Suchergebnisse

Policy implementation is characterized by professional public service workers who make decisions about clients using knowledge and skill-sets acquired through years of training and experience. Their unique position separates them from other workers, provides them with autonomy, and enables them to challenge managerial directives. Information and communications technology is used to tame this power. Whereas public service workers have been criticized for having too much influence, technology may shift decision-making from a professional craft to technology-driven mass-production. This article studies how technology impacts policy implementation in seven sub-stages resulting in alternating professional and managerial imperatives in all sub-stages except for discretionary practices. Whereas managers, public service workers, and clients can appreciate that professional norms are strengthened, and managerial goals achieved, there is a growing concern about the role of technology and its influence on public service workers responsible for policy implementation. The article ends with suggestions for future research.

Public service workers have traditionally enjoyed a wide freedom to make decisions about clients. With the increased use of ICT in public service provision, discretionary practices are influenced or replaced by computerized routines, known as digital discretion. Based on the assumption that public service workers are motivated by helping individual clients, this paper focuses on characteristics of public service provision that can explain their digital discretion acceptance. To find out, we surveyed public service workers (n=125) within several types of public service provision and used structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). We conclude that professional motivations and the nature of public service provision make it difficult to completely digitize discretionary practices. Policy implications include paying special attention to the opportunities that technological innovations can create and the potential inability of public service workers to fully utilize digital tools due limited training and age.

Resilience is a topic of steadily increasing interest. It particularly gains importance when discussing how communities (e.g. municipalities) can prepare themselves for potential future disruptions. A resilient community will overcome immediate shocks, such as an earthquake, as well as stresses, such as the successive outbreak of a pandemic. Due to the novelty of the topic, research particularly exists on theoretical aspects of resilience. Targeting learning - and thereby the local population - is a rather new emergence. To effectively reach, involve, and engage citizens, technology can play a key role. Based on four actual cases from communities we analyse the impact technology has on learning about resilience. We then scrutinize the effectiveness and propose future steps. Thereby, we seek to provide practical advice to local governments and to enrich the theory at the same time.