Conference Agenda

The digitization of administrative processes plays an ever-increasing role in shaping migra-tion administration. Data infrastructures, enabling the collection, storage and dissemination of digital data among various stakeholders, play a pivotal role. However, there is still a lack of analytical engagement with digital public infrastructures, which at best become the focus of research in the event of a breakdown, despite their profound implications for public ad-ministration and citizens.

From a governance perspective, they illustrate a delicate the tension between designing the infrastructure and controlling its deployment versus acknowledging deviations from original intentions that impact its functionality. Data registers, rather than static tools, derive their functionality from the often underestimated and constant efforts of a net of human actors who keep the infrastructure operational.

This paper analyses the intergovernmental complexities and governance challenges with regard to public data infrastructure, with a specific focus on Germany’s Central Register of Foreigners (Ausländerzentralregister, AZR), as one of the largest automated public admin-istration registers in the country. The analysis addresses two key questions: (1) What govern-ance arrangements are associated with the deployment of public data infrastructure in the German migration administration? (2) What are underlying reasons that a network-based governance arrangement does not enable the successful deployment and functionality of Germany’s Central Register of Foreigners.

Employing a qualitative approach, expert interviews (n=16) were conducted with public employees from migration authorities, neighbouring administrations, and those responsible for overseeing the digitalization of migration administration, alongside participant observation. The findings provide valuable insights into the intricate actor constellations and challenges embedded in the development and deployment of public data infrastructures for migration policy. This research thus complements the prevalent macro-level focus on digitalization trends in migration management as well as the broader trend of viewing public sector digital-ization from the perspective of external digitalization, by offering an in-depth investigation into digital administrative practices within an intergovernmental relations context.

This paper explores the intricate dynamics of increased workload and e-governance in the context of amalgamation reforms in Armenia. Amid a backdrop of rapid decentralisation and local government consolidation, the study delves into the implications of these reforms on the daily lives of public servants on different levels of government and on ordinary citizens. It meticulously examines how the distribution of work and responsibilities shifted as local communities amalgamated, providing insights into the efficiencies and challenges that emerged. Additionally, the paper scrutinises the role of digital governance tools in mitigating the workload pressures experienced by local administrators.

By investigating the synergy between amalgamation-induced increased workloads and the introduction of e-governance tools, the paper aims to shed light on the underlying tensions and potential solutions that emerge in local governance systems undergoing significant transformation. It is within this dynamic space that we uncover the intricate interplay between administrative efficiency and public service delivery, shedding light on the broader implications for democracy, accountability, and citizen engagement.

Ultimately, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding decentralisation, local democracy, and e-governance, offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of local governance in the era of consolidation and digitalisation.

The study of the travel and translation of new ideas and concepts within and across organisations over time remains a persistent concern. There is a rich literature exploring the mechanisms of translation where the imitation of legitimacy-promising ideas serves as a key driver for actors to adopt new ideas (Wedlin & Sahlin, 2017). In recent years, scholars have increasingly turned to questions of how new ideas replace old ones or sediment above existing ones (Hyndman et al., 2014), or how concepts are adapted during implementation, met with resistance or rejected (Waldorff & Madsen, 2023). There are, however, two gaps in extant research. First, it has often been focused on the translation of relative specific and technical ideas within organisations. Second, little is known about the intra-organisational variations and their relations in the translation of fuzzy concepts.

As a result, the intra-organisational translation dynamics remain under-researched, especially in public sector organisations. Digital transformation is an example of a fuzzy concept (because of its multifaceted nature and because it cuts across organisational departments). Yet, given the prominence of digital transformation in public discourse, isomorphic pressures are high (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983). Digital transformation is inescapable for local governments, as it is multifaceted and widespread (Kuhlmann & Heuberger, 2021). However, contrary to theoretical expectations, digital change is predominantly incremental and silo-driven (Haug et al., 2023), indicating highly divergent internal meaning-making dynamics. However, as local governments are hierarchically organised entities and top-management usually orchestrates digital change (Nielsen et al., 2023), it is necessary to consider the control efforts exerted by the latter towards formation of unity. Consequently, we pose the following research question: What are the specific intra-organisational translations and artefacts of digital transformation in public sector organisations and how do they relate to each other?

Drawing on translation theory and employing Benford’s concept of master and action frames (2013), we examine the processes of digital transformation in a second-tier municipality in Germany. We aim to contribute to translation theory by extending the understanding of how different translations of a fuzzy idea manifest and can coexist, while relating to the same common ground (Jalonen et al., 2018). Furthermore, we challenge the notion of the existing literature on digital change in local government that it is a unilateral organisational endeavour. Instead, we show that there can be many different but still coordinated digital transformations within one complex organisation, leaving enough room for individual departmental action.

Sustainability and digitalization represent today’s dominant transformative forces, often framed as twin transition of cities to highlight their interdependence. One stream of the nascent literature on digital sustainability argues that innovative digital technologies can help addressing sustainability issues. Therefore, cities have come under pressure to implement smart solutions in urban transformation projects. Other scholars, however, have raised concerns that such technologies themselves come with unintended environmental and social side effects. In our commentary, we focus on the challenges and pitfalls of increasing digitalization and shed light on the possibility of sustainable digitalization. In doing so, we draw attention to an increasingly popular concept, digital humanism, in which the human is placed front and centre in digitalization efforts. Yet, to extend its current scope from the ‘here and now’ to the ‘there and then’, we suggest adding a spatial and a temporal dimension to the concept, which are currently lacking. Such an extension would allow to consider negative externalities that innovative technologies have for future generations of people both living in a focal city and affected elsewhere, e.g., via global supply chains. By adding a spatiotemporal perspective to digital humanism, our commentary contributes to a better understanding of the interdependence between digitalization and sustainability in the twin transition of cities.