Editorial - Volume 17, Issue 1

The editorial comprises information on the published articles as well as new information regarding the activities around JeDEM

Decoding open government policy: Recurrent or innovative liberalism?

This article examines the implications of open government policies that emerged at a critical juncture for democracies worldwide. Since the launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2011, the movement has aimed to revitalise democratic governance. However, its theoretical context within the evolution of liberal democracy remains unexplored. Bias in case selection and a lack of empirical evidence have constrained our understanding. This study analyses open government policy documents from 75 OGP national member countries using Natural Language Processing techniques. The findings reveal a collective commitment to more inclusive and participatory governance models, departing from neoliberal priorities through public innovations. This research enriches the dialogue around democratic governance by explaining how the Open Government Movement intersects with the ideals of liberal democracy. It provides valuable theoretical and practical perspectives, enhancing our understanding and application of open government principles

Insights from the www.openbydefault.ca database project

Despite Canada’s history of public records access legislation and its commitment to open government policies that seek to advance the disclosure of government records, significant quantities of Canadian federal government information remain not only inaccessible but vulnerable to destruction. This article describes the www.openbydefault.ca project, which aims to preserve and publicly disclose federal government records released through formal Access to Information Act requests by making them immediately available online. From concept to implementation, Open by Default underwent many developments in its life cycle. This article examines the evolution of this project, including as it pertains to data acquisition and processing, database and website design and development, and document storage and hosting, as well as project sustainability and evolution. Using primarily a project development methodology that outlines the evolution of the project during the period from conceptualization to launch, this article discusses and analyzes how the research for the project was carried out and provides a framework to allow researchers to understand how the work might be replicated in future efforts to make government information more accessible

From policy to practice in digital governance: A three-level analysis of citizen-centric applications

Amidst the growing importance of digital governance, the need to formulate a governance framework and integrate policy and regulation mechanisms is also increasing. There is also a need to assess the digital governance paradigm in terms of how citizens are responding to it. In doing so, we have carried out a three-level analysis: app developers’ claims, app users’ opinions, and finally, the gap between these levels - is compared by using ten citizen-centric applications from ten different countries hosted on Google Play Store. These applications are assessed based on their self-declaration on Google Play Store on 15 preset parameters, second by sentiment analysis of reviews through VADER and RoBERTa models and finally, a ten-parameter analysis. The paper comprehensively reviews the governance aspect of citizen-centric applications and highlights key elements of digital governance

Implementing e-participation platforms to enhance citizen engagement and participation within South African municipalities

The success of e-participation initiatives across South African municipalities hinges upon a nuanced comprehension and roles of the complex interplay between political, social, and technological factors. With the aid of an in-depth literature review, this study explores e-participation initiatives and their progress in strengthening the governance of South African municipalities. Using the content analysis technique, this study reveals that there is a serious lack of digital infrastructure and that digital gaps and lack of proper research addressing these problems between urban and rural municipalities contribute to inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategies to improve citizen engagement and participation in governance processes. From this perspective, this study recommends an urgent need to undertake deliberate awareness campaigns to promote the use of e-participation platforms; and identify the citizens’ needs and concerns to formulate locally preferred content and design inclusive policies to strengthen the order of local governance

Unifying the fragmented landscape of electronic public procurement research: A systematic review and future directions

Despite the considerable body of research in the arena of electronic public procurement (e-PP), most of the literature is in fragmented form due to the non-availability of a recent structured review of these studies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to organize, evaluate, and synthesize electronic public procurement research during the last 24 years. This paper also aims to provide some insight into the future direction of this research domain. In order to achieve this, a systematic review was conducted. A total of 37 articles were systematically identified and analyzed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The findings revealed four main areas of investigation of e-PP research: adoption and acceptance of e-PP; implementation challenges and success factors; impacts of e-PP implementation; and evaluation of e-PP technology. Moreover, a notable variation in the usage of theories, models, and frameworks was identified across the four areas. Additionally, a conceptual framework was developed, integrating the fragmented findings presented across the four key research areas. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first systematic review with a specific focus on electronic procurement in the public sector, particularly on the state-of-the-art usage of theories in this research arena. In terms of implications for future researchers, this review highlights unexplored areas within each subdomain, along with potential theoretical advancements

Public participation and transparency: Does open governance promote inclusion and accountability?

Openness has become a standard in public service delivery and open governance. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) focuses on dimensions of transparency, accountability, and efficiency. This study evaluates the inherent dimensions of transparency and public participation by assessing the OGP open data on policy commitments in the areas of fiscal openness, public service delivery, and inclusion from the perspective of transparency-based policy framework. The study offers a longitudinal-comparative approach, qualitatively analysing the role of transparency and public participation within the number of commitments, the level of completion, and the performance reported in each action plan submitted to the OGP. The analysis centres on five cases, highlighting different stages and engagement levels regarding OGP policies. The findings highlight underlying tendencies in multi-level governance models, emphasising governments’ goals and (self-)reporting biases. The study offers a critical perspective for potential lines of action to improve inclusion and accountability within an open governance paradigm

The impact of e-government on public services: Access, efficiency, and quality in Kathmandu metropolitan city

Diese Studie untersucht die Auswirkungen von E-Government-Diensten auf die Bereitstellung öffentlicher Dienste in der Kathmandu Metropolitan City, mit einem Schwerpunkt auf dem Electronic Building Permit System (e-BPS). Die Forschung nutzt sowohl quantitative als auch qualitative Methoden, um die Wahrnehmung der Bürger hinsichtlich des Zugangs zu Diensten, ihrer Qualität und Effizienz zu analysieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass E-Government-Initiativen die Bereitstellung von Diensten erheblich verbessert haben, obwohl es weiterhin Herausforderungen hinsichtlich der Benutzerbeteiligung und der Systemzugänglichkeit gibt. Diese Erkenntnisse tragen zum Verständnis der Rolle von E-Government in der Stadtverwaltung bei und bieten Erkenntnisse für politische Entscheidungsträger und Stadtplaner.This study examines the impact of e-government services on public service delivery in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, with a focus on the Electronic Building Permit System (e-BPS). The research utilises both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse citizens' perceptions of service access, quality, and efficiency. Results indicate that e-government initiatives have significantly enhanced service delivery, though challenges remain in user participation and system accessibility. These findings contribute to understanding e-government's role in urban governance, providing insights for policymakers and urban planners

A comparative analysis of e-government services in ten African countries

Governments strive to enhance citizen services by leveraging the Internet to communicate policies effectively. Researchers have examined e-government initiatives across African nations, highlighting challenges, enablers, and regulations shaping their implementation. This study explores the prospects of e-government in Africa by analyzing efforts in high EGDI-level countries (Mauritius, South Africa, Tunisia, Ghana, and Gabon) and low EGDI-level countries (South Sudan, Lesotho, Sudan, Niger, and the Central African Republic). Key challenges identified include limited digital infrastructure, insufficient competencies, digital inclusion issues, data privacy, and cybersecurity threats. Enablers such as leadership, collaboration, ICT growth, and government strategies are also noted. Additionally, regulations on information provision, data openness, and e-inclusion are discussed. The findings reveal that most African countries lag behind developed and developing nations in e-government services, emphasizing the need for future research to identify strategies for advancement in this direction

Development of effective methods and tools for the auditing AI algorithms by Supreme Audit Institutions

This article proposes an AI Audit Framework for Supreme Audit Institutions, focusing on public sector usage. It addresses the need for transparency, fairness, accountability, and alignment with ethical and legal requirements. The authors discuss the rise of AI, particularly generative AI and large language models, underscore the evolving regulatory environment, and identify a gap in existing AI audit processes. The article draws on international standards and best practices to offer a methodology for auditing AI algorithms across their entire lifecycle, including risk categorization, data governance, and bias assessment. It also details how generative AI poses new challenges that require specialized guidelines. Recommendations highlight interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous skill development to ensure responsible AI governance