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PreprintCited by 186E-Government and Public ServicesPublic Policy and Administration ResearchPublic Administration and Political Analysis

Data science, artificial intelligence and the third wave of digital era governance

Open access
Dunleavy, Patrick, Margetts, Helen·2023·Public Policy and Administration
DOI 10.31219/osf.io/f3rza
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Abstract

This article examines the model of digital era governance (DEG) in the light of the latest-wave of data-driven technologies, such as data science methodologies and artificial intelligence (labelled here DSAI). It identifies four key top-level macro-themes through which digital changes in response to these developments may be investigated. First, the capability to store and analyse large quantities of digital data obviates the need for data 'compression' that characterises Weberian-model bureaucracies, and facilitates data de-compression in data-intensive, information regimes, where the capabilities of public agencies and civil society are both enhanced. Second, the increasing capability of robotic devices have expanded the range of tasks that machines extending or substituting workers' capabilities can perform, with implications for a reshaping of state organisation. Third, DSAI technologies allow new ways of partitioning state functions in ways that can maximise organisational productivity, in an 'intelligent centre, devolved delivery' model within vertical policy sectors. Fourth, within each tier of government, DSAI technologies offer new possibilities for 'administrative holism' - the horizontal allocation of power and functions between organisations, through state integration, common capacity and needs-based joining-up of services. Together, these four themes comprise a third wave of DEG changes, suggesting important administrative choices to be made regarding information regimes, state organisation, functional allocation and outsourcing arrangements, as well as a long-term research agenda for public administration, requiring extensive and detailed analysis. This article has been accepted for publication in the Sage journal Public Policy and Administration, August 2023.

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  1. Aronsson, Anne Stefanie (2020) Social Robots in Elder Care: The Turn Toward Emotional Machines in Contemporary Japan. JRCA 21(1): 421-455. https://doi.org/10.14890/jrca. · DOI
  2. POI377 · DOI · Paper page
  3. Dunleavy, Patrick (2021) Regional and local productivity in the public sector. Where do we stand? In: OECD-EC high-level expert workshop series 'Productivity Policy for Places', Paris, France, 27-28 April, 2021. Paper presented at workshop #3 "Public Sector Productivity". https://www.oecd.org/regional/W3-S2-Patrick-Dunleavy.pdf
  4. Dunleavy, Patrick (2022) Information regimes in government bureaucracies and 'digital decompression'. In: UK Political Studies Association Conference, York, UK, 11-13 April 2022. https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/114488/
  5. Dunleavy, P., and Margetts, H. (2015) Design principles for essentially digital governance. In: Proceedings of the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 3-6 September 2015. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/64125
  6. Tam, Lisa; and Khosla, Rajiv (2016) Using Social Robots in Health Settings: Implications of Personalization on Human-Machine Communication. Machine Communication 15(1): 9. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cpo/vol5/iss1/9/
  7. Tan, Evrim and Crompvoets Joep (ed.) (2022b) The new digital era governance. Brussels: Wageningen Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-930-5_1 · DOI
  8. Wright, James (2023) Robots Won't Save Japan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

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Authors
Dunleavy, P., & Margetts, H.
Affiliations
  • London School of Economics and Political Science (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Margetts, Helen
ORCID
Venue
Public Policy and Administration
Publisher
Center for Open Science
Published
2023-08-28
Volume
40
Issue
2
Pages
185-214
ISSN
0952-0767 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.31219/osf.io/f3rza
OpenAlex
W4387025480
Cited by
186
References
87
Citations by year
2026: 83 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 1
FWCI
182.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Public Policy and Administration (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Theses Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › E-Government and Public Services
  • Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Public Administration and Political Analysis
Keywords
digital era governance, data science, artificial intelligence, robotic devices, state organization, outsourcing, information regime, public administration

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