Digital Transformation Initiatives in Public Administration During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Brazil: Unveiling Challenges and Opportunities

ABSTRACT

The development of ICT is an important factor in boosting the economies of developing countries. Despite the multiplicity of technological novelties and recipes for their successful implementation, these initiatives are taking much longer and facing more difficulties than it has been expected. During the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and with the implementation of social distancing, digital transformation has become a major issue. The world has encountered several challenges as the adoption and use of technologies became mandatory. In public administration, the development of an environment capable of keeping up with this pace of change was paramount. Hence, this study aims to understand the role of digital transformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, by analyzing several mini-cases in Brazil. Therefore, adopting a qualitative approach based on multiple longitudinal mini-case studies grounded on a critical interpretive approach, one analyzed the positive, negative, and unforeseen outcomes accrued from digital transformation initiatives in Brazil, thereby unveiling potential challenges and opportunities for technology in a post-Covid-19 reality. © 2021, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.