From Technology to Social Development

The purpose of local governments is to facilitate the well-being of communities and regions. Through the provision of different public goods and services local governments have the mission to provide security and stable conditions for individuals and firms by ensuring the necessary public infrastructure and amenities for their activities in the region, such as water supply, roads, waste disposal, parks, schools, and other public functions decentralized in the case of federal systems, among others. Many of these public goods and services are ICT-enabled, and therefore are included within the local digital government strategy. This is the context of digital government initiatives in municipal governments. The critical question for any local government in terms of digital government initiatives is how should they be provided and financed? Assessing this question of whether these ICT-enabled goods and services related to digital government might be more likely to be provided and funded, this article propose a model that embraces the concepts of public good and externalities from the economic perspective in order to provide a useful basis for developing a framework for financing digital government. This article describes a proposal for this framework based on these concepts and applies it in the case of several digital government initiatives undertaken by the City of Aguascalientes, Mexico. This framework applies to local as well as state and national levels of governments. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Open government data initiatives have been widely adopted by governments at all levels, offering the potential to transform interactions between governments and the public. Public value creation is one of the most significant opportunities associated with open government data (OGD) for various stakeholders, including public sector agencies, private businesses, academia, citizens, and civic organisations. However, OGD has little inherent value; it’s worth emerges through effective use. Therefore, supporting the use of OGD is considered key to delivering public value to individuals and communities.Indeed, making an effective impact with OGD requires users to activate its value. Through the use of OGD by governments, the public can be more involved in and collaborate on public service delivery and policymaking. Hence, OGD can serve as a supporting tool to enhance government performance and achieve public value<i>. </i>Despite emerging research on public value creation through OGD portal use, there is still a lack of theoretical frameworks to explain the factors affecting public value creation through OGD portal use by government employees in the public sector. Therefore, a comprehensive systematic literature review was undertaken to identify the factors influencing public value creation by governments using OGD in the public sector. A research model was developed based on the Delone and McLean (2003) IS success model, in combination with Moore’s (1995<i>) </i>public value theory. This study employed a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach, beginning with a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase to explain the quantitative findings. A structural equation modelling tool (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the online survey results, while NVivo software was used to analyse the findings from the semi-structured interviews. The model was validated in the Australian public sector.Meta-inference analysis of the survey and interview findings supports the validity of the research model and identifies the factors that significantly influence public value creation through the use of OGD in the Australian public sector. The findings reveal that employees’ use of the OGD portal and their satisfaction significantly affect the public value of OGD, while portal quality, open data quality, and service support have indirect effects. Furthermore, moderator analysis suggests that awareness of the value of OGD among public sector employees critically influences the delivery of public value.The proposed theoretical framework can be used to assess the factors affecting OGD public value creation by users in the public sector. This research contributes to the body of knowledge in the OGD domain from a public sector employee perspective and offers insights for researchers, developers, and policymakers to improve the use of OGD in the public sector.This study has practical implications for governments and policymakers regarding the importance of effective OGD use among employees in creating public value. Specifically, the results of this study strongly suggest that promoting OGD portal use, which leads to increased user satisfaction and, ultimately, delivers public value. OGD portal developers and government agencies responsible for providing open data must collaborate to better support portal users and address their needs and expectations. Additionally, it’s recommended that governments prioritize raising awareness of OGD, enhancing portal usability, and providing training programs for public sector employees. Future research can enrich the investigation of public value creation of OGD in other contexts and countries.

This conceptual paper maintains that mainstream public management theories have failed to incorporate public services as a fundamental part of the public administration system. That failure does a disservice to the potential of public services to address societal betterment through the creation of public value, which can strengthen democracy. This paper presents an integrated conceptual framework to help make sense of the public value creation flows in the context of politics (encompassing public policy and public service goal attainment) and public service outcomes. We suggest there are four flows creating public value.

The government invests in a transformation initiative called Digital Government or previously known as e-Government. Digital Government requires technology, people, and process along with a set of strategies. For the digital government to succeed, government workers must be equipped with appropriate digital skills that are currently not thoroughly explored. Government employees must be trained with proper digital skills, albeit rigorously studied, to ensure the success of this Digital Government implementation. In Oman, studies on digital government started in 2004. However, most of the studies focus on strategy, process, and technology but lack the people aspect. Also, there is a lack of studies on Digital Government Competency (DGC) for public sector managers. Additionally, studies on how to retain employees with advanced ICT competency in different public sector organisations have to be conducted. Therefore, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework for the digital government to assess the relationship between public sector managers, digital leadership skills, data protection skills, soft skills, digital literacy, management skills, digital creativity and innovation. This framework’s development relies on Human Capital Theory (HCT) and Technology Organization Environment Theory (TOE). Based on previous literature works, there is a relationship between the success of digital government initiatives and employees’ competency. As a result, this study proposes a framework for researchers and governments by demonstrating the value of the Digital Government Competency on the Omani government, which can help to increase the success rate of the Omani Digital Government initiatives.

Public value as such and contributions to public value by entrepreneurial universities have been of increasing interest to scholars over the past two decades. However, due to the lack of an adequate measurement scale, scholars have yet to link these research streams properly. While public value research acknowledges the multidimensionality of the construct, academic entrepreneurship research has rather approximated it using different unidimensional economic proxies. As a consequence, there is limited scholarly consensus about public value creation through spin-offs and other academic start-ups. To mitigate this issue and complement existing proxies, our study develops and validates a measure of noneconomic public value creation in the academic entrepreneurship context, capturing the subdimensions of social value creation, customer value creation, and efficient value creation. We employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The initial item pool incorporates relevant prior literature and insights from multiple pretests. Using two comprehensive surveys of academic entrepreneurs from Germany and Austria, we quantitatively confirm the reliability and validity of the final three-dimensional 11-item scale and its applicability to the intended context. Furthermore, we pave the way for future research by examining how the university entrepreneurial climate relates to public value creation.

B a c k g r o u n d . Public administration is formed as a complex and dynamic system that reflects the evolution of social relations and the changing role of the state in development processes. Today, public administration increasingly moves beyond administrative control, transforming into a space of partnership, participation, and openness. The digitalization of administrative processes, the emergence of e-government, and the concept of open government have reshaped the nature of public authority. M e t h o d s . The study employs a set of general scientific and special methods that ensured a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of public administration. The historical-genetic method was used to identify the sequence of development of administrative models. The comparative method enabled the examination of classical and modern theories. The system analysis method made it possible to determine the relationship between the principles of public administration and digital transformation processes. Content analysis of academic publications and international documents allowed for the generalization of trends in contemporary governance and the identification of directions for its transformation. R e s u l t s . The essence of public administration is clarified as a multidimensional category that integrates normative-administrative, valueoriented, and communicative dimensions and reflects the changing role of the state in the context of digital transformation. The basic principles of public administration were systematized, and the features of their transformation under the influence of digital technologies were identified. The stages of development of public administration models were summarized. Contemporary paradigms such as Digital Era Governance, Public Value Management, and Collaborative Governance were analyzed. It was substantiated that digitalization functions as an integrative factor that connects organizational modernization, a value-based approach, and network interaction, creating preconditions for the transition to a digital-social model of public administration. C o n c l u s i o n s . The study demonstrates that the evolution of public administration is moving from administrative-hierarchical systems toward integrated, open, and value-oriented models of governance. Digitalization not only modernizes tools and procedures but also reshapes governance orientations, shifting the focus toward transparency, participation, and the creation of public value. The results may serve as a methodological basis for further research on digital governance.

The process of globalization coupled with continuous innovatrions in information and communication technology (ICT) has led to governments across the world experiencing increasing challenges to maintain a competitive economy, achieve technology convergence and effectively deliver public services (Burd and Currie, 2004). Having realized the benefits of the use of ICT through private sector offerings, citizens are demanding similar improvement in services provided by the government as well. There is recognition that improvements in efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery could release limited public resources that could achieve Pareto efficient allocation and maximize social welfare (Burd and Currie, 2004).These pressures coupled with rising fiscal constraints are forcing governments to seek cooperation from private players to partner in delivering public services. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) is one form of cooperation between the private sector and governments created to design and deliver public services operating under constraints such as weakness in enabling policy and regulatory framework or lack of capacity in public institutions (CII, 2007).Private sector investments, knowledge and experience in the use of technology and customer interface capabilities are key attributes in countries like India. Thus PPPs have the potential of creating public value that neither of the two parties would be able to achieve alone (Kelly and Muers, 2003).

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are shaping the global agenda by extending the notion of sustainability beyond the realm of environmental impact, to include economic divides, social inclusion, and institutional impacts in a coherent whole. Digital technology in general, and digital government initiatives in particular, can play a key role in supporting the achievement of these goals. In this paper, we focus on the relevance of the SDG agenda for digital government research. Based on our analysis of 291 studies in the area of digital government and sustainable development, we map examples of empirical studies against each of the 17 SDGs, highlighting foci and gaps in the existing body of research. Drawing on the findings, we provide inputs for a research agenda in digital government that systematically tackles the way digital government can help achieving the United Nations’ Agenda 2030.

The research objective of the paper is to present the role of public entrepreneurship in creation of public value. The author maps its relationships and discusses a framework matching main actors (public managers, citizens) and links existing between them (actions undertaken by public managers). At the end of the paper, the author formulates objections raised after a critical analysis of the framework’s parts and articulates methodological guidelines for investigating the role of public entrepreneurship in creation of public value in different organisational types settings.

Using a case study of India’s Digital Stack, the paper seeks to understand how a discrete set of technology services when consumed by citizens can create public value of financial inclusion with regard to savings and access to credit. The research focuses on a single cross-sectional case study employing a deductive approach. The case-study approach is combined with the Granger causality test to empirically test relationships among various variables. The paper also makes an important contribution to public administration and digital government literature, by examining digital initiatives in India. These learnings can support the policy process about digital governance and public value creation for India and other developing countries of the global south.

Purpose: This paper explores the interrelated relationship between corruption and public value in Malaysia. It examines the government s creation of public value and why these values become meaningless in the face of systemic corruption pervading the country. This review aims to identify the areas of concern that had nurtured the practice of corruption in Malaysia s public sector and how these areas of concern can be strengthened to rebuild the citizen or rakyat s trust in the integrity of the public sector. Method: Over several decades, the Malaysian governments have launched important initiatives to counter corruption. This paper focuses on only two government initiatives as a reference. The first initiative refers to the three different approaches undertaken by the Mahathir government in the early 1980s. These included- the Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy initiative (1981), which had Leadership by Example (1983) as a central theme. These initiatives were followed by the campaign for the Inculcation of Islamic Values Policy (1985). The second initiative refers to the National Anti-Corruption Plan launched by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2019, under the Mahathir 2.0 government. The present Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has also adopted this plan. Using the examples of these two Malaysian governments anti-corruption initiatives, this paper examines the values espoused by the government, almost four decades apart, to instill integrity in the public sector. Results: High corruption in the public sector has led to a serious public trust deficit, threatening the country s economic development and social cohesion. Public integrity remains evasive when the interests of a few override those of the larger population. With rampant corruption, the delivery and quality of public services to the citizens become problematic. Conclusion: This paper recommends the way forward in rebuilding trust and public value in Malaysia. Institutional reforms, empowering the public, and encouraging the participation of civil society organizations are some of the measures proposed to overcome the scourge of corruption in Malaysia.

The objective of this paper is to deeply study about how the management control system of a public sector organisation contributes to the creation of public value as expected by the stakeholders. This research is designed as a qualitative case study with the interpretive paradigm. Suroboyo Bus case was chosen as it fits with the purpose of the study and its accessibility. Public Value Management (PVM) theory explains the investigated phenomenon, with the levers of control framework used as the theoretical reference to explain the MCS of Suroboyo Bus. This research found that the MCS of Suroboyo Bus was designed to support the creation of public value. The internalised value of the Suroboyo Bus managers and staff have made the MCS implementation focus upon the public values. The change from UPTD to BLUD became the foundation to facilitate the public value creation. The MCS in operational, budgetary and administration cycles are focused upon maintaining and improving the service quality of the mass public transport of Suroboyo Bus. However, this result may differ across organisational context, hence it is necessary to further advance the study to other public organisations to enhance the knowledge of MCS and public value creation.

This study focuses on the role of the media within the frameworks of the public value and new public service approaches in public administration. Both approaches emerged as critiques of traditional and new public management paradigms, emphasizing democratic participation, transparency, and the creation of social value. The media is presented not as a passive communication tool but as an active actor that facilitates interaction between citizens and the administration. It contributes to the creation of public legitimacy, supports citizen engagement, and plays a role in building shared public values. However, the study also highlights risks associated with the instrumental use of media, such as superficial communication, manipulation, and populism. Through a comparative theoretical analysis based on secondary data, the study examines how each approach conceptualizes the media and integrates it into governance processes. The findings suggest that media is an indispensable component of participatory governance, serving as a platform for both administrative communication and citizen empowerment in the creation of public value.

The growth of smart cities is forcing governments to focus their efforts on the increase of public value creation. Based on a literature review of prior research and on a questionnaire about the perception of city practitioners in European smart cities included in the EUROCITIES network, this paper seeks to analyze the public value creation under the context of the smart cities, examining the model of citizen participation, the responsibility of smart city development and the outcomes to be achieved in smart cities. Results indicate that public value creation surpass the capacities, capabilities, and reaches of their traditional institutions and their classical processes of governing, and therefore new and innovative forms of governance are needed to meet it. This way, the creation of public value under the context of the smart cities is based on smart urban collaboration, which promotes the use of new technologies to adopt a more participative model of governance.

Legitimacy building is an increasingly recognized feature of bureaucratic practice under networked governance. Mark Moore's (1995) model of ‘public value creation’ captures the strategic imperative to build credibility, legitimacy and support for policies and programmes in this context. As an emerging ‘narrative’ in public organizations, it combines perspectives on managerial and political leadership and is therefore useful to explain bureaucratic experiences with legitimacy building and their implications for policy. This article investigates the efforts of Canada's federal sport agency to secure legitimacy and explores the implications of public value creation on future policy-making. Drawing from interview data as well as public and internal documents, the study outlines Sport Canada's initiatives to establish sport's ‘benefits’, collaborate widely and add value in terms of equity and ethics. Two related implications (or storylines) are considered and discussed: (a) the tendency for public value creation to reduce the policy sector to anecdotal understandings in the eyes of political authorizers, and (b) the propensity for building public value to result in over-commitment due to the accumulation and embedding of new collaborations, mandates and target populations. Points for practitioners Mark Moore's ‘public value’ approach resonates with practitioners because of its realist portrayal of politics in public administration. Generating support and legitimacy for existing or proposed policies and programmes is acknowledged to be particularly important in contexts where networks are prevalent. This article investigates legitimacy building within federal sport, a sector which has been reliant on networked governance since its inception and where substantive efforts have been aimed at raising its profile. The case cautions against persistent case-building and public value creation because continuous justifications may ultimately raise questions regarding the credibility of bureaucratic advice and of the likely success of programme commitments.