PA — 2026-08-17
Original Agile Digital Transformation and the Rule of Law: Perks and Perils in a Belgian and a Dutch Public Sector Organization
PMR — pp. 1-27 2026-07-22 Original Digital transformations in public welfare services: risks and benefits of digital co-production
Maria Taivalsaari Røhnebæk, Sigrid Myklebø, Inge Hermanrud, Asbjørn Kårstein
PMR — pp. 1-29 2026-06-29 Original Forged through forces: configurations to digital policy attention in local governments
Tao Wang, Chen Zhong, Ge Wang, Liumiao Qin
Abstract
Although governments’ digital policy attention is pivotal for effective digital governance, the mechanisms shaping attention remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on an integrated view of institutional environment, task environment, and resource endowment, we analyse 272 Chinese prefecture-level cities using a hybrid fsQCA – regression method to examine how multiple conditions jointly shape attention to digital transformation. We find that normative pressure, fiscal capacity, economic conditions, and digital infrastructure provide the foundation for high policy attention. Beyond this base, we identify three configurations across these dimensions: capability alignment, where leaders with technocratic backgrounds and digital culture jointly foster endogenous commitment; pressure compliance, where coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures jointly drive policy attention; and peer learning adaptation, where governments enhance attention through horizontal emulation when top-down mandates are weak. Regression analyses show that pressure compliance exerts the strongest influence on digital policy attention. These findings reveal configurational dynamics underlying digital governance.
CQ — pp. 1-17 2026-06-25 Original How Public Opinion Monitoring Services Are Reshaping Chinese Media
Haiyan Wang, Chunyan Huang, Liangen Yin
Abstract
Abstract Faced with the pressures of digital transformation, media organizations in China are undergoing a “think-tank turn,” in which Public Opinion Monitoring Services (POMS) are playing an integral role. This study uses POMS as a case to examine the digital transformation of Chinese media organizations and to explore the broader shifts in the political economy of Chinese media in the digital age. Combining in-depth interviews, fieldwork and analysis of secondary documents, this qualitative research study identifies the emergence of consulting as a “third role” of Chinese media, supplementing the traditional roles of news reporting and ideological propagation. This new role caters to the government’s need to govern the online space and manage public opinion through three primary operations: “timely firefighting” against dissident voices, “regular monitoring” of public opinion and the “periodic training” of information officials. In this context, POMS not only enable media organizations to navigate financial challenges but also significantly reshape their role and relationship with the state.
PMR — pp. 1-30 2026-05-28 Original Explore and integrate: how digital innovation units enable local government digital transformation
Friso Selten
Abstract
The politics and administration of institutional change
PA — 2026-04-28
Original Governing the Local Digital Transformation: A European Comparative Perspective
Sabine Kuhlmann, Justine Marienfeldt, Frederico Ganz
Abstract
ABSTRACT This study compares governance structures, policy formulation and implementation of administrative digitalization at the local level in three countries with different administrative traditions: France, Germany and the United Kingdom. A new analytical framework is developed that allows for a systematic comparison of administrative digitalization in different national contexts. To this end, we draw on concepts from comparative public administration and public policy analysis and assess whether and how national political and institutional contexts and ‘initial conditions’ influence local administrative digitalization. Three distinct models of governance are identified that reflect specific administrative traditions: a centralized and coordinated approach in France, a fragmented and multilevel system in Germany, and a centralized and decoupled model in the United Kingdom. Despite these differences, all countries priorities a policy‐making model based on voluntary participation and incentive systems in the digitalization of municipal administration. In terms of the results of the reforms, there are notable differences between countries: high digital maturity in the United Kingdom, medium and low levels of maturity in Germany and France. The continuation of capacity differences is also emphasized, with growing digital divides between municipalities.
PA — 2026-04-12
Original Does Digital Transformation Rely on Collaborative Dynamics? A Case Study on the Italian Public Digital Strategy
Lorenzo Costumato, Andrea Bonomi Savignon, Fabiana Scalabrini, Luigina Paglieri
PA — 2026-04-05
Original Citizen‐Centered Public Service Design in Agile Digital Transformation: Insights From Public Mobility Services
Hemin Choi, Maria Cucciniello
Abstract
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to highlight the critical role of human‐centered design approach as a foundational element in the agile digital transformation of public service design. Grounded in service‐design principles and public‐service logic, it analyses how agencies adopt agile practices and involve stakeholders in co‐design of disrupted municipal public mobility services during Covid 19. Combining a citizen survey, co‐design workshops with officials and user representatives in an Italian city, we find that iterative, participatory cycles help close gaps between service demand and user satisfaction when organizations remain adaptable, stakeholders stay engaged, and technology is aligned with user needs. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to enhance the usability and effectiveness of public services while contributing to broader discussions on sustainable, citizen‐centric governance.