Digital Capacity of Vietnamese Civil Servants and Citizen

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) has had a profound impact, transforming the methods of state governance and leading to the formation and development of digital governments in various countries. Digital governments operate in a digital environment, placing demands on digital capabilities for civil servants and citizens participating in state administration. When civil servants and citizens possess the necessary basic digital skills, becoming digital civil servants and digital citizens, the performance of their duties and the interaction between them will be facilitated in the digital environment, saving time and costs for both the government and the people. Therefore, developing the digital capacity of civil servants and citizens is a fundamental and necessary condition for building and operating a digital government. This study analyzes the characteristics of digital government and the role/influence of developing the digital capacity of civil servants and citizens on the construction and operation of a digital government. The theoretical framework consists of a scale/dependent variable "Digital government" (DG) and independent scales/variables "Digital capacity of civil servants" (CCS) and "Digital capacity of citizens" (DCC). The author surveyed 210 commune-level government leaders from 50 selected communes in three provinces of Vietnam: Bac Ninh province (Northern), Nghe An province (Central), and An Giang province (Southern). The survey results showed that the digital capacity of citizens was rated at a lower level. Based on this research conclusion, the author suggests appropriate policy solutions to develop digital capacities in the context of Vietnam's digital society.