Digitalization of Local Governments in Germany

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the digital policy of medium-sized municipalities in Germany. Mostly ignored by empirical research, the size of these municipalities has been characterized both as an advantage and a limitation for digitalization, with scholars alternately emphasizing agility and shorter administrative paths on the one hand, and the lack of capacity and economies of scale on the other. Utilising a mixed methods approach combining process-tracing and web scraping, the book analyzes the characteristics of digital policy in medium-sized municipalities, and the effects of digitalization governance on service provision. It traces the historical trajectories of digitalization in pioneering municipalities, examines which factors influence favorable digital transformations, and analyzes the organizational structures dedicated to digitalization. The book also puts forward a typology to classify municipalities according to their digital governance, quantitatively describes the landscape of medium-sized municipalities, and delivers insights on the effects of governance on digital services. It will appeal to scholars, students and practitioners of public administration, local government and digitalization.

Tomás Vellani works as a senior public employee. He was previously a Research Associate at the Chair of Political Science, Administration and Organization, University of Potsdam, Germany and Lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, France.