The Role of Digital Human Capital in the Relationship between Smart Technologies and Public Value Creation in Iran's Public Sector

Davoud  hosseinpour; Iman  Raeesi Vanani; Habib  Roodsaz; Alireza Karimi

Authors

Davoud hosseinpour Associate Professor of Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6286-4726
Iman Raeesi Vanani Associate Professor of Information Technology Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8324-9896
Habib Roodsaz Associate Professor of Systems Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3842-0708
Alireza Karimi PhD student in Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran, Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0938-6284

Keywords:

Smart Technologies, Public Value Creation, Digital Human Capital, Smart Government, Social Trust, Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Digital transformation has become one of the most important trends in public governance over the past decade. Governments are striving to enhance the quality of public services, transparency, and citizen satisfaction by utilizing smart technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, and decision support systems. However, global experiences and findings in Iran indicate that the mere introduction of technology does not guarantee public value creation; rather, the success of smart government depends on the interaction between technology, digital human capital, social trust, and transformational leadership. This study aims to explain the mediating role of digital human capital in the relationship between smart technologies and public value creation, as well as to examine the moderating role of social trust and transformational leadership in this relationship. This article is based on the data, conceptual model, and findings of the dissertation "Designing a Public Value Creation Model in the Public Sector Based on Smart Technology." The results showed that smart technologies lead to public value creation only when they are embedded in the context of digital human capital, social trust, and transformational leadership.