This article is available also in spanish here

What is smart governance?

My list

Author | Lucía Burbano

The basis of smart governance is good governance. However, the latter concept depends on how transparent, honest or open municipal governments are. Smart governance seeks to enhance good governance to establish and protect democracy, facilitating communication and collaboration, enabled through digitalization.

What is smart governance?

IGI Global defines smart governance as "the use of technology and innovation for facilitating and supporting enhanced decision making and planning within government agencies." This concept proposes the improvement of democratic processes and the transformation in the provision of public services.

In this context of smart governance, Vadot defines the 'Smart' acronym as Social, Mobile, Analytics, Radical-Openness and Trust.

Whatever the case, both highlight how the generation, analysis and use of the vast amount of data generated by smart cities through a connected infrastructure thanks to the Internet of Things, allow a new, more democratic, inclusive and sustainable model of public management.

Advantages of smart governance

Greater citizen participation

With the help of ICTs, citizens can interact directly with the Administration and express their opinions on local policies.

Access to public information

Smart governance allows citizens to openly access data related to public administration and budget allocation. This transparency improves trust in governments.

Obstacles for its implementation

Generating public interest

Some government issues may not be of interest to everyone. Therefore, getting people to get involved can be a challenge. Given this situation, entertaining and innovative tools need to be designed.

Digital illiteracy

The so-called digital divide or the usability of smart governance applications can pose a problem for getting a segment of population involved without knowledge of or experience in digital environments.

Examples of smart governance in cities

smart governance 2

Summerside, Canada

The city needed an innovative way of consulting with residents, where they would not only want to take part, but also enjoy the process. To do so, they installed QR codes in key areas, where citizens could share information and respond to questions about municipal management.

This system increased the rate of citizen participation by 18% in a budgetary process, particularly among the 15-30 year old age group.

Kakogawa, Japan

In 2015, the city of Kakogawa was rated as one of the most dangerous in Japan, but smart governance helped, not only to alleviate this problem, but also to improve transparency within the city council. In 2017, the city issued a decree installing 1,475 cameras to combat high rates of street crime. The system detects residents with Bluetooth low energy labels, which allows parents and family members to receive notifications about the location of children or the elderly through an app.

To explain the measure, the city council organized over ten meetings with citizens and the mayor personally explained the purpose of the policy responding to the questions of residents regarding what happens with the images captured by the camera system. As a result, more than 90% of the residents accepted the measure and supported this initiative. Furthermore, the crime rate in Kakogawa was lower than the regional average for the first time in many years.

Photographs | Unsplash/John Schnobrich, Unsplash/NordWood Themes

Related content

Recommended profiles for you

Remember to activate your profile to network!
Activate profile
XN
Xavier Nunez
BCP Council
Smart Place Engagement Manager
AG
ALLAN GALVAO
Crosstech
Diretor
JZ
Juan Carlos Zuleta
Lithium Economics Analyses
CEO
AZ
AGUSTIN ZUBILLAGA REGO
ORKESTRA - INSTITUTO VASCO DE COMPETITIV
Head of Digital Economy Lab
Jagmohan Singh Bajaj
Jagmohan Singh Bajaj
UNESCO
Special Envoy and Focal point of UNESCO in Balkan Region
YS
Yull Salcedo
Esri Colombia SAS
Government Sales Director
rl
ricardo lazo
gobierno regional
supervisor/asesor
David Jonsson
David Jonsson
Stockholms stad
Chief of Staff
CA
Carles Anglada
Ajuntament de l'Hospitalet
Gerent Municipal / City Hall CEO
Maria Florencia Guzman
Maria Florencia Guzman
Student
Researcher
ileana Toscano
ileana Toscano
Kallipolis
Urban specialist and community engagement expert
RC
Racoti Calin
Inter-Parliamentary EU Information Exchange (IPEX, www.ipex.eu)
Information Officer
Danil Kerimi
Danil Kerimi
Edgelands Institute
COO
ML
Michael Lu
Sarawak Multimedia Authority
Head of PR
KK
Kepa Korta Murua
Oficina de Estrategia de Donostia / San Sebastián
City Council of Donostia / San Sebastián
Karlos Zuñiga
Karlos Zuñiga
Skootik
Director of Business Development
Miguel Aristizabal
Miguel Aristizabal
We.City
CEO and Founder
LR
Leonardo Ricaurte
Iuga
Student
CA
Carlos Andrés Ahumada
personal
professional support
NV
NIKOLAOS VOGIATZIS
Municipality of Sofades
ICT ADMINISTRATION

SmartCity
Thank you for registering to Tomorrow.City. You can now start exploring all the content for free!
Only accessible for registered users
This content is available only for registered users
TO: $$toName$$
SUBJECT: Message from $$fromName$$