The impact of information technology (IT) on government in the last five years has been profound. Using the governments of Canada and Ontario (both recognized as international leaders in the use of IT) as case studies, Digital State at the Leading Edge is the first attempt to take a comprehensive view of the impact of IT upon the whole of government, including politics and campaigning, public consultation, service delivery, knowledge management, and procurement.

Using the concepts of channel choice, procurement market analysis, organizational integration, and digital leadership, this study explores the inter-relationships among all these aspects of the application of IT to government and politics. The authors seek to understand how IT is transforming government and what the nature of that transformation is. In the process, they offer an explanation of Canada's relative success, and conclude with practical advice to politicians and public servants about how to manage IT in government more effectively.

Based on new and original research undertaken over the last five years, the findings of this intriguing study will be of interest to those studying or working in the fields of public administration, political science, and information technology.

Sandford Borins is a professor in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto at Scarborough.

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Kenneth Kernaghan si a professor in the Department of Political Science at Brock University.

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David Brown is a senior associate at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa, and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at Carleton University.

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Nick Bontis is an associate professor at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.

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Perri 6 is a professor in the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University.

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Fred Thompson is Grace and Elmer Goudy Professor of Public Management and Policy in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University.

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'Digital State at the Leading Edge fills a serious gap in the literature by offering a comprehensive, comparative analysis of the evolution of e-governance in Canada. The reality and the issues surrounding the evolution of the Digital State have lost the media's interest and this book will regenerate the dialogue in classrooms, as well as in the public and private sectors.'

Department of Political Science, Acadia University