Governance Reforms in Germany: An Analysis of Digital Reforms

Digital governance reforms can enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and citizen orientation of public organizations. However, the COVID-19 crisis has revealed that Germany’s digital governance reforms have not been particularly effective. Against this background, we outline the major digital reforms in Germany and evaluate them in light of Germany’s development in the UN rankings on E-Government and E-Participation. Over time, Germany’s position in both rankings has gradually declined. Drawing upon analytical reflections and the concept of institutional logics, we identify political and societal barriers, cultural and organizational barriers, legal barriers, as well as technological barriers that may have impeded Germany’s digital governance reforms. In a further step, we derive recommendations for reducing these barriers and improving digital governance reforms in Germany.