Overview of Scholarly Activity:
Professor Chen is an assistant professor of e-government and public management in the Division of Public Administration and Department of Political Science. He received his MPA and Ph.D. in Public Policy from Indiana University. His research interests are electronic governance and collaborative public service. He has published in journals such as Public Administration Review, American Review of Public Administration, Public Performance & Management Review, Social Science Computer Review, and Government Information Quarterly. His two most recent research projects are on national implementation of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) and e-governance innovations in the Asia-Pacific region. He has received research grants from the IBM Center for the Business of Government and the State of Iowa and published the results in various management reports, book chapters, and journal articles. Dr. Chen teaches courses on e-governance, information and technology management, program evaluation, and methods. He was awarded Professor of the Year by NIU MPA students in 2009 and 2007. Dr. Chen currently serves on the Information Technology Committee of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Section on Science and Technology in Government for the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA).
Selected Publications:
“Realizing the Full Potential of XBRL in Government: Case Studies of XBRL Implementation,” Washington, D.C.: IBM Center for the Business of Government. (April 2010).
“Citizen-centric E-government Services: Understanding Integrated Citizen Service Information Systems,” in Social Science Computer Review. first published on February 14, 2010 as doi:10.1177/0894439309359050 in SAGE Online first (2010 Online First).
“Advancing E-Governance: Comparing Taiwan and the U.S.” (with Jun-Yi Hsieh) in Public Administration Review 69(special issue): S151-S158 (2009).
“Interlocal Agreements as Collaborations: An Empirical Investigation of Impetuses, Norms, and Success,” (with Kurt Thurmaier) in American Review of Public Administration 39(5): 536-552, September 2009.
“E-Government for Current and Future Senior Citizens,” (with Ashley Dorsey) in Chris Reddick (Ed), Handbook of Research on Strategies for Local E-Government Adoption and Implementation: Comparative Studies. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Chapter 16 (pp. 306-322), 2009.
“Financing E-Government Business Transactions: An Enterprise Pricing Framework for G2B Services,” (with Kurt Thurmaier) in Public Administration Review 68(3): 537-548, May/June 2008.
“Small Town Civic Structure and Interlocal Collaboration for Public Services,” (with Lois Morton and Ricardo Morse) in City & Community 7(1): 45-60, March 2008.
“Managing Large-Scale Electronic Data for Public Administration Research: An
Information System Approach.” In Kaifeng Yang and Gerald Miller (Eds). Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration, 2nd Edition. Baco Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications, Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 323-339, 2008.
“The Challenges of Building a Knowledge Management System for Local Collaboration,” (with Kurt Thurmaier) in Bruce Rocheleau, (Ed.), Case Studies in Digital Government, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Inc., pp. 281-297, 2007.
“Managing IT Outsourcing for Digital Government,” in Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko and Matti Malkia (Ed), Encyclopedia of Digital Government, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Reference, Volume III, pp. 1190-1195, 2007.
"Profiling the Adopters of e-Government Information and Services: The Influence of Psychological Characteristics, Civic Mindedness, and Information Channels," (with Daniela Dimitrova) Social Science Computer Review 24(2): 172-188, summer 2006.
"Electronic Government and Online Engagement: Citizen Interaction with Government via Web Portals," (with Daniela Dimitrova) International Journal of Electronic Government Research 2(1): 54-76, 2006.