Reports on the modes of governmental intervention to stimulate the usage of electronic data interchange (EDI) and the challenges facing government as they try to smoothen their own units via organizational management.

"EDI and Data Networking in the Public Sector" also indicates that the payoff from investments in EDI are slow to evolve. Dreams of quick return are not likely to emerge. Also, return of investments are highly linked to the organizations' ability to change their work processes along with the investments in EDI. The authors indicate that many public sector organizations lack the steam and vision necessarily to transform the government to a more technological based organization, where public procurement, taxation, medicine ordering etc. takes advantage of the potentials in EDI and data networking. "EDI and Data Networking in the Public Sector" will be of interest to all researchers and practitioners in MIS, Computer Science and International Trade working on the adoption of new technology.

Part 1 Governmental intervention and implementation of EDI: goals and conflict, J. Damsgaard and K. Lyytinen
societal factors and the diffusion of EDI in the Netherlands, E. Trauth et al
EDI in the public sector - building on lessons from the private sector, M. Falch
stakeholder analysis in UK-health inter-organizational systems, A. Pouloudi. Part 2 Organizational transformation using EDI: a British initiative in the health sector, T. Cornford
government and private-sector perspectives of EDI - trade-net, M. Tan
re-engineering with EDI - a Trojan horse in circumventing non-tariff barriers to trade, A.T. Chatfield and N. Bjorn-Andersen. Part 3 EDI in local government: EDI and regional-health data networking, K. Viborg Andersen
EDI and public procurement in Swedish local government, K. Bryntse
EDI, information processing and issues of governance - the informational character of UK local government, A. Southern. Part 4 Societal issues of EDI: Internet data security - for the courts, criminal-justice agencies and the public in Pennsylvania, J.H. Davenport
EDI in the public sector - the Danish INFO-2000 plan and the democratic route to informing the public sector, M. Kuhn Pedersen
an analysis of the contributions on EDI and data networking in the public sector, K. Viborg Andersen.