The GovTech Challenge - GovTech and Public Value Creation

Governments struggle to harness emerging technologies to improve public services, address social needs, and produce public value. In response, we see a rise in GovTech startups and other non-government actors trying to bring innovative solutions to governments. While some public agencies welcome such help, many are reluctant to rely on external organizations to provide digital identities, data wallets and AI-based services to citizens, businesses, and the government itself. Many also fear engaging a dynamic ecosystem of small non-government actors working together and gaining more experience in the process. Consequently, the GovTech supply and demand are misaligned with each other and the public value imperative. Public tendering may help but does not protect against vendor lock-in and innovation-blocking. Co-creation of public and private solutions may be technically possible but may face institutional void, calling for trust frameworks, steward-ownership, ecosystem building or other alternative instruments. This paper presents a research challenge to examine GovTech evidence, learn about applicable theories, methods and knowledge gaps, and formulate theoretically and empirically well-grounded recommendations on GovTech and public value creation. It also outlines the response to the challenge: organizing a dg.o 2024 workshop and developing a special issue of Government Information Quarterly (GIQ).