Strategic alignment of open government initiatives in Andalusia
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00208523221086125 |
| Author | Cristina Alcaide Muñoz,Laura Alcaide Muñoz,Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Strategic alignment of
open government
initiatives in Andalusia
Cristina Alcaide Muñoz
University of Alcala, Spain
Laura Alcaide Muñoz
University of Granada, Spain
Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar
University of Granada, Spain
Abstract
The emergence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has put
emphasis on the open government approach (OG), provoking a cultural change in
both the citizenry (demanding new ways of collaborating with public administration
and more openness in government), and in the public administrations (adapting their
structures and processes to support civic participation). This article analyzes both the
strategies followed by local governments in implementing OG initiatives and the level
of alignment of the objectives included in the municipal OG strategies with those settled
by the regional government to which they belong. Empirical research on the OG objec-
tives included in the strategic planning of large-size Andalusian municipalities has been
performed. Findings reveal that most local governments are implementing a push strat-
egy based only on more openness in government (mainly owing to normative require-
ments). Additionally, the objectives included in both the economic and governance
dimensions are those included in the OG initiatives in municipalities, although each
one has a particular way of adopting digital and OG str ategies consistent with their
municipal priorities and circumstances.
Corresponding author:
Cristina Alcaide Muñoz, Department of Economics and Business, University of Alcala, Alcalá de Henares,
Madrid, Spain, Plaza de la Victoria 2, 22802, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Email: c.alcaide@uah.es
Article
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
2023, Vol. 89(3) 685–702
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/00208523221086125
journals.sagepub.com/home/ras
Points for practitioners
This study brings a novel insight to public managers and politicians concerning OG ini-
tiative adoption. It highlights both the limitations of current OG initiatives developed by
public administration and the importance of citizens’involvement in them in order to
acquire trust in government. The current economic situation favors and increases mis-
trust in the citizen, who feels great disappointment in governments and political
leaders. This could be minimized with the creation of spaces for municipal collaboration,
where public managers and politicians may capture the voice of citizens directly and the
strategic alignment in the OG strategies for efficiently reaching economic and social out-
comes for the citizenry. Also, OG implementation experiences should be shared, so that
more reticent local governments could be made aware of the potential.
Keywords
alignment, large-size municipalities, open government, strategic planning
Introduction
Owing to financial crises, the poor management of health pandemics (Covid-19) and the
need for governments to open up to a more global scenario (Rodríguez Bolívar et al.,
2019), citizens feel ignored and misunderstood and, consequently, disappointed with
public administrations (Oblak C
̌rnic
̌, 2017). So, they are exerting greater pressure on gov-
ernment transparency and accountability and are calling for the need to collaborate and
participate in public decision-making processes (Government of Spain, 2020). As a
result, supported by information and communication technologies (ICTs), governments
around the world are turning cities into smart ecosystems, undertaking a large number
of smart initiatives (Guenduez et al., 2018). Although some studies indicate that these
initiatives could cover a greater number of dimensions (Neirotti et al., 2014), most of
the studies (see e.g. Ariza-Álvarez et al., 2021; Batty et al., 2012; Caragliu et al.,
2011; Colldahl et al., 2013; European Parliament, 2014) defined and assessed the
Smart City according to the six main smart dimensions or pillars defined by Giffinger
et al. (2007).
Among these dimensions, smart governance is key for making city governments more
transparent and accountable, engaging city residents in the strategic decision-making
process, and enabling better public sector management by integrating the other initiatives
implemented in the additional five smart dimensions (Ariza-Álvarez et al., 2021), creat-
ing public value (OECD, 2020). Under this framework, ICT-based tools, such as the
implementation of open government (OG) initiatives, has allowed city governments to
incorporate principles, policies or actions of transparency, accountability, citizen partici-
pation and public service co-creation, aimed at achieving higher levels of public value
creation (Gao et al., 2021).
686 International Review of Administrative Sciences 89(3)
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