovernment Days and VINNOVA, Fountain was a keynote speaker at the mLife conference in Brighton, England in October, and the Portugal Tecnologico 2010 conference in Lisbon, Portugal September. These lectures built on her current research programs through the National Center for Digital Government, which is based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.