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dc.titleWhen Does Automation in Government Thrive or Flounder?
dc.contributor.authorEstevez, Elsa
dc.contributor.authorJanowski, Tomasz
dc.contributor.authorRoseth, Benjamin
dc.contributor.orgunitInstitutional Capacity of the State Division
dc.coverageArgentina
dc.coverageChile
dc.coverageFrance
dc.coverageNorway
dc.coverageParaguay
dc.coverageSingapore
dc.coverageSpain
dc.coverageSweden
dc.date.available2024-01-29T00:01:00
dc.date.issue2024-01-29T00:01:00
dc.description.abstractGovernment organizations worldwide are harvesting the transformative potential of digital technologies to automate interactions with citizens, businesses, and each other. Automation can bring benefits, such as an increase the efficiency of government operations, quality of government decisions, and convenience of governmentcitizen interactions. It can also produce adverse outcomes, such as compromising social value for economic gains, misjudging citizen circumstances, and having to compensate for the effects of algorithmic errors. This publication delves into the implications of automation and how to implement initiatives that increase its benefits and manage its risks. Specific questions include: (i) how to identify areas of public policy and public services that are most apt for automation; (ii) what questions, regarding potential benefits and costs, should governments ask before embarking on a process of automation; (iii) how governments should monitor the benefits and costs in the process of automation and establish whether automation has had the desired impact; and (iv) how to organize and manage automation efforts. The authors explore these issues through 12 case studies from 8 countries (Argentina, Chile, France, Norway, Paraguay, Singapore, Spain, Sweden), the European Union, and 7 government sectors (administration, border control, finance, justice, procurement, registry, and welfare). Each case study identifies the problem automation was designed to resolve or service it was designed to deliver; potential benefits and costs of automation that were relevant in each context; and examples of how automation was implemented to reduce costs and monitored to ensure high impact without unintended negative consequences. The cases guide the formulation of a taxonomy of benefits and risks of government automation initiatives and the four broad factors that government organizations should consider when aiming to realize the benefits and manage the risks of such initiatives: institutional readiness, human capacity, process innovation, and whole-of-government approach. It also presents strategies for implementing the factors and discusses how they help produce public value.
dc.format.extent171
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0005530
dc.identifier.isbn9781597825481
dc.identifier.isbn9781597825498
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/When-Does-Automation-in-Government-Thrive-or-Flounder.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.subjectGovernance
dc.subjectDebtor Finance
dc.subjectDigital Technology
dc.subjectGovernment Accountability
dc.subjectScience and Technology
dc.subjectAutomation
dc.subjectLabor Force
dc.subjectCitizen Service
dc.subjectTrust
dc.subjectCitizen Participation
dc.subjectCollaboration
dc.subjectPublic Service
dc.subjectInformation and Communication Technology
dc.subjectEducational Institution
dc.subject.jelcodeO33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences • Diffusion Processes
dc.subject.jelcodeO38 - Government Policy
dc.subject.jelcodeH11 - Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government
dc.subject.jelcodeN46 - Latin America • Caribbean
dc.subject.keywordsautomated government;Digital Transformation;government efficiency;innovation
dc.typeBooks
idb.identifier.pubnumberIDB-BK-00277
idb.operationRG-T4311
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