Evaluating the current state of Digital Era Governance application in local government units in the Małopolska region

Abstract

Abstract The study aims to determine the implementation degree of Digital Era Governance (DEG) in selected local government units (LGU) of Małopolskie Voivodeship and to show differences in the effectiveness of digitalisation in LGUs depending on the level of local government, i.e., the county and the municipality. The study employs a model of digital maturity intended specifically for public administration. This model assesses six dimensions of digital maturity, namely, digitalisation-focused management, openness to stakeholders’ (partners’) needs, digital competencies of employees, digitalisation of processes, digital technologies, and e-innovativeness. The study results indicate that the examined local government units in the Małopolska region suffer from a low level of digital maturity. In particular, the results show that the implementation of digital technologies and the digital competencies of staff are the most developed dimensions of digitalisation in the examined local government units. In turn, e-innovation and process digitalisation are the least developed areas and require further improvement. Additionally, digital maturity is lower at the municipal than county level. These findings confirm the thesis that New Public Management affects the development of local government and highlights the increasing role played by Digital Era Governance. In contrast to most studies on public administrations, this study focuses on the local government level. It employs the original model of digital maturity in the field of public administration. This study intends to contribute to the concept of Digital Era Governance by focusing on the digitalisation of LGUs.