PA — 2026-08-06
Original Institutional Pressures or Organizational Capacity? Antecedents of Digital Maturity in Local Governments
Sarah Van Impe, Lieselot Danneels, Ben Suykens
Abstract
ABSTRACT Public administration research has identified institutional pressures and organizational capacity as digital maturity (DM) antecedents, yet these are typically considered in isolation. Taking the proverbial next step, this study draws on primary survey data to explain the variation of DM among local governments in Flanders (the northern region of Belgium) by juxtaposing the explanatory power of institutional pressures on the one hand, and political and administrative capacity on the other hand. Using multiple regression analyses, our findings highlight the critical role of administrative capacity in advancing DM among local governments. In contrast, and somewhat surprisingly, political capacity and institutional pressures appear to play a more limited role. These findings challenge conventional assumptions in existing literature, indicating that institutional pressures may catalyze the initial stages of DT, whereas organizational capacity seems to be more influential in sustaining and advancing DM.
GOV 39/4 2026-07-29
Original Legislative Pork‐Barrel Funding and Public Policy Outcomes: The Role of Local‐Level Factors
GOV 39/2 2026-03-19
Original Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Administrative Capacity With Open Data: Could ‘Administrative Throughput’ Be the Missing Link Between Administrative Inputs and Outputs?
PAR 86/3 pp. 581-594 2026-03-09 Original Practice Without Theory? The Wonder of Bethpage Black
Odd J. Stalebrink
Abstract
ABSTRACT Bethpage State Park's Black Course offers a rare historical case of administrative capacity emerging under conditions of uncertainty, fiscal constraint, and urgent public purpose during the Great Depression. Built with relief labor and without the benefit of fully developed public administration or budgeting doctrines, the project required administrators to invent workable practices as construction unfolded. Drawing on extensive archival records, this article reconstructs Bethpage as a historical case of administrative capacity emerging through practice rather than formal design. The analysis identifies four interrelated mechanisms through which capacity developed: alignment of ambition and necessity, coordination through routine budgeting and reporting, discipline embedded in oversight, and endurance through institutional memory. Together, these mechanisms show how effective governance can arise from improvisation, constraint, and learning under pressure. The case demonstrates that administrative discipline and creativity need not be opposites and offers practical insights for contemporary public managers facing complex, uncertain, and time‐sensitive challenges.