The coupling of the disruptive processes of digitalization and the green transformation in a so-called “Twin Transformation” is already being considered a strategic step within the European Union and is discussed in the academic sphere. Strategically, this coupling is necessary and meaningful to realize synergies and to avoid counterproductive effects, such as rebound effects or lock-in effects, particularly given the time constraints imposed by climate change. The European data strategy not only calls for the establishment of various data spaces, such as the data space for the European Green New Deal, but also calls for the opening, integration, and utilization of European data for stakeholders from administration, business, and civil society. Considering this, it is argued that administrative informatics as a discipline could be integrated as an additional analytical perspective into the political science heuristic of the policy cycle. This integration offers substantial added value for analyzing and shaping the policy processes of the European Green transformation. Moreover, this heuristic approach enables the ex-ante prediction of changes in policymaking based on the theories, models, methods, and application areas of administrative informatics. Building on this premise, this article provides insights into the application of the proposed heuristic using the example of the European Green transformation. It analyzes the resulting implications for the analysis of policymaking considering an increasingly digitalized public administration.

In many economies, youth unemployment rates over the past two decades have exceeded 10 percentage points, highlighting that not all youth successfully transition successfully from schooling to employment. Equally disturbing are the high rates of young adults not observed in employment, education, or training, a rate commonly referred to as “NEET.” There is not a single pathway for successful transitions. Understanding these pathways and the influences of geographic location, employment opportunities, and family and community characteristics that contribute to positive transitions is crucial. While abundant data exists to support this understanding, it is often siloed and not easily combined to inform schools, communities, and policymakers about effective strategies and necessary changes. Researchers prefer working with datasets, while many stakeholders favor results presented through storytelling and visualizations. This paper introduces YouthView, an innovative online platform designed to provide comprehensive insights into youth transition challenges and opportunities. YouthView integrates information from datasets on youth disadvantage indicators, employment, skills demand, and job vacancy at regional levels. The platform features two modes: a guided storytelling mode with selected visualizations, and an open-ended suite of exploratory dashboards for in-depth data analysis. This dual approach enables policymakers, community organizations, and education providers to gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by different communities. By illuminating spatial patterns, socioeconomic disparities, and relationships between disadvantage factors and labor market dynamics, YouthView facilitates informed decision-making and the development of targeted interventions, ultimately contributing to improved youth economic outcomes and expanded opportunities in areas of greatest need.

This article examines the implications of adopting a socio-technical perspective on the design and implementation of GovTech solutions. To observe the phenomenon, it adopts a case study approach focusing on the WiseTown solution and its City Digital Twin (CDT), developed by the Italian company TeamDev. The article investigates how integrating social factors, such as urban governance, with technical elements, like data analysis and modeling, can enhance the conceptualization, design, and implementation of user-centric, data-driven digital solutions as part of a broader digital transformation strategy. The article explores an Italian best practice that is developing four dimensions of the GovTech socio-technical framework: Governance Structures, Institutional Arrangements, User and Context Understanding, and Technological Development. It critically examines and discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with the adoption of CDTs and their impact on public policy implementation. The analysis is centered on two main aspects that emerged from the case study: data integration and sharing within CDTs, and the social implications associated with data usage for decision-making. Ultimately, the article explores the role of stakeholder collaboration (public-private partnerships) and the creation of innovation ecosystems—GovTech ecosystem in this specific case—to inform and steer policymaking through and beyond the adoption of CDTs.