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Prof. Paul Sudnik

Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany

As the Editor-in-Chief of IJSSH, I invite you to contribute your scholarly work to our esteemed publication. The journal publishes papers which focus on the advanced researches in the field of all aspects of social science and humanity. I'll endeavour to make this journal grow better and hopefully it will become a recognized journal among researchers and scholars in related fields.

Home > Archive > 2025 > Volume 15, Number 6, 2025
IJSSH 2025 Vol.15(6): 194-199
doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2025.15.6.1264

The Evolving Position of the Civic Tech Concept: A Decade of Systematic and Bibliometric Review

Xingchen Wu
Kanazawa Seiryo University, Kanazawa, Japan
Email: x-wu@seiryo-u.ac.jp

Manuscript received July 7, 2025; accepted August 7, 2025; published November 26, 2025.

Abstract—The development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has increased public expectations for higher-quality services across diverse social sectors. This has objectively contributed to reforms in public data utilization and the emergence of more transparent, open policymaking by administrative agencies. In response, a growing number of volunteers with ICT expertise have become actively involved in public service innovation and policy development. A notable example is Code for America, founded in 2009 based on the concept of “Civic Tech” (CT). Although CT-related studies proliferated between 2009 and 2019, there has been no large-scale bibliometric analysis or comprehensive chronological overview of the field. To address this gap, this study crawled the Google Scholar database for CT-related publications from 2009 to 2019, clustered article titles, and analyzed yearly trends based on word similarity. Two main findings emerged. First, CT research consistently shares the long-term objective of advancing smart cities and can be categorized into three disciplinary clusters: informatics, sociology, and political science. Second, the understanding of the CT concept has gradually evolved from fragmentation toward integration, with a broadening of its semantic scope. Over time, the distinct identity of the CT concept is likely to fade, becoming subsumed within the broader discourse of smart cities. Nevertheless, in regions with lower levels of urbanization, the CT framework remains a useful and relevant tool for initiating public service improvements. 

Keywords—civic tech, cluster analysis, bibliometric analysis, civic engagement, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 

Cite: Xingchen Wu, "The Evolving Position of the Civic Tech Concept: A Decade of Systematic and Bibliometric Review," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 194-199, 2025.

Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
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