Seminar on the topic Digital Governance and Public Administration
The International Laboratory for Digital Transformation in Public Administration (The Laboratory) organized a seminar, where Omer Iluz made a presentation «Digital Governance and Public Administration». He presented the results of a study conducted under supervision of The Laboratory Academic Supervisor, Professor of the Department of Public Administration and Politics at the School of Political Sciences of the University of Haifa Eran Vigoda-Gadot.
In recent years, governments around the world have embarked on a profound digital journey — one that is quietly reshaping the very foundations of public administration. From artificial intelligence and data analytics to online service platforms, the public sector is not just adopting technology, but redefining how it governs, serves, and connects with citizens. Omer Iluz explores the transformation through the lens of digital governance — a concept that goes far beyond the technological sphere to include deep organizational and cultural shifts in government.
What happens when traditional bureaucracy meets digital innovation? How do these changes affect citizens, policymakers, and public servants alike? To answer these questions, Omer Iluz applied a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) across leading journals in the field of public administration. This approach reveals how digital governance is studied globally, what trends dominate current scholarship, and where the main gaps and opportunities for future research lie. The study aims to provide a clearer understanding of how the digital era is not only transforming public management, but also challenging us to rethink what good governance means in the 21st century.
The Laboratory staff discussed the presented results. Head of the Laboratory Evgeny Styrin asked whether the analysis of theoretical publications allowed to identify the dominant theories, drew attention to the importance of practical recommendations and the problems of communication between researchers and practical managers. Eran Vigoda-Gadot replied that the key theories and their typology will be in the publication that is being prepared based on the results of the study. Senior Research Fellow Maria Yudina noted a possible correction of the hypotheses of the study. Leading Research Fellow Anna Sanina drew attention to the use of AI in research, and the need to take into account papers offering recommendations on how to use such technologies in research. Omer Iluz noted that he had rechecked the AI results manually, and the AI results were quite accurate. AI is still rarely used in public administration research and the future publication may offer recommendations on the use of AI, taking into account the specifics of the research area.
