Our research team had a strong presence at the 26th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (DG.O 2025) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with three papers presented at this prestigious gathering. The conference examined how digital government can promote social cohesion to lessen inequalities, focusing on reinforcing social ties, accountable democracy, and fair law enforcement. The conference, which ran from June 9-12, brought together leading researchers and practitioners from around the world to explore the evolving landscape of digital governance.
Research Presentations
Zoran Jordanoski presented his research on "The Role of Regulatory Frameworks in Shaping E-Governance: Insights from Selected Case Studies". His work examines how regulatory maturity influences the development and implementation of digital government initiatives across eight countries, introducing a three-tier classification based on the scope of legal frameworks and their operationalisation.
Mercy Makpor presented her research on "Child-focused challenges in the digital transformation of government services", examining the implications of government digital services for children across Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, Sweden, and Timor-Leste. Her work highlights how digital government services can increase active citizenship and civic engagement among children and their families while addressing disparities in access and usage.
Additionally, Manuella Ribeiro presented the paper "Context-sensitive measurement: Addressing the local context in smart city assessment" on behalf of the research team. This work, co-authored by Erico Przeybilovicz and Delfina Soares, explores how municipalities use smart city measurements and adopt indicators according to local context, based on interviews with representatives from seventeen Brazilian cities.
Building International Connections
The conference provided an excellent platform for our researchers to engage with the global digital government community. Beyond their presentations, Zoran and Mercy participated in discussions about emerging trends, shared experiences with fellow researchers, and explored potential collaborations that could advance the field of electronic governance.
The DG.O conference series has established itself as the premier venue for digital government research, and our participation underscores UNU-EGOV's commitment to contributing meaningful research to this important field. Both presentations reflect our ongoing work to understand and improve how governments can better serve citizens through digital means.
Both research papers are available through the conference proceedings. For more information about UNU-EGOV's research activities, visit our publications page.
