The escalating complexity of global challenges, from climate change to geopolitical tensions, has underscored the importance of robust public policy frameworks and strong governance capacities. Addressing these challenges requires cross-sectoral responses to what political science debates describe as “wicked problems”—issues that defy clear or definitive solutions due to their inherent complexity. These circumstances underscore the importance of robust public policy frameworks and strong governance capacities, which are fundamental to effective crisis response.

Against this backdrop, emerging technologies (ETs), such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI), are reshaping the structure and functions of institutions, as well as governments’ readiness to monitor and manage critical situations. These tools, which represent an evolutionary process of technical, institutional, and social change, are transforming the functions of public institutions and the government’s readiness to address crises, such as Germany's integration of data-driven early warning tools. Moreover, strategic foresight highlights the potential of AI and machine learning to predict and prevent crises through advanced conflict modeling, risk analysis, and resilience-building. This transformation is particularly evident in domains such as healthcare, education, transportation, environmental protection, and public safety, where AI and big data enable more efficient and accurate data collection, management, and analysis.

According to various scholars, the outbreak of the recent COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the process of innovation in the public sector and renewed the urgency of re-establishing a role for governments in these critical situations. So, what role can these technologies play in addressing climate crises, improving crisis management strategies, and ensuring governments are better equipped to tackle pressing issues? Are governments ready to embrace the cultural and organizational shifts required by the use of these tools? And how can they be seamlessly integrated into public sector frameworks to drive real change?

Overcoming the Lag: Emerging Technologies for Public Good

A systematic literature review of existing studies on using emerging technologies in public governance and crisis management revealed several critical insights. First, emerging technologies can provide relevant recommendations for policymakers in crisis situations, mainly in addressing environmental crises, such as natural disasters and climate change issues. Second, tools such as AI and Big Data are the most studied to enable governments to collect, analyze, and use vast data sets for identifying risks, predicting outcomes, and informing policy decisions. Third, while emerging technologies have immense potential, their adoption in the public sector lags behind the private sector due to challenges such as data privacy concerns, governance complexity, and the need for societal value optimization. Lastly, most existing studies on these tools focus on their technical aspects - such as functionality, design, and performance - leaving a significant gap in understanding their practical implications for governance, public administration, and decision-making processes.

Next steps

Building on these findings: How can perspectives from crisis management literature and public policy studies be combined to build a robust theoretical framework for addressing crises? To what extent does the ability of decision-makers to manage crises depend on their policy capacities, and can this dependency be strengthened by emerging technologies? Furthermore, how can the insights provided by these tools be operationalized within decision-making processes to create more effective crisis management policies?

Building up a research agenda calls for:

1. Mapping emerging technologies employed or with potential utility in the public sector and the specific crises they address: What types of emerging technologies are/could be used by the public sector? In what types of crises are emerging technologies used/could be used by the public sector?
2. How to build a theoretical framework to study the uses and links of emerging technologies within crisis management and public policy? How to make sense of evidence-based policymaking, where a key component is the policy analytical capacity, which refers to the ability of governments to effectively gather, evaluate, and integrate relevant data to inform policymaking? The policy analytical capacity also involves leveraging advanced research techniques and analytical models to ensure decisions are well-informed, efficient, and aligned with societal needs. How can technology be integrated in complex and dynamic governance contexts?
3. How are these technologies reshaping crisis management practices and how are they integrated into governance processes?

The study aims to explore the political and institutional contexts in which emerging technologies operate, providing actionable insights to help policymakers integrate these tools into the public sector's crisis management efforts. It aims to deepen our understanding of how digital tools can enhance evidence-based policymaking and strengthen the public sector's overall capacities to address complex crises effectively.