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Biography
Ajay Kumar is a Ph.D. candidate in the Information and Decision Sciences (IDSc) department at the Carlson School of Management. He began the program in Fall 2004. His picture at the left was taken, when he visited Uganda in Africa on a mission related to his prior work with the Government of India. Ajay holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India, where he graduated in 1984. He was awarded a two-year fellowship from the University of Minnesota’s Graduate School, an indicator of high honor among newly-admitted doctoral students. His prior university and government service make Ajay uniquely qualified to pursue research on the policy implications of information technology investment and implementation in developing country settings. He comes to the Carlson School of Management having published his work in conferences and journals, and with unbridled enthusiasm to continue to develop his skills on the application of technology for the purpose of economic development. During the first year of the Ph.D. Program, in addition to the courses required by IDSc, Ajay has selected courses in macroeconomic theory and econometric analysis, to build his capabilities for conducting research from an applied economics perspective. Background: “I am a member of the Indian Administrative Service with over 18 years of experience in senior administrative and managerial positions in India. My past assignments range from implementing e-governance projects to corporate management, industrial promotion to internal security management, to relief and rehabilitation. I have participated in various international meetings and conferences in Europe, North America, China, Africa, South East Asia and South Asia. During 2000-2003, as Managing Director of the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. (KELTRON at www.keltron.org), I spearheaded implementation of several e-governance projects. The projects included: a state-wide WAN linking all districts, the High Court of Kerala and Delhi; the Treasury Information System, involving the computerization of state-owned banking institutions and the treasuries; and “e-shrinkhla,” information kiosks for the payment of various utility bills and the provision of services for the common people. He also participated in the development of an electronic identity card and a database for the more than 20 million electorate of Kerala with an IVR-based citizen-friendly response system. As a result of this project, Kerala was the first Indian state to have accomplished this. He also had a role in the development of an Internet-based management information system for the Industries Department, and the digitization of public information and the dissemination of reasonably-priced CDs for public use. Finally, I also was involved in projects that permitted open source software localization with Malayalam fonts and language. Malayalam is the local language of the State of Kerala.” “I managed aspects of the promotion of the State of Kerala as a destination for information technology investment. Apart from offering financial and fiscal incentives, marketing Kerala involved strategic positioning of the state in terms of its e-readiness, especially in comparison with competing locations in India and elsewhere. I had the opportunity to set up state-of-the-art ‘technology parks’ with plug-in-and-start facilities, to expand the human capital base, to develop knowledge networks, and to increase the use of IT in government. The experience I obtained in Kerala has provided me with a broad perspective and insights on the use of IT in a developing economy. I’m also keenly aware of how to pursue strategies to maximize the value of limited resources.” Research interests: “My research interests relate to understanding the use of information and communication technologies by different regions and countries to foster economic, social and knowledge growth. Based on this background and experience, I was motivated to come to the Carlson School of Management for a doctorate in Information Systems and Economics. I have a special interest in measurement approaches to information and communication technologies at the macro-level, where influential factors affecting the regional dispersion of technology are felt. This includes city and regional economies, nations, geographical regions of the world, and the global context. In my work, I propose to draw upon theories from various disciplines including IS, Regional Economics and Macroeconomics, Public Policy and Measurement. Some of the issues that attract my interest for research include the technological readiness of developing and developed nations, international policy regarding technology infrastructure and investment, the growth and maturity of regional centers for technology R&D, regional economics and the transmission of knowledge capital, and the application of innovative and emerging technologies to business, government and social problems. The Carlson School’s doctoral program offers me a unique opportunity to pursue these research interests.” “I am currently working with my advisor, Professor Robert J. Kauffman, on evaluating existing e-measurement metrics and their efficacy in the assessment of the economic growth and technological development capabilities of countries that associated with information and communication technologies. I expect that this work will enable us to understand issues in measuring the value of information technology at the macro level, and propose a more comprehensive framework for assessing impacts at the aggregate level. I am also looking into the contagion effects in development of innovation centers in the context of industrialized and developing societies. The specific context that I propose to study involves the innovation centers in the USA and India.” Other Personal Information: “I think life is about having different experiences. From being an active sportsman at school to student politics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), to public service in government and now to academics, I think I have been fortunate to have had rich variety. I was avid sports lover during my school days, and I retain the interest even now. I played cricket, badminton, table tennis and was (surprisingly) good enough to represent my school teams’ in most.” Publications:
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