MPA Major Research Papers

Date of Award

4-14-2023

Degree Type

Major Research Paper

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration

Program

Political Science

Supervisor

Kane Faucher

Geographical Areas

Ontario

Abstract

In response to the fulfillment of public expectations and the shortcomings of new public management, one alternative approach that has received recent attention is the concept of public value. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has provided an affordance for the development of e-government profiles that principally aim to create public value. As evaluative research, this project contributes to the quantitative development of the public value construct by establishing and assessing relationships between ICT and public value frameworks. Through the use of common website metrics and other previously used dichotomous indicators, the levels of digital public value are assessed under the key themes of efficiency; service delivery quality; trust and legitimacy; and outcome achievement offering a quantitative response to the research question of [How] should Ontario local governments leverage website utility to sustain digital public value in the post COVID era? Results from this study indicate that the themes of service delivery quality and trust and legitimacy account for nearly two-thirds of digital public value creation, suggesting that the dimensions of citizen satisfaction, citizen engagement, convenience, accessibility, trust, and transparency should be primary considerations for local governments. This study also shows that the efficiency theme provides the largest potential for improvement that local governments could consider to enhance their contribution toward digital public value.

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