Matilde Biagioni. matilde.biagioni@dottorandi.unipg.it
Universidad degli Studi de Perusa
Which emerging technologies (ETs) are employed by the public sector? And in what types of crises are such tools used? These questions are becoming of pressing interest since we find ourselves in the so-called “poly-crises” characterised by intersectional and simultaneous critical situations (Morin & Kern, 1999). Effective and efficient crisis management is a crucial task of governments, including local ones. Recent crises (pandemic, financial, migratory, environmental, and geopolitical) have obliged worldwide governments to face severe challenges in providing rapid responses. In particular, the local units usually are the first to be affected by such crises as they are the closest institutional structure to citizens’ needs. Against this backdrop, emerging technologies are reshaping the structure and functions of institutions, as well as governments’ readiness to monitor and manage critical situations. Indeed, after the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide governments implemented emerging technologies to control and prevent the spread of contagions (Onder M., Uzun M., 2021). Even though there is no accordance with the specific definition of emerging technologies, it is widely recognised that such technologies entail “an evolutionary process of technical, institutional and social change” simultaneously (Corrocher N., Malerba F., Montobbio F., 2003:4). The outbreak of the recent crises has accelerated the process of innovation in the public sector and renewed the urgency of re-establishing a role for governments – and all their levels – in these critical situations (OECD, 2023). This paper reviews and evaluates the literature on crisis management, ETs, and the public sector through a systematic literature review (SLR) – a scientific methodology that intends to circumscribe bias by analysing all the relevant studies (Petticrew and Roberts, 2006). It helps to highlight the gaps that might undermine an analysis of emerging technologies and the public sector and provides a general overview of a growing research area.