Smart territories and IoT adoption by local authorities: A question of trust, efficiency, and relationship with the citizen-user-taxpayer.

Abstract

The adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) is a major challenge for local governments. After several years of administrative reforms inspired by New Public Management and New Public Governance, local governments may be ready to adopt IoT-based solutions to gain efficiency, improve public service experiences and actively engage citizens in public policy. We propose an original theoretical approach to explain the adoption of this innovation by local governments by integrating adoption factors resulting from the technological attributes of the innovation and those resulting from the appropriation of a technology whose uses are socially constructed by local government leaders under institutional pressure resulting from administrative reforms. The study is based on a sample of 247 French leaders of cities with a population between 15,000 and 150,000. While the advantage in terms of optimization encourages the adoption of IoT technology, its complexity and risks of data leaks discourage it. Decision-makers in line with administrative reforms may decide to adopt IoT technology to improve efficiency, quality of services, and citizen participation. If human experiences in implementing new technologies facilitate IoT adoption, trust in this new technology helps overcome fears about the complexity of the technology and potential data leaks.