Regardless of individual assumptions and standpoints on the role of the government in the economy, the government is granting respective societies a point of reference, a benchmark. In a period best defined by debates on artificial intelligence (AI), Chatbots, and their impact on our societies, and in times touted by many as a period of a profound change, the fundamental question of how the government fares is left largely unattended. Clearly, as the multiple contexts in which the government is embedded become seemingly more complex, more interconnected, possibly more fragile, and less predictable, the government is bound to transform in a manner apt to meet the variety of the existing and the nascent challenges and opportunities to ensure the growth, stability, and prosperity of respective societies.  

To showcase this variety of issues and contexts, in which contemporary governments operate, a carefully selected collection of papers published in Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy has been included in this virtual special issue. These articles offer insight into a diversity of dilemmas that need to be considered today if the role of the government, and so the challenges it needs to face, are to be comprehended. This virtual special issue outlines the broader, global contexts, in which the government is embedded, and it showcases as well the regional contexts, e.g. specific to the European Union, and country-level developments, including cases from the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Afghanistan and others. As sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) exerts a pervasive impact on the government today, this virtual special issue provides a critical insight into the processes of technology adoption at the central government- and municipality levels.  

The papers listed below will be free to access from 3rd July to 3rd August 2023.
 

Professor Anna Visvizi 

Editor-in-Chief, Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy