Digitalization of Local Government in a Big City: Tools, Barriers and Strategies

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify barriers to the implementation of digitalization of local (municipal) government in a large city through an analysis of digitalization tools and strategies. In order to answer this question, an analysis of the e-government and digitialization of municipal governance frameworks in particular was conducted. The theory of diffusion of innovation and the concept of e-government (e-governance and local e-governance) formed the theoretical basis of the study. The empirical base of the research was formed by foreign and Russian platforms used in municipal governance: «Fix My Street», «Creative Citizens», «coUrbanize», «Urban Interactive Studio», «CityPlanner», «Commonplace», «Sticky World», «Crowdgauge», «Твой бюджет», «Наш Санкт-Петербург». Qualitative analysis of digital and text data was used as a method. The experience of implementation of digitization tools at local level of power in different countries was also analyzed. The conclusions made in this work are applicable to large cities and are mainly focused on the Russian Federation. The application of e-governance principles has three components: information transfer in the digital space, transactions and communication in it. If implemented correctly and gradually in a municipal administration, digitalization can increase citizen involvement and trust in government. Nevertheless, the characteristics of municipal government should not be underestimated before digital technologies are used. In many large cities, an established system of local government should be implemented before digitalization. When developing a strategy for implementation of digital technologies, it is important to understand the model of habitual behavior of residents of a given municipal entity, because a universal approach does not always yield positive results. The main barriers to digitalization include: the need for continuous improvement of security systems and methods of storage and processing of citizens’ data using cloud technologies, including the development of appropriate strategies and government programs, the need to adapt the various tools of digitalization to the requirements and capabilities of the local community, the difficulty in assessing citizens’ demand for certain electronic resources, the need for related training activities for both citizens and municipal employees themselves; the need to engage independent experts from different fields to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of municipalities’ electronic portals and platforms.