The digital government research community has developed several publication channels, including journals and conference series to evaluate, refine, and present the outcomes of its work to fellow researchers and the world. Developing and sustaining such channels requires institutional backing with sufficient financial, organizational, and communication capacity. Existing publication channels implement diverse institutional arrangements from commercial publishers and universities to international and non-profit organizations. However, besides institutional support, a key role in operating such channels are journal editors-in-chief and conference program chairs, who link the channels to the research community that supplies them with steady streams of research, and ensure that the channels maintain their relevance to the changing digital government field, ensure the quality of accepted publications, and contribute to the advancement of the field. This paper examines the evolving landscape of publication channels for digital government research, institutional arrangements for developing and sustaining such channels, and the role of the guardians of such channels – editors-in-chief and program chairs. The paper provides the context for a discussion among such guardians on the insights for publishing digital government research.

The rise of Big, Open and Linked Data (BOLD) enables Big Data Algorithmic Systems (BDAS) which are often based on machine learning, neural networks and other forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As such systems are increasingly requested to make decisions that are consequential to individuals, communities and society at large, their failures cannot be tolerated, and they are subject to stringent regulatory and ethical requirements. However, they all rely on data which is not only big, open and linked but varied, dynamic and streamed at high speeds in real-time. Managing such data is challenging. To overcome such challenges and utilize opportunities for BDAS, organizations are increasingly developing advanced data governance capabilities. This paper reviews challenges and approaches to data governance for such systems, and proposes a framework for data governance for trustworthy BDAS. The framework promotes the stewardship of data, processes and algorithms, the controlled opening of data and algorithms to enable external scrutiny, trusted information sharing within and between organizations, risk-based governance, system-level controls, and data control through shared ownership and self-sovereign identities. The framework is based on 13 design principles and is proposed incrementally, for a single organization and multiple networked organizations.

This workshop of the CAP4CITY (Erasmus+ Strengthening Governance Capacity for Smart Sustainable Cities) project is to promote and stimulate the discussion and networking in the area of Digital Government. Smart Sustainable Cities and related concepts of Digital, Intelligent and Smart Cities represent a progression of how cities around the world apply digital technology to serve their populations, pursue sustainable socioeconomic development, and transform themselves in the process, and require strong capacity for public governance in the digital world. In order to identify the gaps concerning missing knowledge and training needs in this area we propose to validate a Smart Sustainable Cities roadmap through a scenario-building approach.

In this panel, scholars discuss involving data, computational analysis, and information technology that hasthe potential to present ethical quandaries in the course of decision making related to digital government. More specifically, the presentations focus on algorithm-based decision making, personally identifiable information, and the manipulation of publicopinion in social media channels. Discussion following the presentations will focus on how ethical guidelines should be formulated or what their specific content should be.