Small Basic Project: Developing a conceptual framework for citizen-centered smart public governance (J5-2560)
Head of the research group: Prof. dr. Aleksander Aristovnik
In order to keep pace with the changes in today’s society, the public administration must constantly look for opportunities to raise its productivity, increase collaboration, improve process efficiency and focus on innovation. States recognize the need to alter the way public institutions organize, produce and deliver services by releasing the great potential held by networks and partnerships between governments, business corporations, and civil society associations. In this context, citizen-centred smart public governance (CSPG) is an umbrella term to describe many digital initiatives in the public sector that rely on emerging technologies to creatively link physical, digital, public and private environments. Yet, the concept of CSPG has only recently enjoyed significant momentum in the scientific literature. Although researchers have analysed selected facets of the concept, such as smart systems, smart cities and smart regions, systemic approaches are hard to find.
Therefore, this project aims to develop an innovative CSPG conceptual framework, based on the renowned Swiss e-government stage framework, tailored to the specifics of the Slovenian public administration, enabling unprecedented comprehensiveness as facilitated by sophisticated software tools, methods and acustomized survey, involving a multistakeholder perspective, covering the citizens, public institutions and selected experts. CSPG shall be developed in line with an extensive set of the main CSPG principles (integration, innovation, evidence-based decision-making, citizen-centricity, sustainability, creativity, effectiveness, efficiency, equality, entrepreneurialism, citizen engagement, openness, resiliency, technology savviness and others), resulting in several dimensions: (C)itizen-centred elements examining citizen interaction with public institutions; (S)mart elements underscoring the quality of showing quick intelligence and acting quickly; (P)ublic value capabilities, permitting us to address the multifaceted, interrelated and dynamic structure of CSPG through the proactive engagement of public institusions and stakeholders; (G)overnance elements fostering the integrative and comprehensive conceptualization of SPG as a socio-technical phenomenon by means of government structures, processes and procedures. Moreover, the targeted CSPG outcomes are clearly conceptualized: first-order outcomes (O1) or changes to the governance model; secondorder outcomes (O2) or changes in the institution’s position vis-à-vis the stakeholders in citizen-centric services and interactions with citizens; and third-order outcomes ( O 3) or improvements to the city/region/state (economic growth, social inclusion, ecological performance, and highly educated citizens). The value of the results is reinforced by the triangulation approach, combining the views of citizens, institutions and independent experts on the states experienced and expected as regards the CSPG dimensions and outcomes. The obtained data will undergo a multivariate analysis to enable identification of the CSPG maturity level (ML) and related implementation strategy/guidelines (ST) in various dimensions (D) and thus also the outcomes achieved (O). It is taken into account that the dimensions of smart governance which are prone to a largely technological approach are insufficient for addressing the aspects of governance associated with the (lacking) collaboration between smart governments, smart citizens, experts and other stakeholders. Hence, the interdisciplinary approach of gaining inputs and scoping across numerous stakeholders facilitates the required, yet so far not achieved, systemic way of addressing the development of CSGP. Moreover, it wil be able to support a multidimensional data structure (i.e. a data cube), allowing for machine learning and predictive analytics, new knowledge to be generated and CSPG to be continously improved.
Developing a conceptual framework for citizen-centered smart public governance (SICRIS)
Duration (from/to):
1. 9. 2020 – 31. 8. 2023
Contracting Authority:
Slovenian Research Agency
Financing:
The project is being financed with 1535 yearly hours (A price category) for 3 years.
Members of the research group and links to the SICRIS portal
The group consists of researchers from the two participating organizations: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Administration and consultancy company Logon d.o.o.
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Administration:
Prof. dr. Aleksander Aristovnik (leader)
Assist. prof. dr. Dejan Ravšelj
Assist. prof. dr. Nina Tomaževič
Luka Vavtar, Technical associate
Logon informacijske tehnologije, d.o.o.:
The project’s aim is to be operationalized (Figure 2) according to five complementary objectives:
1. to establish the conceptual (theoretical) framework for developing CSPG, encompassing relevant dimensions and tailored to PA stakeholders’ needs: (C)itizen-centred elements, (S)mart elements, (P)ublic value elements, and (G)overnance elements with unprecedented comprehensiveness as aided by sophisticated software tools and methods;
2. to conduct a customized survey involving a multi-stakeholder assessment of potentially relevant CSPG elements, including the citizens, public institutions and selected experts;
3. to quantitatively identify the ‘ideal’ instance of CSPG as indicated by sophisticated multivariate methods;
4. to ensure the in-depth validation and optimization of the statistically indicated CSPG by means of mixed methods triangulation; and
5. to equip the CSPG framework with an original software tool that gives different PA stakeholders an integrated set of referential values (i.e. a data cube) for the accelerated implementation of CSPG.