Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 31st NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG2: Digital Government Author(s) Petra Vujković University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia Tina Jukić, Faculty of Public Administration, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Title Towards Understanding Smart Public Governance: A Literature Review File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Petra Vujković Abstract The paper addresses the fuzzy nature of the concept of smart public governance (SPG). Governments and societies all over the world are currently dealing with dynamic economic and societal pressures and public policy challenges brought on by the diversity and complexity of societal goals. These challenges must also be faced and responded to swiftly by the (smart) public governance system. The findings of various scholars indicate that, despite the growing interest in the concept of SPG, the latter is still considered a fuzzy concept that is used inconsistently in the literature. The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a literature review that investigates the current definitions and fundamental dimensions of the SPG concept. Through a five-stage grounded theory approach, we investigate the SPG concept and its dimensions by reviewing existing literature in a specific field. Our analysis reveals that some scholars have proposed their own definitions of SPG, while others have relied on definitions provided by their peers. Additionally, some scholars have not explicitly written about the SPG, but refer to the term smart city governance (SCG). We identify nine dimensions of the SPG concept through a review of definitions, which we group into three categories based on their frequency. The categories are as follows: (i) mostly used dimensions include the smart use of ICT, smart collaboration and participation, and smart decision-making process, (ii) dimensions with moderate frequency encompass sustainability, smart outcomes, and smart e-administration, and (iii) less frequently used dimensions consists of smart internal coordination, safety and security, and ICT infrastructure. The paper first analyses the key concepts that make up SPG: public governance and smart(ness). In addition, previous definitions of SPG are presented and their common denominators identified. By that, the paper offers a comprehensive review of the different dimensions of SPG. Finally, the paper places the concept of SPG in a multitude of related concepts (e.g., good governance, collaborative governance, co-creation etc.).
