Bridging the Integration Gap: Governance Arrangements for Systemic Learning in the Dutch network of Information points Digital Government (IDO)

Abstract

The Dutch Government pursues a digital-by-default strategy, with 83% of citizens possessing the necessary digital skills, but 17% of the population is at risk of exclusion. Here, Information points Digital Government (IDOs) in libraries serve as a crucial physical safety net. While IDO employees effectively resolve individual incidents locally, most signals about structural system errors do not reach the system owners and policymakers. Because of this, this research aims to find governance arrangements within the IDO-network to improve systemic learning through these signals to bridge the Integration Gap. This qualitative research applies the 4I Framework for organisational learning to a multi-actor context, following the processes of Intuiting, Interpreting, Integrating, and Institutionalising. Filling a theoretical gap by examining how learning processes behave when executional and system levels are separated across different organisations. In total, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted, strategically divided into three phases for problem specification, network examination, and scenario validation. The analysis reveals a mismatch between qualitative human experiences and the quantitative dashboard, fragmented network structures and a lack of central coordination. As a socio-technical design intervention, two developed scenarios, the ‘Qualitative Intermediary’ and ‘Broadening to Essential Services’, show how the feedback loop could be structurally closed. By proposing these mechanisms, this study contributes to safeguarding digital inclusion and protecting citizens’ fundamental rights in an increasingly digital society. It is recommended to transform the IDO network into a goal-oriented learning system with binding agreements between public and private actors, supported by a centrally maintained social map and formalised feedback mechanisms.