Do Smart Cities Technologies Contribute to Local Economic Development?

Abstract

Governments around the world are exploring strategies that contribute to increased government performance and economic development that enable them to meet the service-tax expectations of their citizens. Within the framework of technology use in public management, this sudy examines the effects of smart cities technologies on the importance that chief administrative officers attach to local economic development. Drawing on the Digital Era Governance (DEG) model for theoretical context, this study uses logistic regressions derived from the 2016 International City/County Management Association survey on smart cities and the U.S. Census Bureau. The results show that the level of commitment to, the extent of engagement with, and the barriers faced in implementing smart cities technologies are associated with the importance of local economic development. Among other variables, poverty and education were also found to be significant predictors of the importance of local economic development.