Exploring Adverse Effects from Technological Change in the Context of Smart City Governance

Abstract This research examines the intersection between smart city governance objectives and the adverse effects of adopting emerging technologies. Despite the potential of these technologies to generate public value, they often introduce challenges that public administrations need to consider. Addressing the limited guidance available on how these adverse effects influence governance objectives in smart cities, our study employs the expert evaluation method to map out the landscape of these impacts. We systematically identify 93 adverse effects and categorize them according to their influence on smart city governance objectives, determining the primary categories of adverse effects that affect each governance objective. Our findings offer significant contributions to both academic and practical realms. Theoretically, we establish novel theoretical foundations for analysing the governance objectives of smart cities and the implications of adverse effects. Practically, we offer insights for public administrations to devise more effective regulatory policies that address the challenges introduced by emerging technologies, thereby enhancing the governance of smart cities.