“Smart Government”: prospects for introduction of digital technologies in public administration in Russia

The article discusses the prospects for introducing government technologies (GovTech) in Russia and the possibility of using digital technologies to improve public administration. GovTech projects are related to forming a “smart state” that uses new approaches to economic regulation, planning, and communication with citizens and businesses. In this regard, GovTech is a set of tools that allow adaptation of the models of public administration to social reality and increase the effectiveness of planning. GovTech is defined as the operationalization of space and resources of management through the creation of digital identities: GovTech tools allow to determine the object’s position in real-time and assess the consequences of economic decisions. The author discusses trends in different directions of GovTech development in Russia: 1) open data, 2) public services and digital profiles, 3) integrated platforms and monitoring systems in “smart cities” and regions. Three scenarios of the results of the implementation of GovTech are formulated: 1) digital democracy; 2) machine of targeted control; 3) resource of technocracy.

1. Banerjee A., Niehaus P., Suri T. Universal basic income in the developing world. Annual Review of Economics. 2019;11:959–983. DOI:10.1146/annurev-economics‑080218–030229

2. Haug N., Geyrhofer L., Londei A., Dervic E., Desvars-Larrive A., Loreto V., Pinior B., Thurner S., Klimek P. Ranking the effectiveness of worldwide COVID‑19 government interventions. Nature Human Behaviour. 2020;4(12):1303–1312. DOI:10.1038/s41562–020–01009–0

3. Vigna P., Casey M.J. The truth machine: The blockchain and the future of everything. New York: St. Martin’s Press; 2018. 320 p. (Russ. ed.: Vigna P., Casey M. Mashina pravdy. Blokchein i budushchee chelovechestva. Moscow: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber; 2018. 320 p.).

4. Ruppert E. The governmental topologies of database devices. Theory, Culture & Society. 2012;29(4–5):116–136. DOI:10.1177/0263276412439428

5. Mann M. The autonomous power of the state: Its origins, mechanisms and results. European Journal of Sociology. 1984;25(2):185–213. DOI:10.1017/S0003975600004239

6. Dalakoglou D. The road: An ethnography of (im)mobility, space and cross-border infrastructures in the Balkans. Manchester: Manchester University Press; 2016. 216 p.

7. Mukhametov D.R. Models of citizen engagement platforms for creating a new generation of smart cities in Russia. Voprosy innovatsionnoi ekonomiki = Russian Journal of Innovation Economics. 2020;10(3):1605–1622. (In Russ.). DOI:10.18334/vinec.10.3.110683

8. Gonzálvez-Gallego N., Nieto-Torrejón L., Pérez-Cárceles M. Is open data an enabler for trust? Exploring the link and the mediating role of citizen datisfaction. International Journal of Public Administration. 2020;43(14):1218–1227. DOI:10.1080/01900692.2019.1668412

9. Rocher L., Hendrickx J., de Montjoye Y.-A. Estimating the success of re-identifications in incomplete datasets using generative models. Nature Communications. 2019;10(1):145–171. DOI:10.1038/s41467–019–10933–3

10. Couch D.L., Robinson P., Komesaroff P.A. COVID‑19 — Extending surveillance and the panopticon. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry. 2020;17(4):809–814. DOI:10.1007/s11673–020–10036–5

11. Bernard R., Bowsher G., Sullivan R. COVID‑19 and the rise of participatory SIGINT: An examination of the rise in government surveillance through mobile applications. American Journal of Public Health. 2020;110(12):1780–1785. DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2020.305912

12. Mukhametov D. R. From smart city to digital region: Problems of scaling control networks. Voprosy innovatsionnoi ekonomiki = Russian Journal of Innovation Economics. 2021;11(1):141–156. DOI:10.18334/vinec.11.1.111804

13. Ketzler B., Naserentin V., Latino F., Zangelidis C., Thuvander L., Logg A. Digital twins for cities: A state of the art review. Built Environment. 2020;46(4):547–573. DOI:10.2148/benv.46.4.547

14. Anttiroiko A.-V. City-as-a-platform: The rise of participatory innovation platforms in Finnish cities. Sustainability. 2016;8(9):922–953. DOI:10.3390/su8090922

15. Tanzi V. Government versus markets: The changing economic role of the state. Cambridge: CUP Publ.; 2011. 390 p. (Russ. ed.: Tanzi V. Pravitel’stvo i rynki: Menyayushchayasya ekonomicheskaya rol’ gosudarstva. Moscow: Gaydar Institute Publ.; 2018. 584 p.).

16. Streeck W. How will capitalism end? Essays on a failing system. Brooklyn: Verso Books; 2016. 272 p.

17. Helbing D. Managing complexity in socioeconomic systems. European Review. 2009;17(2):423–438. DOI:10.1017/S1062798709000775

18.