Technology and sustainability are now inseparable in public governance

Public administration is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in decades as digital technologies and sustainability agendas converge. What began as efforts to automate paperwork and speed up services has evolved into a broader rethinking of how governments create public value. Digital systems are now influencing policy design, accountability structures, and collaboration between public institutions, private actors, and citizens.

A new study Technological Innovation and Sustainability in Public Administration: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda, published in Administrative Sciences, documents this change. Based on a large-scale review of international research, the study shows that digital transformation is increasingly tied to sustainability outcomes. It highlights a move toward governance models where technology supports long-term environmental, social, and institutional goals rather than short-term administrative gains.

From e-government to sustainable digital governance

The review traces the evolution of digital transformation in public administration through distinct phases, beginning with early e-government initiatives focused on digitizing services and improving administrative efficiency. During this period, technology was largely viewed as an operational tool aimed at reducing costs, accelerating procedures, and improving transparency. While these reforms modernized public services, they remained limited in scope and detached from broader sustainability objectives.

A decisive shift began after 2015, when global sustainability agendas, particularly the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, intersected with accelerating digital innovation. Research increasingly reframed digital transformation as a governance issue rather than a technical one. Artificial intelligence, big data analytics, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and digital platforms emerged as tools capable of reshaping policymaking, service delivery, and accountability mechanisms across the public sector.

The study finds that this transition marked the emergence of sustainable digital governance, a paradigm in which digital technologies are deployed to advance environmental protection, social inclusion, institutional resilience, and long-term economic value. Public administrations began to adopt data-driven decision-making systems, predictive analytics, and integrated digital infrastructures to support evidence-based policies and performance monitoring. Rather than optimizing isolated processes, digitalization became embedded in broader governance reforms aligned with sustainability goals.

This transformation accelerated sharply after 2020, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments were forced to rapidly digitize public services, healthcare systems, and administrative processes to maintain continuity. The crisis acted as a catalyst, exposing both the potential of digital tools to enhance resilience and the risks of fragmented governance, unequal access, and weak institutional capacity. As a result, research attention shifted toward models that integrate technology, sustainability, and governance into coherent public innovation strategies.

Technology as an enabler within public innovation ecosystems

Within this ecosystem perspective, public administrations assume the role of orchestrators rather than sole decision-makers. They design governance frameworks, regulatory conditions, and digital infrastructures that enable collaboration and knowledge sharing across sectors. Universities and research institutions contribute scientific expertise and methodological validation. Firms act as technology partners and co-innovators, while citizens participate as co-producers of public services and policy outcomes.

In public administration, AI is increasingly used for predictive policymaking, resource allocation, risk assessment, and service personalization. While these applications enhance efficiency and responsiveness, the study underscores persistent concerns related to algorithmic bias, accountability, transparency, and ethical governance. Without strong institutional safeguards, digitalization risks reinforcing inequalities or undermining public trust.

Other technologies play complementary roles. Big data and analytics strengthen governments' capacity to monitor performance and evaluate policy impact. The Internet of Things supports real-time environmental monitoring, smart city management, and infrastructure optimization. Blockchain is explored as a tool for transparency, traceability, and trust in public procurement and service delivery. Digital twins represent an emerging frontier, enabling simulation and predictive management of buildings, energy systems, and urban environments.

These technologies generate public value only when embedded within appropriate governance mechanisms. Accountability frameworks, data governance policies, regulatory capacity, and institutional learning determine whether digital innovation translates into sustainable outcomes. Fragmented implementation, lack of digital skills, and organizational resistance remain major barriers to success.

The rise of the twin transition and future governance challenges

The study analyses what researchers describe as the twin transition: the convergence of digital transformation and sustainability into a unified governance agenda. Rather than pursuing digitalization and environmental policy as separate objectives, public administrations increasingly integrate them into coordinated reform strategies.

The review identifies five major thematic clusters structuring current research: digital government and governance innovation; smart cities and AI-driven public services; digital transformation linked to the circular economy; sustainability and comparative e-governance; and digital sustainability governance focused on environmental performance. Together, these clusters reveal a field moving toward systemic integration, where technology supports circular economy models, green public procurement, energy efficiency, and climate resilience.

Sustainability itself is no longer defined narrowly in environmental terms. The study shows that public administration research increasingly adopts a multidimensional view encompassing environmental stewardship, social inclusion, economic resilience, institutional capacity, and digital responsibility. Digital sustainability, in particular, emerges as a growing concern, addressing the environmental footprint of digital infrastructures, ethical data use, and long-term system resilience.

The authors also highlight the uneven global distribution of research and practice. European and North American contexts dominate the literature, while emerging economies remain underrepresented despite facing significant governance and sustainability challenges. This imbalance points to the need for comparative and context-sensitive research that accounts for different institutional capacities, regulatory environments, and socio-economic conditions.

To address conceptual fragmentation, the study proposes the Sustainable Public Innovation Ecosystem framework. This framework positions public administration as a coordinating hub where technological innovation and sustainability interact through governance mechanisms and collaborative processes. It emphasizes that sustainable public value depends on how technologies are governed, how actors collaborate, and how outcomes are measured.

The review identifies several unresolved challenges for the future. Measuring sustainable public value remains underdeveloped, with limited shared metrics that capture social, environmental, and institutional impact alongside efficiency. Ethical and regulatory questions surrounding artificial intelligence, data governance, and digital surveillance require stronger policy responses. Building digital skills, leadership capacity, and organizational learning within public administrations is critical to sustaining reform efforts.