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Regular version of the site

Online Conference: Digital Governance and Public Administration: Interdisciplinary Insights from Research

The HSE University International Laboratory for Digital Transformation in Public Administration organized an international online conference titled "Digital Governance and Public Administration: Interdisciplinary Insights from Research". Evgeny Styrin, the Head of the laboratory, served as moderator, and the presentations generated great interest among attendees.

The first session was held under the title of “Approach to Digital Transformation in Public Administration: Experience from China”. Helen Liu, the Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Graduate Institute of Public Affairs, National Taiwan University (NTU), made presentation on the topic “Platform-mediated Government-Citizen Relationships: A Case of TaipeiPASS”. The rise of the adoption of digital platforms for governments has transformed the relationships between the government and citizens. Building on the two-sided market and citizen engagement theories, this study has illuminated the dynamic landscape of government-citizen relationships as reshaped by governments using digital platforms. By integrating theoretical insights with empirical evidence from TaipeiPASS, this approach underscores the transformative potential of digital platforms to streamline administrative services and facilitate public engagement. The findings offer a foundational typology for understanding the evolving interplay between public sector entities and the citizens they serve. Finally, this study presents three strategies utilized for platform designs: service design focus, multi-platform integration, and automation for real-time services. The study also discusses three continual challenges learned from the case: re-designing services and organizational structures, balancing interests, and decentralizing and staff training.

Yueping Zheng, Associate Professor and Ph.D. advisor at the School of Government at Sun Yat-sen University, presented on the topic “Identifying the Barriers to Open Government Data Use in Private Sectors: A Grounded Theory Approach”. Open Government Data (OGD) has made tremendous progress, especially on the supply side, as local governments have built OGD platforms and provided data to the public. In the big data era, there is an increasing demand for better utilization of OGD to develop digital economy. Nevertheless, the use of OGD by private sectors is still far from meeting expectations, despite the belief that they have a significant demand for it. The barriers to this have not been well discussed. This study aimed to identify these barriers to better understand the phenomenon. Interviews were conducted with 21 senior managers, engineers, and other professionals from various private sectors. Following the classic grounded theory method, a theoretical model was developed to explain the private sector’s use of OGD, comprising four main categories (cognition, business valueassessment, value pursuit, and organizational conditions), among which value pursuit plays an essential role. This study contributes to the current literature by elaborating on the understanding of the poor use of OGD in private sectors and offering practical insights to improve related policy design and OGD development for the future.

Yiwei Gong, a Full Professor at the School of Information Management at Wuhan University, made a presentation on the topic “Enterprise Architecture: A methodology for digital transformation in government”. Digital transformation (DT) is a strategic imperative for governments that aim to improve the efficiency of their services. However, there is limited knowledge of how governments approach DT in a hierarchical bureaucracy context. This report introduces the concept of Enterprise Architecture (EA) as a methodology to facilitate DT in governments. A conceptual model was created by combining the diamond framework, the technology enactment framework, and the EA scope to facilitate the analysis of adaptations inside governmental organizations and the external factors from the environment. This framework enhances the understanding of the adaptations in the organizational elements of structure, people, technology, and process during the transformation, and therefore, helps government managers better plan their DT journeys.

Second session was devout to the topic “Digital Transformation in Municipal Administration: View from Brazil”. Maria Alexandra Cunha, a professor at the School of Business Administration of São Paulo, made a presentation on the topic “Investigating Technology and Government in Brazil: Themes and Projects of a Brazilian research group”. Digital government research addresses numerous aspects and materializes researchers' different interests. The speaker presented the projects of the Brazilian Research Group on Technology and Government, including some already completed and published works, ongoing projects, research areas and interests. Professor Maria Alexandra Cunha and Head of the International Laboratory for Digital Transformation in Public Administration Evgeny Styrin noted the similarity of scientific interests and agreed to continue cooperation.

Professor Thiago José Tavares Avila made a presentation prepared with  a consultant on Digital Government at IDB and a Professor at Verbo Jurídico  Beatriz Barreto Brasileiro Lanza on the topic “Priority actions to develop Digital Government in Brazilian municipalities”. The evolution of Digital Government in Brazilian municipalities is crucial for enhancing public administration efficiency, transparency, and citizen engagement. Still, many public managers don´t have a clear strategy to solve this challenge. This presentation will outline fifteen priority actions required to advance digital transformation at the municipal level. The first axe emphasizes the need to strengthen the citizenship of city residents, supporting them in obtaining their single identification. It advocates for implementing standardized digital platforms and services that facilitate streamlined administrative processes and intergovernmental coordination. Also, the development of public ombudsmen and the digitalization of bureaucratic tasks will be necessary. The second axe will require developing a digital culture and transformation in relevant areas like education, health and on-demand services, generating more public value for the citizens. Finally, the proposal outlines a third axe, focusing on developing robust digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet access and secure data management systems, to ensure equitable access and reliability. This axe suggests establishing regulatory frameworks and performance metrics to monitor progress and ensure the sustainability of digital initiatives, supported by an empowered leadership and cabinet to guide all the Priority Digital Government Action Plan. These actions collectively aim to modernize municipal governance, improve service delivery, and enhance citizen satisfaction across Brazil.

International Digital Technology Consultant Mauricio Bouskela presented on the topic “Digital Governance and Climate Resilience: Transforming Public Administration for Brazil's Future”. With 5,570 municipalities and an urban population that has grown by over 100 million in the last 50 years, Brazil faces new challenges in digital governance and public administration. Digital transformation presents opportunities to enhance services like healthcare and climate management through data analysis and technological solutions. In a context of vulnerability to climate change, digitalization and e-government policies are key to preparing Brazilian cities for the future. The presentation will explore digital strategies, along with innovative solutions for efficient public administration. The audience thanked the speaker for his presentation, which covered such a wide range of issues of digitalization of public administration. 

During the final discussion, the participants noted that, despite the differences, Brazil and Russia have a lot in common and the similarity of the challenges facing the countries contribute to joining efforts to improve public administration in the context of digital transformation.