Digital Human Resources Management and Local Governance Transformation: An Integrative Narrative Review

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-680-7_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS); Local Governance; Digital Government; Public Value; e-HRM

Abstract

The digitalization of human resources (HR) has become a key driver of organizational transformation in both public and private sectors. This narrative review, based on 50 academic articles published between 1986 and 2025 in indexed journals (Scopus and Web of Science), examines the relationship between HR digitalization and local governance dynamics. The analysis highlights three main findings. First, human resource information systems (HRIS), e-recruitment, e-learning, and automation are essential tools for modernizing HR practices. However, their effectiveness depends on institutional context, digital skills, and stakeholder acceptance. Second, the impact of HR digitalization on local governance is uneven. While it may improve performance and transparency in some cases, it also faces organizational, trade union, and cultural resistance in others. Third, a central tension emerges between technical process rationalization and the democratic dimension of governance. Some studies focus on internal efficiency gains, whereas others emphasize the potential of digital tools to enhance citizen participation and public value creation. This review proposes an integrative framework linking HR digitalization and local governance through four mediators: digital competencies, local leadership, digital trust, and institutional interoperability. It also identifies future research directions related to digital maturity, artificial intelligence in public HR, digital resilience, and territorial digital justice. Ultimately, HR digitalization represents a potential lever for transformation within inclusive and sustainable local governance strategies.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Benaich Mohamed
AU  - Baddih Hindou
AU  - Ettoumi Youssef
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/20
TI  - Digital Human Resources Management and Local Governance Transformation: An Integrative Narrative Review
BT  - Proceedings of the Conference Morocco-Korea Cooperation: A Lever for Afro-Asian Development (MKC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 181
EP  - 196
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-680-7_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-680-7_13
ID  - Mohamed2026
ER  -