{"title":"What makes a smart village smart? A review of the literature","authors":"P. Gerli, Julio Navío Marco, J. Whalley","doi":"10.1108/tg-07-2021-0126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-07-2021-0126","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Smart villages (SVs) have lately attracted considerable attention, but what does the term mean? This literature review aims to explore its ambiguous nature and to identify main theoretical and practical aspects to be further explored in the conceptualisation and implementation of these initiatives.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The analysis draws upon a review of 79 references from the grey and academic literature on SVs, identified through a systematic search of academic databases and snowball sampling.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000This review highlights how the definition and characterisation of SVs is currently shaped by disciplinary backgrounds and geographical contexts. SVs are often viewed as the rural version of smart cities or an innovative model for rural development, but there has been little engagement in the literature with other debates around rurality and sustainable development. It is only through engaging with these other debates that a better understanding of the term will emerge.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to conduct a systematic review on SVs. In addition to identifying the main trends in the conceptualisations and design of these initiatives, this paper contributes to the academic debate on smart rural development and provides useful recommendations to both policy makers and practitioners.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45539372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interorganizational coworking: attenuating complexity, enhancing resilience and fostering open innovation and knowledge cocreation","authors":"Xhimi Hysa, Artemisa Themeli","doi":"10.1108/tg-07-2021-0117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-07-2021-0117","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to explore how interorganizational coworking spaces (CWS) affect complexity, resilience, open innovation and knowledge cocreation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This is a qualitative study using the exploratory design. Data are gathered through semistructured interviews and naturalistic observation in six different CWS.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000In line with previous studies, the findings show that being in a CWS with professionals of various backgrounds and contained levels of diversity make people prone to communication and knowledge sharing. Differently from previous research about knowledge creation in CWS, this study discovered that knowledge cocreation was only averagely affected. Complexity and resilience were the most influenced dimensions with scores higher than average, followed by open innovation and knowledge cocreation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000Main limitations are related to the qualitative method itself which may not reach the data saturation and with the nonsynergistic analysis of all dimensions together. A further limitation arose because of the COVID-19 pandemic which contributed to downsizing the number of participants while restricting the options of the involved research instruments. The implications for research are related to a need for further studies using large-scale surveys to strengthen the reliability of research. Additionally, more research is needed to explore the multiple dimensions of open innovation, complexity and resilience in CWS.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000For CWS providers, it is recommended to create thematic/clustered areas of collaboration based on specific professions. For early-stage businesses, freelancers and micro/entrepreneurial firms that do not wish to lease their own office, CWS provide an opportunity for value cocreation and open innovation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000CWS, either physical or virtual, can be used as a retreat approach and a socialization platform, especially for those in need to recover from post-traumatic stress due to the imposed isolation caused by COVID-19 pandemic.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Given the unexplored phenomena of complexity and resilience in CWS, the major contribution of this research is related to the impact of interorganizational coworking upon complexity and resilience.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42409876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental citizenship behavior and sustainability apps: an empirical investigation","authors":"Mario D’Arco, Vittoria Marino","doi":"10.1108/tg-07-2021-0118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-07-2021-0118","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of sustainability app on environmental citizenship behavior on the basis of norm-activation model.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000A questionnaire survey, which comprises five variables (i.e. awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, personal norms, environmental citizenship behavior in a private sphere and environmental citizenship behavior in a public sphere) measured through 16 items, was conducted in the USA by using Amazon Mechanical Turk. With 549 valid respondents’ answers in hand, the collected data were analyzed applying a multi-group structural equation modelling technique with IBM SPSS AMOS 23 software program.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, personal norms and environmental citizenship behavior in both private and public sphere. Furthermore, this study attested that sustainability apps utilization has a moderating effect on the predictors of environmental citizenship behaviors.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Past studies have seldom examined the contribution of mobile apps to environmental sustainability. This paper enriches the extant academic literature in the field of technology for behavior change, and bears significant implications on how sustainability apps can be adopted by governments, policymakers, organizations and teacher educators to engage people and stimulate environmental citizenship behaviors.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2022-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43091633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When innocence is no protection: governance failure of digitization and its impact on local level implementation","authors":"Luthfi Ramadani, Amalia Yovadiani, Fitriyana Dewi","doi":"10.1108/tg-09-2021-0142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-09-2021-0142","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Governance of e-government is rarely discussed in the initial digitization stage, especially in developing countries where the government’s focus is mainly to pursue rapid proliferation of digital adoption rather than to implement governance. This study aims to explore the consequences of this absence of governance at local level conditions.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000An in-depth exploratory case study is conducted at a municipal health government in a southern city in Kalimantan Island, Indonesia, examining the conditions of local actors in response to various nationwide health digitization imperatives. The postcolonial theory with the critical paradigm is used to interpret and conceptualize the empirical findings.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000This study identifies two critical failures of digitization governance that represent the mainstream condition: horizontal sectoral ego and vertical asymmetry and misalignment. These failures have resulted in undesirable consequences at the subalterns indicated by diverse ambivalence and de-voiced constructs displayed by the local actors.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000This paper suggests that various issues that emerge from local level implementation in nationwide digitization agenda might not always be issues of local technology adoption, but rather negative impacts due to the absence of governance practice at the strategic level.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Through a critical perspective, this study unearths the underlying power and structural inequity responsible for generating the various issues and undesirable consequences that emerge at local levels related to the nationwide digitization agenda.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44078575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Systematic and ontology-based approach to interoperable cross-domain open government data services","authors":"Hadi Masoumi, B. Farahani, Fereidoon Shams Aliee","doi":"10.1108/tg-08-2021-0132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-08-2021-0132","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Open government data (OGD) has emerged as a radical paradigm shift and endeavor among government administrations across the world mainly due to its promises of transparency, accountability, public-private collaboration, civic participation, social innovation and data-driven value creation. Complexity, cross-cutting nature, diversity of data sets, interoperability and quality issues usually hamper unlocking the full potential value of data. To tackle these challenges, this paper aims to provide a novel solution using a top-down approach.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000In this paper, the authors propose a systematic ontology-based approach combined with a novel architecture and its corresponding processes enabling organizations to carry out all the steps in the OGD value chain. In addition, an OGD Platform including a portal (www.iranopendata.ir) and a data management system (www.ogdms.iranopendata.ir) are developed to showcase the proposed solution.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The efficiency and the applicability of the solution are evaluated by a real-life use case on energy consumption of the buildings of the city of Tehran, Iran. Finally, a comparison was made with existing solutions, and the results show the proposed approach is able to address the existing gaps in the literature.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The results imply that modeling and designing the data model, as well as exploiting an ontology-based approach are critical pillars to create rich, relevant and well-described OGD data sets. Moreover, clarity on processes, roles and responsibilities are the key factors influencing the quality of the published data services. Thus, to the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that exploits and considers an ontology-based approach in a top-down manner to create OGD data sets.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47835716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Open data for accountability at times of exception: an exploratory analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"G. Maione, D. Sorrentino, A. Kruja","doi":"10.1108/tg-06-2021-0093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-06-2021-0093","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000At exceptional times, governments are entrusted with greater authority. This creates significant concerns over governments’ transparency and accountability. This paper aims to pursue a twofold objective: assessing the patterns of open government data during the extraordinary time initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic drawing relevant policy and managerial implications regarding the future development of open data as a mechanism of accountability at times of exception.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The study follows exploratory research, relying on a web content analysis. The empirical setting is provided by 20 Italian regional governments during the COVID-19 pandemic as a shock that has triggered an exceptional time for governments.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Results on the desirable (extrinsic and intrinsic) characteristics of the data analyzed show that in the empirical setting investigated, open data does not enable to properly address the accountability concerns of a demanding forum at times of exception.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000The paper enriches the state of the art on accountability and provides both scholars and practitioners (e.g. policymakers, managers, etc.) a current reading of data-driven orientation as a stimulus to the accountability of public administrations during exceptional times.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The paper investigates open data as a condition of public accountability, assessing whether and how Italian regional governments have concretely opened their data to enable their forums to elaboration of an informed opinion about their conduct during the ongoing pandemic. This fosters the understanding of how accountability is deployed in times of exception in light of the possibilities offered by the availability of online platforms.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47150906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cloud computing and ERP assimilation in the public sector: institutional perspectives","authors":"N. Alsharari","doi":"10.1108/tg-04-2021-0069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-04-2021-0069","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to explore the influence of contingent factors on the assimilation of the cloud enterprises resources plan (ERP) system in the UAE’s public sector. It explains the relationship between institutional logics and institutional work while implementing ERP-based cloud computing (CC) to transform the government.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000This study uses qualitative methods and an interpretive approach to provide an in-depth explanation for a detailed case study in the public sector. The institutional logics framework has been used to inform the integration between ERP system and CC in the public sector case.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Findings show that the UAE public sector could align institutional work processes with the inbuilt logics of ERP-based CC, resulting in successful assimilation of the cloud version. This study concludes that institutional pressures in highly institutionalized environments will generate organizational responses, but those responses are dependent upon and influenced by aspects of organizational culture. This study found that the organizational culture has led to a radical change by implementing the cloud ERP system and institutionalizing its usage toward transforming government. Moreover, ERP assimilation is the extent to which an organization has developed from understanding the ERP system’s functionalities to mastering and deploying them in their processes.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000This study has important implications and contributions to the literature in three ways. First, this study examines an understudied topic, the interaction between CC and institutional logics. Second, this study contributes to the public sector research by providing a fine-tuned interpretation of the organization’s strategic behavior in response to a new information technology (IT) trend. Finally, this study also focuses on this new trend of CC which can influence the global IT industry, and it is worthy of being considered.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Explanatory case study research has a value to the public sector that one might be discovering new phenomena while analyzing the public sector case. The implementation of cloud ERP is one of the best methods of integrating technology with the public sector’s organizational, technical, economic, social, cultural and other environmental domains.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45099230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechanisms of constraint: a clinical inquiry of digital infrastructuring in municipalities","authors":"Jwan Khisro, Tomas Lindroth, J. Magnusson","doi":"10.1108/tg-01-2021-0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-01-2021-0014","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this study is to contribute to research concerning the role of digital infrastructure in digital government. This is done by answering the research question: how does digital infrastructuring constrain ambidexterity in public sector organizations?\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The research is designed as a clinical inquiry in a large Swedish municipality, involving data collection in the form of interviews and internal documents. The method of analysis involves both exploring generative mechanisms in digital infrastructuring and theorizing on the findings based on previous literature.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The findings identify four generative mechanisms through which stability and change in digital infrastructuring constrain ambidexterity in terms of both efficiency (exploitation) and innovation (exploration).\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000This study’s limitations are related to international and intersectoral transferability and risks associated with its approach to clinical inquiry. The main implications are its contribution to the literature on how stability counteracts not only innovation but also efficiency and how change counteracts not only efficiency but also innovation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000This study identifies clear generative mechanisms that should be avoided by managers striving for digital government, and it offers clear recommendations for said managers regarding how to avoid them.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000This study offers implications for national-level digital infrastructure policy and contributes to efforts to increase the capabilities of digital government.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000As two of the four identified generative mechanisms are novel contributions, this study offers a concrete addition to existing research. This study has resulted in factual change in the studied organization as well as at the national level through successful dissemination of the findings for both policy and practice in other public sector organizations.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62419317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Weibo to the Rescue? A study of social media use in citizen–government relations in China","authors":"V. Homburg, Rebecca Moody","doi":"10.1108/tg-06-2021-0101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-06-2021-0101","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000In this study, the authors explain citizens’ adoption of social media in citizen–government relations in China, a country that blends an authoritarian governance regime with limited tolerance of and responsiveness to online citizen participation.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Original survey data were gathered using a vignette survey among 307 respondents living in the People’s Republic of China. Multivariate analysis of the data was used to test four hypotheses and identify antecedents of Chinese citizens’ social media adoption for “thin” participation purposes.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Citizens’ perceived impact of “thin” participation, citizens’ skills and capabilities and citizens’ trust in institutions are significantly associated with citizens’ social media adoption. Social media anxiety was found not to be associated with Chinese citizens’ social media adoption.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000This study demonstrates how vignettes can be used to study adoption of technological and institutional innovations in an authoritarian governance regime and how in this context existing adoption theories can be extended with notions of institutional trust to adequately explain citizens’ adoption of technological and institutional innovations in citizen–government relations.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000Although some argue that social media activity could potentially mitigate democratic deficits caused by the state, in the case of China, the intertwinement of state and social media platform renders this argument unsustainable.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This study is one of the few systematic survey studies focusing on Chinese citizens’ adoption of social media in citizen–government relations.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47662141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does trust in e-government influence the performance of e-government? An integration of information system success model and public value theory","authors":"A. K. Abdulkareem, R. Ramli","doi":"10.1108/tg-01-2021-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/tg-01-2021-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This study aims to examine the usefulness of trust in e-government to influence the use and success of e-government services within the context of the information system (IS) success model and public value theory.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The study proposed a conceptual model comprising 17 hypotheses tested using structural equation modelling-partial least squares. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire from 369 e-government users from Nigeria.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000The results show that trust in e-government is directly influenced by all information quality, service quality and actual use. Also, trust in e-government predicts the public value of e-government, among other variables. Trust in e-government mediates the relationship between the quality dimensions and the public value of e-government. Also, the quality dimensions predict the actual use and user satisfaction with e-government. The most significant effect was established in the relationship between trust in e-government and the public value of e-government.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000This study used a targeted and small sample size compared to the teledensity of Nigeria, limiting analysis that might influence the relevance of the variables’ relationships. Other individual characteristics such as self-efficacy and access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital literacy were not included in the study.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000It is expected that public service managers and ICT implementers would learn and take advantage of the system’s strengths and limitations and resolve expectations to enhance its value.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This study extended the DeLone and Mclean IS success model to incorporate public values as the net benefits of e-government. The public value of e-government was treated as a second-order construct.\u0000","PeriodicalId":51696,"journal":{"name":"Transforming Government- People Process and Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45885079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}