Digital & data-driven transformations in governance: a landscape review

Data & Policy, vol. 7

Abstract

Abstract Data for Policy (dataforpolicy.org), a global community, focuses on policy–data interactions by exploring how data can be used for policy in an ethical, responsible, and efficient manner. Within its journal, six focus areas, including Data for Policy Area 1: Digital & Data-driven Transformations in Governance, were established to delineate the evolving research landscape from the Data for Policy Conference series. This review addresses the absence of a formal conceptualization of digital and data-driven transformations in governance within this focus area. The paper achieves this by providing a working definition, mapping current research trends, and proposing a future research agenda centered on three core transformations: (1) public participation and collective intelligence; (2) relationships and organizations; and (3) open data and government. The paper outlines research questions and connects these transformations to related areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable smart cities, digital divide, data governance, co-production, and service quality. This contribution forms the foundational development of a research agenda for academics and practitioners engaged in or impacted by digital and data-driven transformations in policy and governance.

Authors 4

1. Sarah N. Giest corresponding Aachen Public Administration Institute

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Public Administration Institute, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Keegan McBride

   University of Oxford

   Affiliation as printed

   Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

3. Anastasija Nikiforova

   University of Tartu

   Affiliation as printed

   Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia

4. Sujit Kumar Sikder

   Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development

   Affiliation as printed

   Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Dresden, Germany