Digital Transformation and Public Service Performance: A Cross-National Configurational Analysis

Abstract

Public service performance is affected by digital transformation and this is conditioned by institutional conditions. In this article I will make the case that digital maturity only contributes to good performance when paired with quality governance, digital inclusion and relevant uptake by users. The study relies on 124 country-year observations from 31 European states, from 2018 to 2024, to build harmonised indicators based on the UN E-Government Development Index, the Eurostat digital public-service indicators, and the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators. The analysis is a combination of ordinary least squares regressions, necessary condition analysis, and cross group comparisons. Results indicate that the quality of digital transformation and digital governance is correlated with performance and that high-digital countries perform better than moderate and low-digital countries. The biggest impediment to achieving the highest levels of performance is governance quality. The article presents an institutionally-based explanation for the performance of digital government.