{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T19:44:14Z","timestamp":1777578254108,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":["dl.acm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Digit. Gov.: Res. Pract."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The adoption of emerging technologies is reshaping government operations. These technologies enhance efficiency and service delivery. This study explores the key drivers, enablers, and challenges influencing the adoption of these technologies in six government sectors. A qualitative multi-case study methodology was employed, combining interviews with project managers and a thematic analysis of project reports, government publications, and policy documents. The key findings highlight strategic alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 goals, operational efficiency demands, and enhanced accessibility as primary adoption drivers. Regulatory frameworks, leadership commitment, and infrastructure readiness emerged as critical enablers. Conversely, barriers to adoption include technical complexities in legacy system integration, interoperability challenges, financial limitations, and organizational resistance to change. This research contributes to the discourse on digital transformation in the government sector by identifying context-specific success factors and systemic obstacles. It proposes evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, emphasizing the need for adaptive governance models, phased infrastructure modernization, and stakeholder capacity-building initiatives. The contribution aims to inform sustainable technology adoption strategies in alignment with national development agendas.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1145\/3719297","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]],"date-time":"2025-02-25T04:40:37Z","timestamp":1740458437000},"page":"1-26","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Adopting Emerging Technologies in Digital Government: A Multi-Case Analysis of Drivers, Enablers, and Challenges in Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.1145","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-8980-4623","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdulaziz","family":"Alshahrani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Computer and Information System, Islamic University of Madinah","place":["Madinah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"320","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","unstructured":"World Economic Forum. 2020. Top 10 Emerging Technologies 2020. [Online]. Retrieved July 12 2022 from https:\/\/www3.weforum.org\/docs\/WEF_Top_10_Emerging_Technologies_2020.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","unstructured":"U. S. National Science Foundation. 2020. Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning. [Online]. Retrieved July 12 2022 from https:\/\/new.nsf.gov\/funding\/opportunities\/research-innovative-technologies-enhanced-learning\/nsf20-612\/solicitation"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.respol.2015.06.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02564602.2016.1276416"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10207-023-00811-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/0960085X.2022.2026621"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2020.3036054"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.giq.2019.02.003"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","first-page":"415","article-title":"Artificial intelligence for local governance","volume":"50","author":"Matibag T.","year":"2019","unstructured":"T. Matibag. 2019. Artificial intelligence for local governance. Urb Law 50 (2019), 415.","journal-title":"Urb Law"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0894439320980132"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10640-020-00437-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4018\/978-1-7998-9609-8.ch010"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/08944393211034087"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.giq.2018.09.008"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.telpol.2020.101976"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.giq.2021.101577"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/08944393211034087"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_19_2","first-page":"232","article-title":"Towards smarter public budgeting? Understanding the potential of artificial intelligence techniques to support decision making in government","author":"Valle-Cruz D.","year":"2020","unstructured":"D. Valle-Cruz, J. R. Gil-Garcia, and V. Fernandez-Cortez. 2020. Towards smarter public budgeting? Understanding the potential of artificial intelligence techniques to support decision making in government. In Proc 21st Annu Int Conf Digit Gov Res (2020), 232\u2013242.","journal-title":"Proc 21st Annu Int Conf Digit Gov Res"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-98690-6_1","article-title":"Suomi.fi\u2013towards government 3.0 with a national service platform","author":"Yli-Huumo J.","year":"2018","unstructured":"J. Yli-Huumo, T. P\u00e4iv\u00e4rinta, J. Rinne, and K. Smolander. 2018. Suomi.fi\u2013towards government 3.0 with a national service platform. In Proceedings of Electronic Government: 17th IFIP WG 8.5 International Conference (EGOV \u201918), Krems, Austria, September 3-5, 2018, 17, Cham: Springer International Publishing, (2018), 3\u201314.","journal-title":"Proceedings of Electronic Government: 17th IFIP WG 8.5 International Conference (EGOV \u201918), Krems, Austria, September 3-5, 2018, 17"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11187-020-00328-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/su15053939"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/polsoc\/puac019"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.28945\/4837"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_25_2","article-title":"Assessing the impacts of digital government transformation in the EU","author":"Codagnone C.","year":"2020","unstructured":"C. Codagnone, G. Liva, E. Barcevi\u010dius, G. Misuraca, L. Klimavi\u010di\u016bt\u0117, M. Benedetti, I. Vanini, G. Vecchi, E. R. Gloinson, K. Stewart, and S. Hoorens. 2020. Assessing the impacts of digital government transformation in the EU. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.","journal-title":"Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"N. Aleisa. 2024. Key factors influencing the e-government adoption: A systematic literature review. Journal of Innovative Digital Transformation 1 1 (2024) 14--31.","DOI":"10.1108\/JIDT-09-2023-0016"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_27_2","article-title":"Qualitative research from start to finish","author":"Yin K.","year":"2015","unstructured":"K. Yin. 2015. Qualitative research from start to finish. Guilford Publications (2015).","journal-title":"Guilford Publications"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A. Gustafsson and D. E. Bowen. 2017. The curious case of interdisciplinary research deficiency: Cause or symptom of what truly ails us? Journal of Business Research 79 (2017) 212--218.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbusres.2017.05.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2575.1996.tb00015.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1004254420302"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_31_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Single case studies vs. multiple case studies: a comparative study","volume":"2","author":"Gustafsson J.","year":"2017","unstructured":"J. Gustafsson. 2017. Single case studies vs. multiple case studies: a comparative study. Literature Review 2 (2017), 1\u201315.","journal-title":"Literature Review"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_32_2","unstructured":"DGA. 2023. Emerging technologies success stories. https:\/\/dga.gov.sa\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-04\/Emerging%20Technologies%20Adoption%20Readiness%20in%20Government%20Agencies%202023.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.infoandorg.2011.07.001"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_34_2","unstructured":"J. W. Creswell and J. D. Creswell. 2017. Research design: Qualitative quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications."}],"container-title":["Digital Government: Research and Practice"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1145\/3719297","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T12:25:41Z","timestamp":1756383941000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3719297"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]]},"references-count":33,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1145\/3719297"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/3719297","relation":{},"ISSN":["2691-199X","2639-0175"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2691-199X","type":"print"},{"value":"2639-0175","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2024-11-27","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-02-07","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-08-28","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}