Beyond firewalls: public integrity and cyber resilience in European smart city governance

Abstract

This study examines how the level of public sector integrity influences cyber resilience and the security of digital governance in smart city environments across Europe. The research aims to move beyond a purely technological understanding of cybersecurity by demonstrating that smart city resilience also depends on transparent public procurement, accountable institutional oversight, reliable data governance, and the public sector’s capacity to govern complex digital infrastructures. The study builds on existing concepts of public sector integrity, cyber resilience, digital governance, and smart city governance, with particular attention to the relationship between corruption risks, supplier dependency, vendor lock-in, and the institutional conditions required for secure digital transformation. The research employs a comparative, indicator-based approach. It examines six European countries—Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria—using public sector integrity indicators, cyber resilience indices, digital governance indicators, and public procurement risk proxies. As complementary explanatory dimensions, the analysis also considers supplier concentration, public procurement competition, and institutional control mechanisms. The findings suggest that, in the cases of Denmark, Finland, and Estonia, relatively high levels of public sector integrity are associated with strong cyber resilience and advanced digital governance capacity. Hungary and Romania display mixed profiles: both countries possess relatively strong formal cybersecurity capacities, while their integrity and public procurement indicators point to institutional vulnerabilities. Bulgaria emerges as the most vulnerable case among the countries examined, combining weaker integrity, lower cyber resilience, and more limited institutional control. The conclusions are relevant for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners alike, as they highlight that smart city cybersecurity cannot be ensured solely through firewalls and technical solutions. The study’s main contribution lies in integrating public sector integrity, public procurement governance, and cyber resilience within a common analytical framework for assessing the security of smart city governance in Europe.