27th Annual International Conference 
on Digital Government Research

Collaborative Digital Transformation for Public Value Creation

DG.O 2026

University of Nebraska at Omaha
 Omaha, Nebraska, USA 
June 01-04, 2026

CALL FOR PAPERS / PROPOSALS

Community Engagement Center Aug. 02, 2016
The Digital Government Society (DGS) announces the 27th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research - dg.o 2026, under the theme Collaborative Digital Transformation for Public Value Creation. The dg.o 2026 will be hosted by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, USA June 1-4, 2026. The dg.o conferences are an established forum for presentation, discussion, and demonstration of interdisciplinary research on digital government, civic engagement, technology innovation, and related applications and practice. Each year, the conference brings together scholars recognized for the interdisciplinary and innovative nature of their work, their contributions to theory and practice, their focus on relevant and timely topics, and the quality of their research and writing.

THEME & TRACK TOPICS:

The 27th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (dg.o 2026) will feature the theme Collaborative Digital Transformation for Public Value Creation. This dg.o 2026 theme articulates abundant opportunities of and approaches to collaborative digital transformation for the creation of public values. The advancement of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, 5G, and IoT presents governments with opportunities to transform their operations and services. Governments’ utilization of these technologies has the potential of increasing service efficiency and effectiveness and transforming government structure and processes. At the same time, governments face institutional and technological challenges to realize such transforming potential as well as unintended negative consequences of digital transformation. 
Public values serve as the guide and purposes of digital transformation for digital government. Generating profits and revenues is the primary motivation for technology corporations. In contrast, public values guide digital government research and practice. These public values include, but are not limited to, effectiveness, equity, transparency, accountability, efficiency, responsiveness, fairness, etc. An enhanced understanding of how public values are created, embedded, and impacted by technology is essential for advancing digital government research.   
Digital government is the use of digital technologies for the production and delivery of public services. Such use of digital technologies is ubiquitous in all public service areas. These include functional areas such as general administrative services, technology, finance and budgeting, and human resources. Examples of specific public service areas include technological infrastructure, public finance and budgeting, public safety, social services, etc. Digital government takes place at various levels of governments and communities from local, state, national, and to global as well as the integration of these levels in public service production and delivery.

A collaborative approach is paramount in integration and synergy required for digital transformation. The collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence can form abundant intelligence for advancing public values. The collaboration across units and levels of government and organizations in public, nonprofit, and private sectors advances our ability to address cross-boundary societal challenges such as sustainability, climate resilience, and public health.

SUBMISSION TYPES AND FORMATS:

Research papers – double blind review: research papers present innovative digital government research results in the form of formal scholarly papers. Papers on any digital government topic and using any research methodology are welcome. Relevance to digital government problems, goals, or policies must be explicit. Research papers are limited to approximately 8,000 words, excluding references.

Management or policy papers – double blind review: research papers that describe and evaluate practical digital government projects or initiatives, discuss major policy themes, or present and evaluate management approaches to digital government initiatives and programs. Management or policy papers are limited to approximately 5,000 words, excluding references.

Panels: panel proposals should include information about the theme and goals of the panel, a summary of the digital government issues or questions that the panel will address, statements about the value of the discussion to conference attendees, and how well-suited the topic is to a panel discussion. In addition, the proposal should include information about the expertise of the moderator and panelists in the selected issues. Please include names, institutional affiliations, addresses, email, and phone numbers of the contact person, moderator, and presenter(s). Panel proposals are limited to approximately 2,500 words.

Posters: poster summaries should outline the nature of the research, policy, or project and describe why the work will be of interest to dg.o attendees. Poster summaries are limited to approximately 2,500 words and should follow the proceedings template.

System Demonstrations (Demo): system demonstrations should outline the nature of the system and describe why the demonstration is likely to be of interest to dg.o attendees. Demonstrations of interest include systems under development or in active use in research or practice domains. System demonstration summaries are limited to approximately 2,500 words.

Workshops/Tutorials: workshops offer interactive sessions in which the workshop host and participants discuss and engage in activities designed to facilitate joint learning and further exploration of a particular subject. We seek workshop proposals on any digital government research or management topic. The proponents will be responsible for identifying and selecting participants for the workshop and conducting workshop activities. Workshop proposals are limited to approximately 2,500 words.

Pre-conference Doctoral Colloquium: the doctoral colloquium is a highly interactive full-day forum in which Ph.D. students meet and discuss their work with each other and with senior faculty from a variety of disciplines associated with digital government research. Ph.D. students can submit papers describing their planned or in-progress doctoral dissertation covering any research areas relevant to digital government. Ideally, student participants will have completed one or two years of doctoral study or progressed far enough in their research to have a structured proposal idea and preliminary findings but have yet to reach the stage of defending their dissertation. We expect students at this study stage to gain the most value from feedback on their work and the more general discussions of doctoral programs and scholarly careers. See the detailed announcement for complete information on the colloquium and how to apply. The material provided in applications to the doctoral colloquium will not be published in the proceedings. However, we encourage students to submit finished research to one of the paper tracks or ongoing research as a poster or demo. Doctoral colloquium applications are limited to approximately ten pages, not including references, tables, and figures.

SUBMISSION TRACKS:

TRACK 1 - Data-Driven Services in Government for Evidence-Based Policy and Public Value

Track Chairs: Hsien-Lee Tseng (National University of Tainan, Taiwan), Boniface Ushaka Adie (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand), Hsini Huang (Leiden University, Netherlands), Lucía Galarreta Bolia (Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) – Argentina), Magdalena Ciesielska (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland)

This track focuses on Data-Driven Services in Government. We invite papers exploring how ICTs, Government Data, and AI can enhance public services and policymaking. The goal is to foster responsive governance by examining applications across various domains, including transportation, societal resilience, social welfare, and other crucial policy areas.

TRACK 2 - Building Human Capital and Institutional Capacity for Collaborative Digital Government

Track Chairs: Maria Gintova (McMaster University, Canada), Laura Alcaide Muñoz (University of Granada, Spain)

This track focuses on how building human and institutional capacity enables collaborative digital government. It seeks research on workforce skills, leadership, and inclusion, while welcoming studies analyzing the roles of digital collaboration, AI, and hybrid work in shaping institutional resilience and supporting sustainable, innovative, and equitable governance transformations.

TRACK 3 - Collaborative Intelligence: Humans, Crowds, and Machines in the Public Sector

Track Chairs: Lisa Hohensinn (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Seok-Jin Eom (Seoul National University, South Korea), Helen K. Liu (National Taiwan University, Taiwan)

The collaborative intelligence track invites researchers and practitioners to submit scholarly papers that explore the interactions among humans, crowds, and/or machines. Possible topics include strategies for collaborative intelligence, hybrid intelligence, or platforms in the public sector, as well as designs for machine-human interaction in public services and policy-making.

TRACK 4 - Developing Artificial Intelligence for Transforming the Public Sector

Track Chairs: Sehl Mellouli (Université Laval, Canada), Marijn Janssen (Delft University, The Netherlands), Adegboyega Ojo (Carleton University, Canada), Arbi Chouikh (Université Laval, Canada)

We are observing the emergence of new applications and orientations on the use of AI in governments. However, there are still challenges revolving around transparency, accountability, and democratic values. The purpose of this track is to investigate how AI is implemented, adopted, used, and governed at different levels of government.

TRACK 5 - Artificial Intelligence System Design for Public Value Creation

Track Chairs: Yi-Fan Wang (National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan), Tzuhao (Howard) Chen (Florida International University, USA), Yeonkyung Kim (Kean University, USA), Kayla Schwoerer (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Engaging various stakeholders in the development of AI-enabled systems in the public sector is essential for creating public value. This track invites research that explores the design of AI-enabled systems with various social groups and communities to advance public values.

TRACK 6 - Application of Artificial Intelligence, Computational Methods, and Data Science for Public Value Creation

Track Chairs: Loni Hagen (University of South Florida, USA), Charalampos Alexopoulos (University of the Aegean, Greece), Kellyton Brito (Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Brazil), David Valle-Cruz (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México), Shefali Virkar (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Corey Kewei Xu (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong)

We invite innovative research using AI or computational methods to advance digital government. Topics include technical studies, best practices, and design science approaches that foster public value, improve service delivery, and enhance citizen engagement through the application of AI or computational methods.

TRACK 7 - Generative Artificial Intelligence in Government

Track Chairs: Fadi Salem (MBR School of Government, UAE), Theresa A. Pardo (University at Albany, State University of New York, USA), Gianluca C. Misuraca (Politecnico di Milano, Italy), Yu-Che Chen (University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA)

This research track critically examines the adoption of Generative AI (GAI) in government operations, policymaking, and public engagement. It analyzes GAI's opportunities, risks, regulatory and governance challenges, including impact on transparency, accountability, and trust. We welcome studies on the potential benefits, negative implications, and emerging legal frameworks of this concept in diverse global contexts. 

TRACK 8 - Accountable and Inclusive Digital Ecosystems for Public Value Creation

Track Chairs: Anastasija Nikiforova (University of Tartu, Estonia), Anthony Simonofski (Université de Namur ASBL, Belgium), Anneke Zuiderwijk (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands), Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar (University of Granada, Spain)

Sustainable and inclusive digital ecosystems, powered by emerging technologies such as AI and data spaces, are reshaping governance, driving innovation, and enabling service co-creation. Balancing technical, institutional, and societal dimensions, our track welcomes research exploring ethical governance, inclusivity, resilience, and adaptability of these ecosystems to ensure public value creation.

TRACK 9 - Track for Bachelor's and Master's Students creation

Track Chairs: Hendrik Scholta (German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer, Germany), Chung-Pin Lee (National Taipei University, Taiwan), Guilherme Costa Wiedenhöft (Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Brazil), Stanislav Mahula (KU Leuven, Belgium)

This track is designed for Bachelor's and Master's students, providing them with a firsthand experience of how research works. In contrast to the general research tracks, students will be the first authors of the papers in this track. Supervisors can act as co-authors, and all topics on digital government are welcome.

TRACK 10 - Digital Democracy & AI Creation

Track Chairs: Jawad Haqbeen (Kyoto University, Japan), Uwe Imre Serdült (Ritsumeikan University, Japan and University of Zurich, Switzerland), Sofia Sahab (Kyoto University, Japan), Takayuki Ito (Kyoto University, Japan)

This track examines how AI-enabled tools and systems are reshaping civic participation, deliberation, and the design and delivery of public services for evidence-informed decision-making. We invite research and studies on civic tech, governance, participation, platform regulation, and ethics that enhance citizen participation and advance inclusive democracy while mitigating bias and misinformation.

TRACK 11 - Digital Government for a Stronger Society

Track Chairs: David Duenas-Cid (Kozminski University, Poland), Elsa Estevez (Universidad Nacional del Sur and National Research Council for Scientific and Technological Research, Argentina), Tomasz Janowski (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland and University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria), Grażyna Musiatowicz-Podbiał (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland)

Addressing mega-problems like pandemics, climate change, migration, etc. requires institutions and individuals to work together towards stronger societies based on cohesion, solidarity, resilience, inclusion, and other values. This track will examine the positive and negative influence of digital government on societies and their capacity for the whole-of-society response.

TRACK 12 - Digital Government for Public Health and Healthcare

Track Chairs: Nic DePaula (SUNY Polytechnic Institute, USA), Erika Martin (SUNY Albany, USA), Chun-Hua Tsai (University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA), Andriana Semko (SUNY Polytechnic Institute, USA), Srishti Gupta (SUNY Albany, USA)

This track addresses topics that advance public health, healthcare, and their institutions and systems. This includes theoretical developments, user experience, AI and technological innovations, surveillance systems, misinformation, and scientific guidelines, as well as social/legal/political perspectives, risk and crisis communication, and related topics of digital transformation in public health and healthcare.

TRACK 13 - Law, Technology and Innovation

Track Chairs: Peter Parycek (Frauenhofer Fokus, Germany), Christoph Sorge (Saarland University, Germany), Diogo Sasdelli (Danube University Krems, Austria)

Law and the judicial system are being reshaped by technology and innovation, creating new challenges while enabling powerful solutions. The track focuses on both the transformation of law and public services through technology (e-justice, smart contracts, legal tech, etc.) and on technology regulation and governance (data protection, AI regulation, platform regulation).

TRACK 14 - Public Sector Co-Creation

Track Chairs: Nina Rizun (Gdansk University of Technology, Poland), Noella Edelmann (University of Continuing Education Krems, Austria), John Carlo Bertot (University of Maryland, USA), Arpine Korekyan (UN, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, USA)
Co-creation is a guiding principle of public sector innovation, shifting from top-down delivery to collaborative approaches that embed public values. Engaging citizens and stakeholders fosters trust, inclusiveness, and sustainability. Seeking to study its ethical, sustainable, and digital dimensions, this track explores how co-creation aligns technological transformation with societal needs.

TRACK 15 - Organizational Factors, Adoption Issues, and Value Creation of Digital Government

Track Chairs: Luis F. Luna-Reyes (SUNY Albany, USA), Jing Zhang (Clark University, USA), Chris Hinnant (Florida State University, USA), Michael Ahn (UMass Boston, USA)

This track accepts research that examines the organizational factors that influence government adoption and implementation, and investigates the impacts, especially the value creation, of new and emerging innovative technologies such as smart cities, artificial intelligence, data analytics, big data, open data, social media, citizen-centric technologies, and other novel technologies.

TRACK 16 - Local Government & Artificial Intelligence Transformation (AX)

Track Chairs: Wookjoon Sung (Seoul National University of Science & Technology, South Korea), Jooho Lee (University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA), Taehee Kim (Seoul National University of Science & Technology, South Korea)

This track explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) drives transformation in local governments. Topics include human–AI collaboration, organizational change, the use of AI across the policy process, public service improvement, and citizen engagement. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and experimental studies on AI and local government innovation for public value creation.

TRACK 17 - Deep Fakes and Government Solutions

Track Chairs: Jean-Pierre Auffret (George Mason, USA), Hsin Chung Liao (National Chengchi University, Taiwan)

This track examines how governments confront deep fakes—from fraudulent uses to synthetic media—by developing evidentiary standards, digital forensics, and ethical frameworks to safeguard transparency, legitimacy, and public trust in governance and digital decision-making processes.

TRACK 18 - Responsible Digital Government: Standards and Public Value

Track Chairs: Farhana Faruqe (University of Virginia, USA), Larry Medsker (University of Vermont, USA)

As governments adopt AI and emerging technologies, responsible implementation requires robust governance frameworks and standards. This track explores how to ensure accountability, interoperability, and public value creation in digital transformation. Topics include ethical technology governance, standards for cross-agency collaboration, trust mechanisms, and public value frameworks in digital government, as well as related governance challenges.

TRACK 19 - Smart Cities for Public Value Creation

Track Chairs: Leonidas Anthopoulos (University of Thessaly, Greece), Panos Papagiotopoulos (Queen Mary University of London, UK)

Smart cities are well-recognized enablers of public value creation through local digital transformation and place-based innovation. The track invites research papers that contribute to our knowledge of smart city initiatives, including development strategies, policy models, citizen engagement, and technology innovations.

TRACK 20 - Digital Infrastructure for Scientific Innovation

Track Chairs: Richard Knepper (Cornell University Center for Advanced Computing, USA), Kerk Kee (Texas Tech University, USA), Yu-Che Chen (University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA)

Digital infrastructure supports discovery at all levels, from national to individual, empowering everything from computational research collaborations to citizen science initiatives. This track invites research that examines infrastructure initiatives, innovation, and discovery through computational sciences, as well as the organizations, dynamics, and collaborations that enable them.

TRACK 21 - Cybersecurity and Public Values

Track Chairs: Sukumar Ganapati (Florida International University, USA), Wendy Chen (Texas Tech University, USA)

This track focuses on the central role of cybersecurity in ensuring that public values are sustained with the AI revolution. It examines the pedagogical, policy, and governance dimensions of cybersecurity measures in conjunction with AI adoption in the public and nonprofit sectors.

TRACK 22 - Digital Government for Stakeholder Engagement and Active Citizenship

Track Chairs: Edimara M. Luciano (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), Gabriela V. Pereira (University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria)

Stakeholder engagement is crucial to maximizing the impact of digital government. This track addresses participation in designing, implementing, and evaluating public services, considering the structural, institutional, cultural, political, and cognitive dimensions that foster transparency, innovation, and public value creation. It also advances broader engagement of citizens/other stakeholders in governance debates to promote active citizenship.

TRACK 23 - Resilient Technologies for Digital Government

Track Chairs: Chul Hyun Park (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA), Robert Richards (University of Arkansas, USA), Songkhun Nillasithanukro (University of Arkansas, USA)

This track explores resilient digital government technologies, focusing on how emerging technological tools, including but not limited to artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud infrastructures, blockchain, and advanced cybersecurity systems, can ensure continuous public service during disruptions such as cyberattacks, natural disasters, and other crises. We seek submissions on emerging technologies that enable multiple actors, including governments, communities, and stakeholders, to prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises. Sociotechnical analyses, case studies, and papers on participatory governance that highlight innovative pathways toward more adaptive, resilient, and trustworthy digital public infrastructures are welcome.

TRACK 24 - GovTech and Digital Autonomy

Track Chairs: : Nitesh Bharosa (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands), Olayinka David-West (Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria), Tomasz Janowski (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland and University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria), Nina Rizun (Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland)

Governments no longer hold monopolies on delivering digital solutions for the public sector, but many depend on Big Tech for critical processes. Seeking to study the opportunities, risks, and mitigation strategies, which range from open innovation to protectionism, this track will showcase GovTech and digital autonomy research and developments worldwide.

TRACK 25 - Balancing Prosperity, Privacy, and Cybersecurity

Track Chairs: Hun-Yeong Kwon (Korea University, South Korea), Jung-Hee Lee (Korea University, South Korea), Lyse Langlois (Université Laval, Canada)

This track focuses on the growing tension between the utilization and protection of data in the digital era. It invites interdisciplinary research on privacy and cybersecurity challenges, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and fairness in data governance, and exploring how secure and ethical data practices can sustain trust in digital public ecosystems.

TRACK 26 - Emerging Topics

Track Chairs: Jooho Lee (University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA), Anastasija Nikiforova (University of Tartu, Estonia), Deepak Khazanchi (University of Nebraska at Omaha) 

This track welcomes forward-looking research on emerging technologies, innovative governance models, and new socio-technical challenges shaping the future of digital government. We invite topics ranging from AI, metaverse, and decentralized systems to futures studies, digital humanism, and public-private innovation ecosystems. Work that does not fit into other tracks, but pushes boundaries of digital governance, is especially encouraged.

TRAVEL GRANT:

Up to five $1,000 travel grants are offered by the Digital Government Society to support in person attendance to the dg.o 2026 conference by researchers (PhD students and faculty) from medium and low HDI countries. Grants may be used for travel and accommodation. In addition, awardees will have their conference registration fee, which includes participation in all sessions and all meals, waived. To be eligible for a DGS travel grant, the author must have a paper accepted at dg.o 2026 and apply before April 1, 2026.

PUBLICATIONS:

All accepted research, management, case study or policy papers and panel, poster, and system demonstration descriptions will be published in the conference proceedings and indexed in the DBLP bibliography system. Workshop and tutorial descriptions can also be published in the conference proceedings, depending on the authors, and decided by the program chairs.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOURNAL SPECIAL ISSUES:

Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit significantly extended versions to the special issues of various journals. Some possible venues include but not limited to:

● Government Information Quarterly

● Information Polity

● Digital Government: Research and Practice

● Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy

Other journals may be opportunely added to this list.

BEST PAPER AWARDS:

Outstanding achievement awards will be presented in three categories:

● Research Category

● Management, Case Study, and Policy Category

● Poster Category