But does that actually make digital government better?

Spending on digitisation in the public sector has been rising for years. Programmes get launched, budgets increased, strategies adopted. Sounds like progress, but it isn’t — not always. Current OECD analyses show: more investment doesn’t automatically lead to better administration. So why is that?

Money often flows into new systems and big platform projects. Those take years to go live and sometimes fail along the way, when the ambitions were too big. What would actually matter is investing the money in changing how administration works. Because right now, processes stay fragmented, administrative procedures span a dozen authorities, data continues to be guarded rather than shared, and media breaks persist. Systems get built, but they don’t mesh with each other. And that’s exactly where the problem lies!

This shows up especially clearly with big programmes: the higher the investment, the higher the complexity. And the more complex the plans, the harder implementation becomes. That leads to a paradox: more is being invested than ever before. But the actual improvement for citizens often stays limited.

What helps against this? Realistic expectations, disrupting old ways of thinking and working — for example through training and further education. Projects that start small and can keep evolving. Changed laws, especially around how data is handled.

What do you think needs to change for administration to get noticeably better?

Image: Ryutaro Uozumi for Unsplash

Sources:

OECD (2026): Going Digital Measurement Roadmap 2026

https://lnkd.in/e_J-e3Ma

OECD (2025/2026): Analyses in the area of Public Governance and Digital Government

https://lnkd.in/ehfcY2YD

OECD (2023): Digital Government in Australia (shows, as an example, the challenges around impact and implementation despite high investment)

https://lnkd.in/eAeWHgjz

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