Syracuse iSchool Ph.D. student Andreas Kuehn wins Austrian e-government innovation award
11/5/2009
Andreas Kuehn, a Ph.D. student at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool), won an Austrian e-government Innovation Award 2009 for his article on Boundary Objects in E-Taxation.
Andreas Kuehn is an international student from Switzerland and is working to complete a Ph. D. in Information Science and Technology. Kuehn said he came to Syracuse University because he received a Fulbright Foreign Student grant. The Fulbright Program provides students the opportunity and support for personal development and international experience in virtually any country of the world.
Kuehn’s article, Boundary Objects in E-Taxation, details the holistic approach used in developing successful e-government and e-taxation systems. In his article Kuehn explains that coordination and collaboration are crucial in multi-million dollar endeavors where actors with differing views, interests, and values are required to work closely and effectively together.
“I am very honored by this award because I was chosen by people who are highly recognized in the European e-government community,” Kuehn said.
Working for the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance inspired Kuehn to write his article. There, he was provided with the opportunity to work and complete research on e-government. Kuehn worked on e-taxation projects on the knowledge management within the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance.
“The opportunity to work together with open-minded and very innovative leaders was a ground breaking experience for my personal carrier,” Kuehn said.
Kuehn was able to learn what went on inside and outside the public sector.
“I got to understand how the e-government worked in Austria; a key player in European e-government,” Kuehn said. “It’s cutting-edge!”
At the end of his time working at the ministry Kuehn was offered the chance to publish an article about his experiences there. Kuehn then submitted his article to the e-government forum for the Austrian e-government Innovation Award.
The e-government forum is an association within the Austrian Computer Society. The organization was founded in 1975 and strives to promote information processing, with regards to man and society, in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary way.
Afterwards, Kuehn joined the Competence Center for Public Management and E-Government at the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Before coming to Syracuse University, Kuehn was involved in a project with the eCH association, the Swiss e-government standardization body.
Kuehn is interested in IT standardization issues and information policy; and said that the program at Syracuse offers him great opportunities to be immersed in this field.
“The iSchool exposes me to so many intriguing ideas that it becomes nearly impossible to stick only to one area of interest,” Kuehn said.
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