Exploring the Multiple Paths of Digital Government Development: A Dynamic QCA Analysis Based on Organizational Transformation

Digital government is a crucial strategic choice for achieving sustainable development worldwide. Notably, the underdeveloped state of digital government in developing countries is a significant concern. To address this, we constructed a Pressure-Action-Resources analytical framework based on the Pressure-Response model. The study analyzed the multifaceted paths that drive the development of digital government in 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2015 to 2021 using the dynamic QCA method. The study results indicate that: 1) single condition has an obvious asymmetric causality and dynamic effect on the development of digital government. Technology management capabilities and data open capabilities are gradually becoming necessary for the further development of digital government; 2) development of digital government is characterized by “multiple concurrency” and multiple equivalent paths. There are three types of driving paths for the high-level development of digital government: The Timely Transformation model, the ‘Pressure-Resource’ model, and the Proactive Transformation model; 3) each driver pathway is clearly influenced by the digital government strategy and major public health emergencies at certain points in time; and 4) under certain conditions, digital transformation attention and technology management capabilities can be substituted for each other. In addition, under certain conditions, the pressure of intergovernmental competition can be substituted for each other with a combination of conditions of citizen demand pressure and digital transformation attention. The above findings enrich the perceptions of existing research and provide useful insights into how developing countries can better implement digital government policies.