{"title":"Why coproduce? Citizens' perspectives on the costs and benefits of technology-enabled coproduction","authors":"Heewon Lee , Dongfang Gaozhao , Frances S. Berry","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how citizens weigh cost-benefit tradeoffs when reporting public service failures and engaging in technology-enabled coproduction, shedding light on an understudied area of perceived costs of coproduction and their interaction with benefits. The landscape of citizen coproduction has grown increasingly complex, as multiple digital communication platforms have become available for service reporting, and as more nongovernmental actors provide public services. We investigate whether citizens' willingness to coproduce varies by the sector affiliation of public service providers and digital platforms, and whether these sectors moderate the effects of perceived costs and benefits. Using a conjoint survey experiment, we find that citizens are more likely to report severe service failures and when expected benefits in efficacy are high. Conversely, their willingness decreases when perceived costs of privacy concerns or effort are significant. Citizens are more inclined to coproduce when digital platforms and public service providers come from different sectors. The findings call attention to the complex institutional arrangements of coproduction and the critical linkages between public service providers and digital platforms, highlighting their distinct yet complementary roles in fostering citizen coproduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102116"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147396295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Two sides of the same diffusion: The adopter-non-adopter influences in police technology innovation adoption","authors":"Chin-Huai Shih","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Information technologies in policing have garnered significant interdisciplinary attention; however, limited research has examined the facilitators and barriers to adoption through a diffusion lens. This study investigates the diffusion of Electronic Patrol Signature Systems (EPSS) across Taiwanese local police departments, employing a Dual-Force Dyadic Analysis (DFDA) framework to model the bidirectional influence of both adopters and non-adopters. Grounded in social network theory and policy inaction literature, the study identifies three network metrics—tie strength, centrality, and structural equivalence—to capture decision interdependence via different diffusion mechanisms and address the oversight of non-adopter influence in current empirical studies.</div><div>A cross-sectional analysis of EPSS adoption between 2019 and 2021 reveals that decisions are strongly interdependent and shaped by the relations with both adopters and non-adopters. Combined with qualitative data, the study finds that competition in digital innovation is the most likely primary diffusion mechanism, with departments striving to align with and distinguish themselves from structurally similar peers via EPSS adoption to earn public recognition. Geographic clustering and the diffusion-inhibiting role of high-centrality non-adopters are also observed. Overall, this study advances the theoretical understanding of technology diffusion among police organizations and highlights the importance of modeling both adopter and non-adopter influence. These insights are broadly applicable across policy domains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102109"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The E-Participation Paradox: Varying Effects on Government Trust in an Era of Democratic Fatigue","authors":"Changwoong Moon , Dae-Eun Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102112","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the advancement of information and communication technologies, opportunities for e-participation have increased compared to the past. However, in an era of rising populism and democratic fragmentation, its positive effects remain uncertain. This study argues that trust in government has not risen with e-participation and, in some cases, has been undermined, explaining this as the paradox of e-participation. This phenomenon depends on whether countries experience democratic fatigue, which varies with political-economic development.</div><div>For empirical analysis, this study builds a dataset linking objective indicators of national e-participation with citizens' subjective trust evaluations. Using hierarchical linear modeling, it analyzes 141,404 respondents from 65 countries in the World Values Survey between 2008 and 2020. The results reveal two findings. First, higher Balanced <em>E</em>-Participation Index (BEPI) values are associated with increased government trust, but the effect diminishes as e-participation deepens and eventually turns negative. Second, while non-OECD countries generally show the positive relationship predicted by prior research, OECD countries display an inverted U-shape once a certain threshold is crossed. This threshold is interpreted as the point at which democratic fatigue produces the paradox of e-participation in its effect on trust.</div><div>The study shows that strategies to enhance government trust through e-participation should shift from maximization to optimization, and explores this possibility through the dual initiatives and component elements of e-participation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102112"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hybrid images of generative AI: A Q methodological study of civil servants' perceptions","authors":"Liang Zhu, Tianyi Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The proliferation of Generative AI (GenAI) within public organizations has introduced agentic augmentation; however, its opaque and probabilistic outputs complicate accountability and routine bureaucratic processes. Despite the growing body of research on GenAI in government, the evidence on how civil servants interpret GenAI remains fragmented and is often examined through variable-centered acceptance models. To address this gap, we integrate four administrative logics within an Input-Process-Output framework, and employ Q methodology to systematically map the perceptions of 32 grassroots civil servants in China. The analysis yields four hybrid profiles—Cautious Institutionalists, Performance-Driven Optimists, Burden-Reduction Strategists, and Skeptical Followers—ranging from optimistic orientations emphasizing efficiency enhancement or workload alleviation, to more deliberative standpoints grounded in normative concerns, or pragmatic skepticism about technological readiness. These findings provide empirical evidence of the hybridity and complexity of civil servants' views, challenging and extending the sufficiency of utility-based technology acceptance models in the GenAI era. By highlighting how instrumental and normative rationalities intertwine, this study extends theoretical frameworks and offers holistic insights for navigating the complex adoption of GenAI in the public sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102113"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147396296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rules and responsibilities in smart city governance: Exploring the architecture of data value chain","authors":"Filippo Marchesani , Federica Ceci","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102115","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102115","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Smart Cities increasingly rely on data, making the Data Value Chain (DVC), the processes of data acquisition, curation, analysis, storage, and usage, a core component of urban data architecture. Managing the DVC during digital transitions requires municipalities to develop capabilities that extend well beyond technology, including how they organize responsibilities, coordinate across units, and govern relationships with external partners. Through a qualitative case study of Pescara (Italy), a digitally advanced medium-sized city, we investigate how DVC is structured and how the local government leverages internal units and coordinates with external collaboration such as corporate, Semi-Public, SMEs and startups partner. Our findings indicate that effective DVC management requires a allocation of rules and responsibilities across organizational domains, and their alignment with internal–external actor roles at each DVC stage. This alignment must be supported by clear rules that safeguard data sovereignty, regulate access and usage rights, and assign accountability across inter-organizational collaborations. The study contributes to the smart-city literature by using a DVC lens to explain how organizational domains and actor configurations structure and coordinate data processes, showing how small and medium-sized cities operationalize data-driven transformation under resource constraints through bounded partnerships, role specialization, and the concentration of data-usage decision rights within the municipality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102115"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147396297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Generative AI in public administration: A quasi-experimental analysis of bureaucratic productivity","authors":"Eungjoon Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102108","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the effect of a specialized generative AI system—developed and tested as part of a Proof of Concept (PoC)—on the speed with which public officials in a central government agency draft written responses to citizen inquiries. Using a quasi-experimental design with difference-in-differences analysis and propensity score matching, 80 civil servants were divided into a treatment group participating in the proof of concept (adopting AI-based drafting) and a control group that maintained existing practices. The difference-in-differences results of this study indicate a significant reduction in document preparation time for the AI group, with an observed difference-indifferences estimate of 3.81 min and a regression-adjusted estimate of 4.05 min faster than the control group. Notably, new employees benefited the most, suggesting that generative AI can help close the skill gap by expediting their learning curve. These findings highlight that generative AI can improve task-level efficiency in document drafting. Broader organizational or effectiveness-related outcomes were not assessed in this study. Policy implications include the importance of tailored training and support for different experience levels, as well as considerations for standardization, quality control, and ethical safeguards. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence that generative AI can transform administrative workflows in government agencies, offering actionable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance productivity and service quality in the digital era.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102108"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kuch Felicitas , Jung Carolin , Kreuzer Thomas , Oberländer Anna Maria , Maronna-Aigner Karolina
{"title":"The role of digital post systems in transforming public administration: A digital infrastructure perspective","authors":"Kuch Felicitas , Jung Carolin , Kreuzer Thomas , Oberländer Anna Maria , Maronna-Aigner Karolina","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The digital transformation of public administration is a complex endeavor aimed at improving efficiency, strengthening public trust, and advancing democratic values. A significant, yet underexplored facet of this transformation pertains to the digital post system, which enables secure digital communication between the public administration and citizens. Despite its centrality in delivering end-to-end digital services, digital post systems have received limited scholarly attention. Existing studies often focus broadly on digital communication, neglecting the infrastructural and strategic roles such systems can play. The present study investigates the manner in which digital post systems contribute to the digital transformation of public administration by acting as shared digital infrastructures. We conduct a case study of digital post systems in three countries: Denmark, Estonia, and Germany. Building on 21 semi-structured interviews with 18 interview partners and publicly available data, we identify three roles that digital post systems can assume: <em>digitization enabler</em>, <em>process integrator</em>, and <em>ecosystem catalyst</em>. Additionally, we examine four underlying generative mechanisms that enable these roles and their contributions to digital transformation: <em>adoption</em>, <em>innovation</em>, <em>scaling</em>, and <em>legitimation</em>. Our study contributes to the extant literature by offering a novel conceptualization of digital post systems, highlighting their strategic value as digital infrastructures that shape and sustain digital transformation efforts in public administration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102110"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gianluca Maria Guazzo , Pierangelo Rosati , Orlando Troisi , Theo Lynn
{"title":"Balancing privacy and trust: Social acceptance of video-based traffic sensors in smart city initiatives","authors":"Gianluca Maria Guazzo , Pierangelo Rosati , Orlando Troisi , Theo Lynn","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2025.102099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2025.102099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The deployment of smart city technologies offers local governments a chance to enhance citizens' quality of life by tackling issues such as traffic congestion. Traffic management systems often utilise video-based traffic sensors (VBTSs) to analyse traffic patterns via camera images, which might capture sensitive data like location and driving behaviours. This capability can evoke perceptions of urban surveillance, raising privacy concerns and resistance, potentially hindering smart city initiatives' success. Understanding factors influencing the social acceptance of these technologies is crucial for their successful implementation. This study applies privacy calculus theory and examines how citizens' trust in government implementation of VBTSs and privacy concerns affect their social acceptance, using a stratified sample of 1920 US residents. Findings indicate privacy concerns negatively impact VBTSs acceptance at both general and local levels, while trust in government boosts general acceptance but does not affect local acceptance. Thus, our findings suggest privacy and trust play vital roles in determining the success or failure of a potentially controversial smart city initiative. These insights are valuable for governments at a practical level and for researchers at a theoretical level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102099"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145705596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Federico Bartolomucci , Edoardo Ramalli , Valeria Maria Urbano
{"title":"Integrated governance in data ecosystems: A conceptual framework consolidating collaborative and data governance","authors":"Federico Bartolomucci , Edoardo Ramalli , Valeria Maria Urbano","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102107","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2026.102107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The potential benefits deriving from inter-organizational data sharing have increased over time, leading to an intensified interest in data ecosystems. The governance of these endeavors depends on both collaborative and data governance dimensions. However, previous research has often treated these dimensions separately, creating silos that hinder the capacity to deliver value considering their socio-technical nature. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the intertwined relationship between these two dimensions within data ecosystems. It does so by questioning which existing and most relevant relationships exist between them, as well as the nature of these relationships. To this end, we adopt a multiple case study approach, analyzing five data ecosystems. The research led to the development of a conceptual framework for Integrated Governance, highlighting the need for a holistic socio-technical approach that addresses collaborative and data governance dimensions as intertwined. The framework unveils 24 core relationships between these dimensions in data ecosystems and provides insights on the nature of the relationships, distinguishing among causal, explanatory, concurrent, chronological, and overlapping ones. This work introduces a new perspective in the academic discourse on data sharing providing actionable insights for practitioners and enabling them to design and manage data ecosystems more effectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102107"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kristian Bloch Haug , Anders Haug , Jens Ulrik Hansen
{"title":"Algorithmic profiling of the unemployed: A case study and a framework for understanding legitimization processes","authors":"Kristian Bloch Haug , Anders Haug , Jens Ulrik Hansen","doi":"10.1016/j.giq.2025.102103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giq.2025.102103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Machine learning-based algorithms (MLAs) are often criticized for being biased or unfair when used by public institutions to make predictions or decisions about people's lives, particularly when marginalized or disadvantaged groups are involved. In this context, an important topic is the role of public discourses on the legitimacy of these tools, as these can significantly impact such projects. However, research on this topic is sparse. To add to this knowledge, the present study conducts a longitudinal case study of a public Danish project involving the deployment of an MLA system for profiling unemployed citizens with respect to their risk of long-term unemployment. The system was used for around seven years, but after significant public criticism, it was eventually terminated. Through a grounded theory-based document analysis of the public discourse on the MLA system, a set of legitimization factors and themes is identified. Using these elements, it is shown that public criticism and justification do not only appeal to different principles of legitimacy but may concern different aspects of phenomena. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that legitimization aspects should not be considered in isolation, as these can be used to develop arguments related to other aspects, some of which are inclined to counter each other.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48258,"journal":{"name":"Government Information Quarterly","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102103"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}