Apr. 23 Case: International Trade Data System

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Apr. 23 Case International Trade Data System

• Note For most of us, the topic of
  international trade is hardly fascinating
  readingyou may be inclined to doze off in a
  few places. Nonetheless, Chapters 7 and 8 offer
  the best case for analyzing the enactment of
  technology that has critical consequences for
  implementation (or lack of it) and policy
  outcome. So stick with this. First, the basic
  questions we started with in analyzing the US
  Army case
• 1. (the double arrow question) Technology ?gt
  Organization
• 2. Which of the four enactments (Figure 6.2) is
  involved here?
• What is meant by integrating the back-channels?
  How is it fundamental for a well-functioning
  organization network?
• A data system for international trade
• The problem or need?
• The ITDS solution (What is it supposed to
  accomplish)?
• Fountains technology enactment theory (this
  caselike the Army case) will either support it
  or refute it (based on what evidence?)
• Existing agency mind-sets (look at p. 110)the
  chances of changing them to support ITDS
  (likely/unlikely??Why??)
• Institutional perspective looking at the
  historical evolution of agency (for example, U.S.
  Customs) or situation to understand the current
  situation. Effects of shocks (environmental
  changes)
• AMPS (1970s)
• ACS (1980s)
• FACET, NAFTA, and NATAB (1990s)
• Reality of institutional leadershiplike steering
  an aircraft carrier (my metaphor)
• The Reinventing Government rhetoric (applied to
  international trade regulation)

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Apr. 23 International Trade Data System

• Inter-agency integration vis-à-vis NAFTAillusive
  standardization and inter-operability
• Among agencies (DOT, Customs, etc. p. 110)
• Within agencies (intergovernmental networksUS
  DOTs, state DOTs, etc
• The reality of cross-agency (enforcement)
  designations
• Bilateral relationsCustoms and business groups
• Which Gormley and Balla chapter is relevant
  here??
• Competing enactments
• Various agencies
• business groupsbureaucracys clients, or in
  the reinventing sellcustomers
• Assuming agency compliance is need for ITDS to
  workwhat incentives for compliance, costs.
• Does it appear that social capital was created?
• Does a law mandating a system necessarily create
  incentives? social capital?
• What does this tell policy makers?
• A happy ending? What would Lou Dobbs say about
  this case?
• Does it mean that government is broken? (look at
  table 8.1 before answering)
• Lessons learned (if any)