Digital Platforms and Public Value in Essential Services

Charles Parker

Abstract

This public-management review examines digital platforms and public value in essential services. The organizing question is how platform design can improve access and coordination without weakening rights, accountability, or service continuity. Ten related scholarly sources are synthesized through a decision-centered framework spanning problem definition, mechanism, measurement, evaluation, implementation, and governance. The review does not invent experiments, pooled estimates, or unreported quantitative results. It instead evaluates the strength and transferability of the available evidence, with particular attention to equating digital uptake with public value while unserved users disappear from the data. The resulting framework links technical or empirical performance to explicit use conditions and identifies tests that should precede wider adoption in health, mobility, welfare, and civic-service platforms.

Keywords

digital platformspublic valueessential servicespublic administrationgovernance

References

Ansell, C., & Miura, S. (2019). Can the power of platforms be harnessed for governance?. Public Administration, 98(1), 261-276. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12636 DOI
Barrett, M., Davidson, E., Prabhu, J., & Vargo, S. L. (2015). Service Innovation in the Digital Age: Key Contributions and Future Directions. MIS Quarterly, 39(1), 135-154. https://doi.org/10.25300/misq/2015/39:1.03 DOI
Chen, L., Tong, T. W., Tang, S., & Han, N. (2021). Governance and Design of Digital Platforms: A Review and Future Research Directions on a Meta-Organization. Journal of Management, 48(1), 147-184. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063211045023 DOI
Clarke, A. (2019). Digital government units: what are they, and what do they mean for digital era public management renewal?. International Public Management Journal, 23(3), 358-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2019.1686447 DOI
Deng, T., Zhang, K., & Shen, Z. J. M. (2021). A systematic review of a digital twin city: A new pattern of urban governance toward smart cities. Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 6(2), 125-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmse.2021.03.003 DOI
Doorn, N. V. (2017). Platform labor: on the gendered and racialized exploitation of low-income service work in the ‘on-demand’ economy. Information Communication & Society, 20(6), 898-914. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2017.1294194 DOI
Flew, T., Martin, F., & Suzor, N. (2019). Internet regulation as media policy: Rethinking the question of digital communication platform governance. Journal of Digital Media & Policy, 10(1), 33-50. https://doi.org/10.1386/jdmp.10.1.33_1 DOI
Idzi, F. M., & Gomes, R. C. (2022). Digital governance: government strategies that impact public services. Global Public Policy and Governance, 2(4), 427-452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43508-022-00055-w DOI
Janowski, T., Estevez, E., & Baguma, R. (2018). Platform governance for sustainable development: Reshaping citizen-administration relationships in the digital age. Government Information Quarterly, 35(4), S1-S16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2018.09.002 DOI
Williamson, B. (2015). Digital education governance: data visualization, predictive analytics, and ‘real-time’ policy instruments. Journal of Education Policy, 31(2), 123-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2015.1035758 DOI

Publication details

Journal: Markets, Organizations & Public Value
Volume: 1 (2026)
Article number: mv20260004
License: CC BY 4.0

[1] Ansell, C., & Miura, S. (2019). Can the power of platforms be harnessed for governance?. Public Administration, 98(1), 261-276. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12636 DOI

[2] Barrett, M., Davidson, E., Prabhu, J., & Vargo, S. L. (2015). Service Innovation in the Digital Age: Key Contributions and Future Directions. MIS Quarterly, 39(1), 135-154. https://doi.org/10.25300/misq/2015/39:1.03 DOI

[3] Chen, L., Tong, T. W., Tang, S., & Han, N. (2021). Governance and Design of Digital Platforms: A Review and Future Research Directions on a Meta-Organization. Journal of Management, 48(1), 147-184. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063211045023 DOI

[4] Clarke, A. (2019). Digital government units: what are they, and what do they mean for digital era public management renewal?. International Public Management Journal, 23(3), 358-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2019.1686447 DOI

[5] Deng, T., Zhang, K., & Shen, Z. J. M. (2021). A systematic review of a digital twin city: A new pattern of urban governance toward smart cities. Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 6(2), 125-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmse.2021.03.003 DOI

[6] Doorn, N. V. (2017). Platform labor: on the gendered and racialized exploitation of low-income service work in the ‘on-demand’ economy. Information Communication & Society, 20(6), 898-914. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2017.1294194 DOI

[7] Flew, T., Martin, F., & Suzor, N. (2019). Internet regulation as media policy: Rethinking the question of digital communication platform governance. Journal of Digital Media & Policy, 10(1), 33-50. https://doi.org/10.1386/jdmp.10.1.33_1 DOI

[8] Idzi, F. M., & Gomes, R. C. (2022). Digital governance: government strategies that impact public services. Global Public Policy and Governance, 2(4), 427-452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43508-022-00055-w DOI

[9] Janowski, T., Estevez, E., & Baguma, R. (2018). Platform governance for sustainable development: Reshaping citizen-administration relationships in the digital age. Government Information Quarterly, 35(4), S1-S16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2018.09.002 DOI

[10] Williamson, B. (2015). Digital education governance: data visualization, predictive analytics, and ‘real-time’ policy instruments. Journal of Education Policy, 31(2), 123-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2015.1035758 DOI