Exploring the Use of Robotic Process Automation in Local Government.

Abstract

This paper presents an ongoing research project designed to map the current use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in local government. The project runs over three years (2020-2022). The empirical foundation consists of multiple qualitative and interpretative case studies, conducted in close cooperation with practitioners working in a set of Swedish municipalities. The theoretical foundation rests on previous work on stakeholder management and public value creation in the e-government domain. Through this project we ultimately strive to develop an analytical tool that can be used by researchers and practitioners to decide if, and to what degree, a specific case handling process can (and should) be automated. In this paper, the background and overall design of the project is presented, together with a discussion on our preliminary and expected findings.