Digital government, open architecture, and innovation: why public sector IT will never be the same again

Fishenden, J and Thompson, M (2013) 'Digital government, open architecture, and innovation: why public sector IT will never be the same again.' Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, 23 (4). 977 - 1004.

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mus022

Abstract

This article argues that the future of public services will be shaped increasingly by the evolution of global, Internet-enabled, digital platforms, with two distinctive technical and commercial features. First, use of open standards and architectures that separate standard business logic from supporting applications will allow government to become technology- and vendor-agnostic, freeing it from its overdependence on proprietary systems and suppliers. Second, over time, open standards and increased market choice will drive both innovation and progressive convergence on cheaper, standard “utility” public services. These two features will combine to create a powerful dynamic situation, driving disintegration of traditional “black boxed” technologies and services, traditionally organized around “systems integrators” and departmental structures, and their reaggregation around the citizen in the form of services. Such reaggregation is allowing progressively sharp distinctions between niche

Item Type: Article
Note:

First published online: September 6, 2012

Keywords: TECHNOLOGICAL innovations, INFORMATION technology, APPLICATION software, COMMERCIAL products, INTERNET in public administration, OPEN architecture (Computer science), MARKETPLACES
Subjects: T Technology > T Technology (General)
Divisions: Bath School of Design
Date Deposited: 10 Jun 2015 16:57
Last Modified: 07 Jan 2022 19:34
ISSN: 1477-9803
URI / Page ID: https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/5717
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