LIST OF WORKSHOPS

To address the challenges imposed by social, economic, environmental, and technological dynamics, innovations, particularly those related to digital transformation, have become a strategic cornerstone in processes, services, and policies within the public sector over the past two decades. Consequently, the concept of digital government has permeated various spheres and government sectors, affirming the perception that this trend is no longer just a novelty but has indeed become the new normal in public management.

Digital transformation refers to the process of enhancing organizational performance through the utilization of information and communication technology resources[1]. This concept integrates the application of technology into conventional problem-solving strategies, which is now prevalent in numerous domains such as government, finance, labor market, education, medicine, the arts, science, global communication, and more. Its primary goal is to contribute value in terms of transparency, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, customer experience, and service delivery for both businesses and public organizations.

In the realm of the public sector, digital transformation, often referred to as digital government or Govtech, encompasses a wide array of innovations that have been embraced and implemented over the past few decades, marking a significant shift from analog to digital government practices (OECD, 2020). This transformative process not only introduced a digital mindset into policy design but also led to a redefinition of the government's structure, functions and its interaction with citizens in policymaking.

The transition to digital government comprises a series of strategies aimed at modernizing government operations to yield benefits for society. As highlighted by the OECD (2014), this transformation is pivotal as it: “emphasizes the crucial contribution of technology as a strategic driver to create open, innovative, participatory and trustworthy public sectors, to improve social inclusiveness and government accountability, and to bring together government and non-government actors to contribute to national development and long-term sustainable growth.”

The adoption of digital technologies as a framework for the public sector has become a global phenomenon, extending to both developed and emerging countries, including a vast range of digital innovations based on a complex legal framework and guided by principles of networking. In brief, it is evident that digital transformation is a process that empowers governments to harness technology's potential to reinforce fiscal transparency and accountability, boost the effectiveness of public expenditure, and enhance outcomes in education, healthcare service delivery, and social welfare. This represents a foundational shift in how governments function, utilizing technology to streamline operations, facilitate decision-making, manage data, engage with society, and provide better citizens’ experience. This transformation is achieved through the development of modern digital platforms and the adoption of innovative technologies, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, the internet of things (IoT), and others.

Indeed, despite the well-known benefits, not everything is rosy. Digital transformation has ushered in a host of intricate challenges, risks, and setbacks for governments, society, and businesses alike. The roster of cyber-related crimes and issues is extensive and continually expanding, encompassing:

1.     National security risks;

2.     Dilemmas concerning political participation;

3.     Challenges related to money laundering and tax evasion policies;

4.     Safeguarding of private data and privacy

5.     The potential emergence of digital dictatorships.

Furthermore, two other issues pose substantial threats to the government's ability to deliver public services effectively, transparently, and equitably: digital divide or exclusion and algorithmic discrimination.  The digital divide represents a phenomenon that entails disparities in access, utilization, and outcomes related to information and communications technology among various population groups[2]. This can lead to their disproportionate participation in public processes and exclusion from the majority of Govtech service benefits. On the other hand, algorithmic discrimination or bias refers to systematic and repeatable errors in a computer system that produce unfair outcomes, such as favoring one category over another in ways that deviate from the algorithm's intended purpose. This bias can have wide-ranging consequences, ranging from unintentional breaches of privacy to the reinforcement of social biases related to race, gender, sexuality, age, and ethnicity. Discriminatory algorithms are found in both the public and private sectors, predominantly within the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning, in which decisions rely on a dataset of inputs and other learning and decision-making techniques. Consequently, this issue has raised significant concerns regarding the fairness, justice, and transparency of criteria and automated decision-making, as well as the dehumanization of services. These concerns have led to negative impacts on the quality-of-service provision and the promotion of diversity.

Hence, digital transformation is undeniably a positive and largely irreversible paradigm. Nevertheless, it is equally evident that the outcomes of these innovations, particularly concerning the digital divide and the indiscriminate deployment of algorithms, are not always foreseeable and can have adverse effects on the effectiveness of processes and services, the safeguarding of citizens' rights, and the levels of public trust in government.

In this context, this workshop focuses on exploring the trends and challenges of policy innovation in the Digital Era observed worldwide. The workshop welcomes papers with various approaches - theoretical, methodological, and empirical - that: i) analyze initiatives leveraging digital transformation to enhance public sector performance; ii) Present case studies highlighting setbacks or risks associated with digital innovation in the public policy; iii) examine how governments worldwide are designing transparency and accountability instruments to adapt to the impacts of digital transformation. These efforts should align with ethical and integrity standards, as well as the participatory and inclusive principles valued by society.

To address the challenges imposed by social, economic, environmental, and technological dynamics, innovations, particularly those related to digital transformation, have become a strategic cornerstone in processes, services, and policies within the public sector over the past two decades. Consequently, the concept of digital government has permeated various spheres and government sectors, affirming the perception that this trend is no longer just a novelty but has indeed become the new normal in public management.

The adoption of digital technologies as a framework for the public sector has become a global phenomenon, extending to both developed and emerging countries, including a vast range of digital innovations based on a complex legal framework and guided by principles of networking. In brief, it is evident that digital transformation is a process that empowers governments to harness technology's potential to reinforce fiscal transparency and accountability, boost the effectiveness of public expenditure, and enhance outcomes in education, healthcare service delivery, and social welfare. This represents a foundational shift in how governments function, utilizing technology to streamline operations, facilitate decision-making, manage data, engage with society, and provide better citizens’ experience. This transformation is achieved through the development of modern digital platforms and the adoption of innovative technologies, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, the internet of things (IoT), and others.

Indeed, despite the well-known benefits, not everything is rosy. Digital transformation has ushered in a host of intricate challenges, risks, and setbacks for governments, society, and businesses alike. The roster of cyber-related crimes and issues is extensive and continually expanding. Moreover, two issues pose substantial threats to the government's ability to deliver public services effectively, transparently, and equitably: digital divide or exclusion and algorithmic discrimination.

Hence, digital transformation is undeniably a positive and largely irreversible paradigm. Nevertheless, it is equally evident that the outcomes of these innovations, particularly concerning the digital divide and the indiscriminate deployment of algorithms, are not always foreseeable and can have adverse effects on the effectiveness of processes and services, the safeguarding of citizens' rights, and the levels of public trust in government.

In this context, this workshop focuses on exploring the trends and challenges of policy innovation in the Digital Era observed worldwide. The workshop welcomes papers with various approaches - theoretical, methodological, and empirical - that: i) analyze initiatives leveraging digital transformation to enhance public sector performance; ii) Present case studies highlighting setbacks or risks associated with digital innovation in the public policy; iii) examine how governments worldwide are designing transparency and accountability instruments to adapt to the impacts of digital transformation. These efforts should align with ethical and integrity standards, as well as the participatory and inclusive principles valued by society.

The adoption of digital technologies as a guideline for the public sector has become a global phenomenon, extending to both developed and emerging countries, including a vast range of digital innovations based on a complex legal framework and guided by principles of networking. Despite the well-known benefits, not everything is rosy. Digital transformation has ushered in a host of intricate challenges, risks, and setbacks for governments, society, and businesses alike.

Digital transformation is undeniably a positive and largely irreversible paradigm. Nevertheless, it is equally evident that the outcomes of these innovations, particularly concerning the digital divide and the indiscriminate deployment of algorithms, are not always foreseeable and can have adverse effects on the effectiveness of processes and services, the safeguarding of citizens' rights, and the levels of public trust in government.

In this context, this workshop focuses on exploring the trends and challenges of policy innovation in the Digital Era observed worldwide. The workshop welcomes papers with various approaches - theoretical, methodological, and empirical - that: i) analyze initiatives leveraging digital transformation to enhance public sector performance; ii) Present case studies highlighting setbacks or risks associated with digital innovation in the public policy; iii) examine how governments worldwide are designing transparency and accountability instruments to adapt to the impacts of digital transformation. These efforts should align with ethical and integrity standards, as well as the participatory and inclusive principles valued by society.

Pedro Cavalcante is a Professor of the Masters/Doctorate in Public Administration at the National School of Public Administration (Enap) and the Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research (IDP). Collaborating Professor at UnB, FDC and FGV. PhD in Political Science (UnB). Visiting Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California (2022). Visiting researcher at Columbia University (2016). Government Manager since 2004, he is currently a Special Advisor to the CGU. Coordinator of the Public Policy GT of the Brazilian Society of Public Administration (SBAP). He has published six books and collections of scientific articles in the areas of public administration, governance, innovation, development and public policy.

Fernando Filgueiras is an associate professor at the School of Social Science, Federal University of Goiás (UFG). Professor of PHD Professional Program in Public Policy at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP). Affiliate faculty at Ostrom Workshop on Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University. Researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology (INCT)–Digital Democracy, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). Fellow of the National Council of Scientific and Technology Development (CNPq). Filgueiras has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro (Iuperj).