For over 15 years, the Digital Government Track at HICSS has presented innovative research on the forefront of digital government research and practice. That tradition continues, notwithstanding the COVID-19 global pandemic global. Once again, the Digital Government Track received a triple-digit number of completed research submissions.

Over the years, the Track has sought to maintain a balance between providing a venue for new and emerging topics with those that are mature with well-defined parameters. Typically, the acceptance rate for more mature topical mini-tracks is lower (20-30%), while the acceptance rate for emerging topics is higher (50-60%) in order to promote the growth of scholarship in new areas. Overall, the Digital Government Track seeks an acceptance rate of between 40% and 50%, which we achieved this year as well.

While it is unclear what impact the global pandemic had on the HICSS conference in general, and the Track in particular, the high number of submissions and the overall acceptance rate reaffirms the ranking of the Digital Government Track as a prominent conference outlet in the field of Digital Government. Though we will miss coming together in Kauai, the Digital Government Track will offer the opportunity to explore cutting edge research in the through its 15 minitracks:

• Cyber Deception and Cyber Psychology for Defense;
• Cybersecurity and Privacy in Government;
• Digital and Hyperconnected Supply Chain Systems;
• Digital Government and Business Process Management (BPM);
• Digital Government Theory: Development and Application;
• Digital Society;
• Digital Transformation and Government: Barriers and Enablers of Change;
• Disaster Information, Resilience, for Emergency and Crisis Technologies;
• Emerging Topics in Digital Government;
• Engaging Governance;
• Inclusion and Digital Government: Narrowing the Divides;
• Policies and Strategies for Digital Government;
• Sharing Economy in Rural Areas;
• Smart and Connected Cities and Communities; and
• The Impact of ICT on Citizens’ Well-Being and the Right to the City.

These topics will be considered via more than 100 published papers and virtual events.

The breadth and scope of the topics explored through the minitracks is a reflection of the continued growth of Digital Government as a field of study. As maintained through the Digital Government Reference Library v. 16.0 (http://tinyurl.com/p5w8vv), there are over 13,000 entries of peer-reviewed publications in the English language. Digital Government research continues to thrive both in numbers and in quality, and the HICSS conference is a reflection of that trajectory..

While most topics above will maintain continued interest and attract attention, we would anticipate that future editions of the Digital Government Track at HICSS will give rise to new topics as the field continues to evolve and grow. We look forward to the continued exploration of established and emerging Digital Government research at the HICSS conference.

John Carlo Bertot
University of Maryland, College Park
jbertot@umd.edu

Lemuria Carter
University of New South Wales Sydney
lemuria.carter@unsw.edu.au