Technology in Government: Analyzing Digital Transformation and Governance Challenges

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel explores the multifaceted role of technology in government. Specifically, it examines how technology shapes citizens’ lives and the provision of public goods and services through policy, managerial, and legal lenses. From investments in broadband infrastructure to digital literacy as a factor influencing citizens’ interactions with bureaucrats, from the deployment of artificial intelligence to personalize public services to the evolving legal frameworks governing data security and digital governance, the four papers offer a comprehensive analysis of how technology is transforming the public sector and redefining the relationship between government and society.
In examining the role of government within this complex context, the panel brings together a blend of theoretical approaches and employs a wide range of methodologies, including geospatial analysis, text analysis and panel data methods. Together, the studies advance theoretical understanding of the mechanisms underpinning more reliable, accountable, and secure applications of technology in the public sector. At the same time, the panel informs practice by examining the impact of policy initiatives and investments aimed at fostering a more just and effective delivery of public goods and services.

Policy Area

• Public and Nonprofit Management and Finance

Secondary Policy Area

• Public and Nonprofit Management and Finance

Chair

• Carolyn J. Heinrich, Vanderbilt University

Discussant

• Gregg G Van Ryzin, Rutgers University - Newark

Organizer

• Mattia Caldarulo, Rochester Institute of Technology

Individual Presentations

• Patchwork Governance: Evidence from Data Breach Regulations - Presenting Author: Andrew Whitford, University of Georgia; Presenting Author: Max Whitford, University of Georgia

• Precision Public Administration - Presenting Author: Florian Keppeler, Aarhus University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Mary Feeney, Arizona State University

• Time poverty, waiting, and broadband adoption: Evidence from the US - Presenting Author: Mattia Caldarulo, Rochester Institute of Technology; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Gregory porumbescu; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Andrea Hetling, Rutgers University - New Brunswick

• Digital Capacity, Bureaucratic Representation, and 311 Service Delivery in NYC - Presenting Author: Vishal Trehan, Rutgers University - Newark