Introduction to the Special Issue on Smart Government Development and Applications

An information and knowledge society creates value by gathering, processing, evaluating, and sharing digital products and services. Knowledge society relies on emerging technologies with intelligence and automation for information and communication processes between governmental institutions, private companies, and citizens to facilitate and support better planning and decision-making. Relying on advanced information and communication technologies demands new ways of smart government with data-driven, citizen-centric, and performance-focused governance. The main objectives of the Special Issue are as follows: first, to share the theoretical advances and practical cases of smart government applied in the academic and public sectors, as well as industry; second, to discuss the progress and challenges in innovative smart government service design, implementation, and delivery pipelines. The special issue features contributions from representatives of governments, international organizations, and researchers around the globe on technical and non-technical aspects of smart government, smart health, smart and cognitive cities, smart democracy, smart society, and digital ethics.