Leading Digital Technologies for Coproduction: the Case of 'Visit Once' Administrative Service Reform in Zhejiang Province, China

摘要

Research on coproduction of public services has grown significantly within the politics and public administration field during the last decade. The existing literature mostly assumes that coproduction requires additional costs from the public. This article explores whether and how digital technologies, which arguably have the ability to reframe public participation, might influence coproduction between the government and the public. A revised theoretical framework for coproduction in the era of digital governance is illustrated through a case study of the "Visit Once" administrative service reform in Zhejiang Province, China. This study reveals a new possibility for coproduction through digital technologies, in which citizens are involved in service improvement when using public services without costing them extra time or effort. Thus, the assumption of the necessity of additional costs from the public could be relaxed in the digital governance era. These findings also suggest that the significance of facilitative leadership in leading to coproduction can be moderated by digital technologies.