Multi-criteria assessment of ICT development in public administration in Poland

Information and communications technology (ICT) has become a stimulus for socioeconomic change and created new prospects for the development of e-government, thereby ushering in a new era in the provision of public services. With the development of ICTs, new ways of delivering public services are increasingly popular, and new opportunities that offer a chance to improve the professional position of public officials are emerging. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to assess the development of ICT technologies in state and local government entities in Poland. A review of the literature on the subject using the triangulation method allowed one to bring closer the considerations on the development of e-government services in Poland and the world, and the implementation of ICT tools in public administration entities. Based on an index analysis, the access of public administration entities and their employees to the Internet and ICTs and the development of public services provided electronically were assessed. The results of the study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated changes in access to e-government services and the growth of remote work. It has highlighted the need to equip workers and train them properly. The analysis of the EGDI index places Poland in 34th place among UN countries in 2022. Concerning EU countries, Poland was ranked 17th for OSI and 16th for HCI and TII. In turn, our research using multicriteria analysis methods allows us to conclude that public administration activities in Poland should be directed at local units. The use of linear ordering measures in the research (TOPSIS, VIKOR, and Hellwig) allowed us to establish a ranking of individual levels of public administration in Poland for the development of ICT technologies. The leader in the ranking according to all three methods is the marshal offices. The last position in the ranking according to the VIKOR method is shown by municipal offices, according to the TOPSIS and Hellwig methods, they are in the penultimate position. Keywords: ICT; TOPSIS; Hellwig, VIKOR, public administration units, Poland