Assessing the Maturity Level of Saint Petersburg's Digital Government

Abstract

This paper assesses the readiness of Russia's government authorities and local governments for a digital transformation. The digital economy's condition in the public sector is analyzed, and the problems and possibilities of developing a digital economy in this area are identified. Based on an analysis of the current methods for assessing countries’ readiness for a digital economy and international models to evaluate the development of an e-government, a methodological approach is developed to enable the assessment of a “digital government's” maturity level at various governmental levels. St. Petersburg was selected as the object of this paper's research. Expert procedures, methods for gathering and processing statistical information, and fuzzy logic served as the methodological basis for this paper's calculations. The maturity level of the city's digital economy was identified using a fuzzy-set approach. The results of these calculations show that, despite numerous solutions aimed at developing digitalization in the public sectors of Russia and, in particular, St. Petersburg, the maturity level of the city's digital government remains insufficient to satisfy society and businesses’ modern demands. Based on the conducted research, this paper highlights the reasons for the low maturity level of St. Petersburg's digital government and develops recommendations on how to increase this maturity level.