Digital government initiatives and national resilience: How digital governance frameworks were transformed post-COVID to maintain national services

Rakibul Hasan Chowdhury *

Digital Business Management, University of Portsmouth, UK.
 
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences, 2022, 07(01), 224-240.
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjaets.2022.7.1.0098
Publication history: 
Received on 29 August 2022; revised on 22 October 2022; accepted on 25 October 2022
 
Abstract: 
The COVID-19 pandemic functioned as an unprecedented stress test for public institutions, compelling governments worldwide to rapidly adapt their service delivery models to digital platforms. This paper examines how digital governance frameworks were transformed during and after the pandemic and assesses their contribution to national resilience. Drawing upon comparative case studies of Estonia, the United States, and India complemented by an OECD-wide analysis the study identifies key trends, including the rapid deployment of digital public services, the adoption of cloud-first strategies, increased focus on citizen engagement, and advancements in data governance. While these transformations enabled continuity of essential services and improved crisis responsiveness, the study also highlights persistent challenges such as digital inequality, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, intergovernmental coordination gaps, and legacy system dependencies. Theoretical insights are drawn from adaptive governance, networked governance, and resilience theory to frame these dynamics. Based on the findings, the paper offers actionable policy recommendations centered on digital-by-default governance, investment in digital public infrastructure, institutional capacity-building, inclusive design, and ethical data stewardship. The study concludes that embedding digital resilience into national governance systems is not only critical for future crisis preparedness but also essential for the long-term legitimacy and adaptability of the modern state.
 
Keywords: 
Digital governance; National resilience; COVID-19; E-government; Digital public infrastructure (DPI); Adaptive governance; Policy innovation; Case study; Public service delivery; Cybersecurity; Digital inclusion; Cloud strategies; State capacity; Comparative governance
 
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Copyright information: 
Copyright © 2022 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0