Digital government field experiments

This session will present the frontier of digital government field experiments. Though a relatively understudied realm in comparison to traditional academic arenas such as health and educ aation, there are a number of researchers and institutions conducting field experiments on digital government matters. These field experiments - often conducted in conjunction with government partners - are rich opportunities to pilot innovations in a controlled environment, rigorously test a theory of change, measure previously unmeasured aspects of a service, in addition to generating actionable recommendations to inform the still-maturing policy area of digital government. This session will present a small number of recently conducted field experiments: their methodologies, results, implementation challenges, and lessons learned. Potential studies to be presented include: (i) the impact of a smart chatbot on the quality of citizen service in Colombia; (ii) the (limited) potential of nudges to promote digital ID uptake in Uruguay; and (iii) identifying the most effective means to promote cybersecurity awareness among public servants in Argentina.

Objectives for the participants

• Develop a nuanced understanding of the state of the art of field experiments in digital government;
• Learn potential methodological approaches to conduct scientifically rigorous field experiments on digital government topics;
• Learn about potential implementation pitfalls inherent to studying digital government topics;
• Gain multiple perspectives on collaboration between public authorities and outside partners for the design and execution of digital government field experiments;
• Identify potential future opportunities for digital government field experiments.