Citizen-centricity in digital government: A theoretical and empirical typology

Putting citizens as the cornerstone of a policymaking or service design process is usually referred to as citizen-centricity and is often considered a key practice in the context of digital government transformation. Nevertheless, the lack of a common comprehension of what citizen-centricity entails leads to practical and theoretical difficulties, among which the confusion generated by the multiple heterogeneous definitions and the difficulty of measuring the level of citizen-centricity of a digital initiative, to cite only two. As an answer, this study characterizes citizen-centricity by suggesting a typology grounded in theory and practice. It does so by surveying the recent scientific literature using a systematic literature review of 58 studies, combined with 14 qualitative interviews with public agents. The key contribution from our citizen-centricity typology is threefold. First, by emphasizing four understandings of citizen-centricity, sometimes referring to an end-result, a design process, a governance mode, or a way of identifying the user, we demonstrate that the concept has the potential to encompass a multitude of disparate realities. Furthermore, it provides a crucial lens through which to comprehend the concept, thereby facilitating alignment between stakeholders engaged in the pursuit of citizen-centricity. Second, we identify the characteristics given by the literature and practitioners for each understanding. Finally, we suggest that the four understandings of citizen-centricity cannot be sequenced, even iteratively, since they interact continuously. These contributions should guide future research and facilitate communication between research and practice about this concept. • Citizen-centricity is a widely used concept, although it lacks theoretical foundations. • A systematic literature review of 58 studies and 14 in-depth interviews are performed to develop the typology. • Four different understandings of citizen-centricity are found: user, governance, design, and end-result. • Several characteristics are to be found in the literature and practice to ground those understandings. • The interviews complement the literature by unpacking the continuous nature of the concept.