Those reforms entail far-reaching changes to the federal power structure as well as major reform acts such as the “Onlinezugangsgesetz” (Online Access Act), the goals of which have largely not yet been achieved, although the act dates from the last decade.

These efforts are also reflected in Hesse. Increasing pressure to act due to new and more far-reaching technical innovations and federal obligations, as well as most notably the Covid-19 pandemic, triggered intense activities. The current 2021 “Digitalstrategie” (digital strategy) contains ambitious plans that must be implemented by civil servants in the authorities. This requires all civil servants to have extensive knowledge, not only of a technical nature, which may need to be imparted by the state employer.

This project, funded by the Centre Responsible Digitality (ZEVEDI) at the TU Darmstadt, links to this challenge. With the help of expert interviews with officials in local and state administrations in Hesse, current problems with digitalization and the resulting need for advice are to be identified. Also, the investigation aims to uncover factors inhibiting the digital reform. The data collected will then be processed using qualitative content analysis to produce theoretical and practical conclusions.