Research on the Impact of Big Data Capabilities on Government’s Smart Service Performance: Empirical Evidence From China

The government of China seeks to improve e-government service quality and build a service-oriented government that citizens find satisfactory. To this end, big data is being used as a new tool of government service innovation. However, there is a lack of research on how big data affects the performance of government smart services. This article explores the influence mechanisms of government big data capabilities on the performance of smart service provision, utilizing the carding analysis of relevant literature, published both in China and abroad. To this end, a structural equation model was constructed. Using data from 289 valid questionnaires in Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, and other provinces and cities in China, the study tests internal mechanisms of big data capabilities and its effect on smart service performance. Following a new definition of government big data capability, the paper divides the capability into three dimensions: big data system capability, big data human capability and big data management capability. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Big data management capability has a significant positive impact on big data human capability and big data system capability. (2) Big data system capability has a significant positive impact on big data human capability. (3) Big data system capability and big data management capability have a significant positive effect on smart service performance. (4) The impact of big data human capability on smart service performance is not however significant enough to bring about the improvements which the government seeks.