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Institutional shifts and punctuated patterns in digital policy

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  • Inke Torfs
  • Ellen Wayenberg
  • Lieselot Danneels

Abstract

While digital policies provide significant value within contemporary governance, not many governments' digital policies are adapted to rapidly changing technologies and associated expectations. The limited adaptability can be explained by governments' focus on institutional shifts as an instrument to generate policy changes. Therefore, this article examines the impact of institutional shifts on digital policy by leveraging the Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) as a lens to explore the Belgian federal government between 2000 and 2020. This is done through performing a distributional application of the PET and an explaining‐outcome congruence case study. The results highlight the role of institutional shifts in directing digital policy, but also underscore the importance of other factors (i.e., policy image, attention allocation and/or structure of the political system) and the presence of policy entrepreneurs to explain the (in)stability of digital policy. Si bien las políticas digitales brindan un valor significativo dentro de la gobernanza contemporánea, no muchas políticas digitales de los gobiernos se adaptan a las tecnologías que cambian rápidamente y las expectativas asociadas. La adaptabilidad limitada puede explicarse por el enfoque del gobierno en los cambios institucionales como instrumento para generar cambios de política. Por lo tanto, este artículo examina el impacto de los cambios institucionales en la política digital al aprovechar la teoría del equilibrio puntuado como lente para explorar el gobierno federal belga entre 2000 y 2020. Esto se hace mediante la realización de una aplicación distributiva de la teoría del equilibrio puntuado y una explicación. Estudio de caso de congruencia de resultados. Los resultados destacan el papel de los cambios institucionales en la dirección de la política digital, pero también subrayan la importancia de otros factores (es decir, la imagen de la política, la asignación de atención y/o la estructura del sistema político) y la presencia de empresarios de políticas para explicar la (in)estabilidad de política digital. 虽然数字政策在当代治理中提供了重要价值，但能适应快速变化的技术和相关期望的政府数字政策并不多。政府将制度转变作为产生政策变革的工具一事能解释这种有限的适应性。因此，本文通过利用间断平衡理论，将其作为一种视角探究2000年至2020年间的比利时联邦政府，进而分析了制度转变对数字政策的影响。分析过程是通过对间断平衡理论进行分布应用和一项解释‐结果一致性案例研究完成的。结果强调了制度转变在指导数字政策中的作用，但也强调了其他因素(即政策形象、注意力分配和/或政治制度结构)以及政策企业家的存在，对解释数字政策(不)稳定性的重要性。

Suggested Citation

  • Inke Torfs & Ellen Wayenberg & Lieselot Danneels, 2023. "Institutional shifts and punctuated patterns in digital policy," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 40(3), pages 363-388, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revpol:v:40:y:2023:i:3:p:363-388
    DOI: 10.1111/ropr.12507
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    1. Yang, Xiaoran & Ran, Rong & Chen, Yejing & Zhang, Jie, 2024. "Does digital government transformation drive regional green innovation? Evidence from cities in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    2. Nils C. Bandelow & Johanna Hornung & Ilana Schröder, 2023. "Institutional environments and innovation in digital policy," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 40(3), pages 338-340, May.

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