Peter André Busch

• Busch, Peter André (2026). Philosophical stances in information systems research: a case analysis and critical reflection. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 13. doi: 10.1057/s41599-025-06427-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article presents an overview of and introduction to philosophical stances often identified in information systems research. The philosophical stances are described regarding their ontology, epistemology and axiology across the philosophical paradigms of post-positivism, interpretivism, critical realism, pragmatism and critical theory. Through a case analysis from the interdisciplinary information systems field, the article illustrates and compares how each philosophical paradigm approaches the research process, highlighting the differences in underlying assumptions and methodologies. The article ends by warning against using the paradigms as templates for research, encouraging further ontological, epistemological and axiological discussions about what information systems research is and should be.

• Busch, Peter André; Johannessen, Marius Rohde & Pekkola, Samuli (2025). The evolution of theoretical contributions in digital government research: Insights from GIQ. Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. ISSN 0740-624X. 42(3), p. 1–12. doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2025.102066. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digital government researchers have debated theoretical progress in the domain. With a surge in publications over the past decade, examining its theoretical progress is timely. This reflection article offers a case analysis of theoretical contributions in digital government research through a literature review of 279 articles published in Government Information Quarterly (GIQ), the domain's leading journal, in the period 2000–2024. Our findings reveal: (1) a preponderance of theoretical extensions, often drawing on well-established theories from other domains but lacking a digital government-specific focus, and (2) “unfinished” theories, often aligned with emerging technologies and trends. While our analysis focuses solely on GIQ, it indicates a need for further development and refinement of the domain's theories, and explicit stances of using and further developing “borrowed” theories from other domains.

• Busch, Peter André; Hausvik, Geir Inge & Nielsen, Jeppe Agger (2025). The early wave of ChatGPT research: A review and future agenda. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans (CHBAH). 6. doi: 10.1016/j.chbah.2025.100213. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Researchers and practitioners are increasingly engaged in discussions about the hopes and fears of artificial intelligence (AI). In this article, we critically examine the early scholarly response to one prominent form of generative and conversational AI: ChatGPT. The launch of ChatGPT has sparked a surge in research, resulting in a fast-growing but fragmented body of literature. Against this backdrop, we undertook a systematic literature review of 192 empirical articles about ChatGPT to examine, synthesize, and evaluate the foci and gaps in this early wave of research to capture the dominating and immediate scholarly reactions to ChatGPT's release. Our analytical focus covered the following main aspects: perspectives on the purpose, usage, attitudes, and impacts of ChatGPT, as well as the theories and methods scholars apply in studying ChatGPT. Most studies in our sample focus on performance tests of ChatGPT, highlighting its strengths in remembering, understanding, and analyzing content, while revealing limitations in its capacity to generate novel ideas and its hallucination habit. Although the initial wave of ChatGPT research has generated valuable first insights, much of this early research remains a-theoretical, descriptive, and narrowly scoped, with limited attention to broader social, ethical, and institutional implications. These patterns reflect both the rapid publication pace and the early stage of scholarly engagement with this emerging technology. In response, we propose a conceptual model that maps key focus areas of ChatGPT research and suggest ways of strengthening ChatGPT research by proposing a research agenda aimed at advancing more theoretically informed, contextually grounded, and socially responsive studies of generative and conversational AI.

• Busch, Peter André (2025). The Artificial Bureaucrat: Artificial Intelligence in Street-Level Work. Digital Government: Research and Practice. ISSN 2639-0175. 6(3). doi: 10.1145/3721138. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Public service provision in the frontline, coined street-level bureaucracy, has been gradually impacted by information and communications technology (ICT) for decades. This impact, however, has mostly considered ICT as a tool suitable for tasks with low complexity. With recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), there are examples of AI use for more complex street-level work. Examples include cases where AI is used for assessing eligibility for social benefits, predictive policing models, automated grading, and diagnostics in healthcare. While these applications demonstrate potential benefits, they also introduce new challenges related to privacy, accountability, corporatization and alienation of street-level work, and client service experiences. This article is a critical reflection on the street-level potential of AI in providing public services. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on AI's impact in street-level work by emphasizing both the potential benefits and risks associated with AI integration in frontline service provision. While AI may mitigate some limitations of human decision-making (e.g., subjectivity, inconsistency, and bias), it can also introduce challenges that require careful consideration (e.g., lack of transparency, data-driven bias, and limited contextual adaptation). By critically reflecting on AI's street-level potential, this article calls for a balanced approach to AI adoption in street-level work.

• Busch, Peter André (2024). Theory Development in Digital Government Research: Status and Ways Forward. In Janssen, Marijn; Crompvoets, Joep; Gil-Garcia, J. Ramon; Lee, Habin; Lindgren, Ida; Nikiforova, Anastasija & Pereira, Gabriela Viale (Ed.), Electronic Government. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783031702747. p. 3–17. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-70274-7_1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Researchers within the digital government domain have debated if the domain is under-theorized. With a surge in publications over the past decade, examining its theoretical progress is timely. This reflection paper assessed theory development in digital government research based on a literature review of 41 articles in leading digital government journals. Our findings revealed a preponderance of theoretical extensions based on theories in other domains as well as “unfinished” digital government theories, indicating a need for further development and refinement of the domain’s theories. We further posit that theory testing is a necessary step towards strengthening the theoretical underpinnings of digital government research, and calls for more empirical work to validate, challenge, and refine existing theories, fostering the establishment of a solid theoretical foundation for the domain. In addition, we make suggestions for further research.

• McCarthy, Stephen & Busch, Peter André (2024). Theorising the Digital Artefact in Dark Sides Research. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). ISSN 0905-0167. 36(2), p. 159–174. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Rapid advancements in the sophistication and diffusion of advanced digital technologies such as AI warrant repose to consider their unintended consequences or ‘dark sides’. While more attention has been directed towards the ethical implications of disruptive technologies, discussions on the underlying materiality of the digital artefacts are often missing. In this article, we call for IS researchers to better conceptualise how technical objects contribute towards the emergence of negative outcomes for users, either intentionally or unintentionally. Examples are provided of conceptual and empirical papers that have sought to open the ‘black box’ of technology to elucidate this issue. We propose sociomateriality as a theoretical lens to guide studies in this area and present a future research agenda that encourages novel methodological approaches such as design science to uncover the dark side of emerging digital artefacts.

• Busch, Peter André & Henriksen, Helle Aagard Zinner (2024). AI technologies and the reconfiguration of discretion in street-level bureaucracy. In Paul, Regine; Carmel, Emma & Cobbe, Jennifer (Ed.), Handbook on Public Policy and Artificial Intelligence. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781803922164. p. 80–92. doi: 10.4337/9781803922171.00012. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2024). Non-user acceptance of autonomous technology: A survey of bicyclist receptivity to fully autonomous vehicles. Computers in Human Behavior Reports. 16. doi: 10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100490. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Whereas the information systems literature mainly has focused on the individual user acceptance of technology, this study focuses on non-user acceptance, termed technology receptivity. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) represent an emerging technology that challenges individual technology user acceptance. Whereas AVs promise several advantages, their success is conditioned on public trust. AVs impact not only those who use them but also those who share the environment with them, such as bicyclists. Empirical research has been characterized by several competing constructs aimed at explaining AV receptivity. In this article, we (1) review extant research on the receptivity of AVs, and (2) develop and validate a model of AV receptivity. A cross-sectional survey of 219 bicyclists showed empirical support for the model. The model can be a useful tool for the AV industry and policymakers in need of assessing the likelihood of success for a wider AV diffusion and help them understand intervention strategies to address populations that may be less inclined to accept the new technology on public roads. We offer several recommendations for future research on refining the measurement instrument and enhancing our understanding of AV and autonomous technology receptivity.

• McCarthy, Stephen; Scholta, Hendrik; Hausvik, Geir Inge & Busch, Peter André (2024). Boundary Spanning and Practical Impact in IS Research: A Bourdieusian Analysis. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. 35(4), p. 1257–1284. doi: 10.1111/isj.12577. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Information systems (IS) research often seeks to deliver practical impact in addition to the traditional requirement for theoretical contribution. While an admirable goal, it is nevertheless a challenging prospect, as key questions remain around how best to facilitate a relationship between IS academic and practitioner communities. To explore this issue, we analyse multi-case study data from interviews with 24 IS practitioner doctorates, industry contact points, and senior IS academics who sought to create a joint field between academia and practice during their research. Our findings reveal several boundary spanning activities needed to traverse field boundaries and maintain the joint field's existence across the stages of proof-of-concept, proof-of-value, and proof-of-use. Building on insights from the work of Pierre Bourdieu, we further discuss how IS practitioner doctorates operationalised capital, doxa, and habitus to achieve varying degrees of practical impact in their work. Action-oriented recommendations are presented to support practical impact going forward including creolised messages and the mobilisation of capital to change inter-field relationships. By adapting Bourdieu's Theory of Practice to the engaged scholarship discourse in IS, we contribute new insights into how the academia-practice gap might be addressed.

• Busch, Peter André (2023). Faced with digital bureaucrats: A scenario-based survey analysis of how clients perceive automation in street-level decision-making. Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. ISSN 0740-624X. 40(4). doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2023.101872. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Street-level bureaucracies are digitalized with significant implications for street-level decision-making. Whereas research has focused on how street-level bureaucrats are influenced by this development, less research has focused on how the clients, who experience actual policy outcomes, perceive the increasing digitalization. This study explores clients' perceptions of automation in street-level decision-making. To do so, we have presented clients with three hypothetical case scenarios of street-level work with automated decision-making. Our findings suggest that clients are reluctant to automation in complex decision-making at the street level. However, those who trust technology the most are more in favor of automation. Individual differences were found in terms of gender and age. This study contributes, first, to the understanding of how clients perceive automation in street-level decision-making, and second, to practice by offering recommendations.

• Busch, Peter André & Hausvik, Geir Inge (2023). Too Good to Be True? An Empirical Study of ChatGPT Capabilities for Academic Writing and Implications for Academic Misconduct. In Midha, Vishal & Animesh, Animesh (Ed.), The 29th Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200056. Full text in Research Archive
• McCarthy, Stephen; Scholta, Hendrik; Hausvik, Geir Inge & Busch, Peter André (2022). A Boundary Spanning Perspective of Practical Impact: The Case of IS Practitioner Doctorates. In Böhmann, Tilo; Hui, Kai-Lung & Venkatesh, Viswanath (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS2022). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200049. Full text in Research Archive
• Skaug, Henrik Aage & Busch, Peter André (2022). AI for Situational Awareness in Situations With High Uncertainty: An Explorative Case Study. In Matook, Sabine (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2022). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781733632560. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André; Hausvik, Geir Inge; Ropstad, Odd Karsten Danielsen & Pettersen, Daniel (2021). Smartphone usage among older adults. Computers in Human Behavior. ISSN 0747-5632. 121, p. 12–12. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106783. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André & Stephen, McCarthy (2021). Antecedents and consequences of problematic smartphone use: A systematic literature review of an emerging research area. Computers in Human Behavior. ISSN 0747-5632. 114. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106414. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2020). Crafting or mass-producing decisions: Technology as professional or managerial imperative in public policy implementation. Information Polity. ISSN 1570-1255. 25(1), p. 111–128. doi: 10.3233/IP-190163. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2020). Problematic Smartphone Use and Its Associations With Personality Traits and Hedonic Motivation, Proceedings of the 23rd Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS). Association of Information Systems. ISSN 9781733632539. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Smartphones provide users with a variety of features such as the ability to interact with friends, play games, and update social networking sites. While smartphones can provide their users with considerable enjoyment, they can also result in distractions and unnecessary use impairing daily life. This paper investigates how problematic smartphone use (PSU) is influenced by different personality traits and hedonic motivation. An empirical study of smartphone users (n = 142) suggests that that people higher in openness and extraversion are more prone to PSU. Furthermore, neuroticism is positively associated with hedonic motivation, which again is positively related to PSU. The nature of the smartphone use among 73.2% of the respondents suggest that their use is problematic. Whereas personality traits and hedonic motivation have been studied in the broader domain of technology and human behavior, this study contributes to research by looking specifically at problematic technology use where research is relatively scarce. The paper ends with suggestions for future research.

• Busch, Peter André & Eikebrokk, Tom Roar (2019). Digitizing Discretionary Practices in Public Service Provision: An Empirical Study of Public Service Workers’ Attitudes. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 1530-1605. p. 3130–3139. doi: 10.24251/HICSS.2019.379. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André; Henriksen, Helle Aagard Zinner & Sæbø, Øystein (2018). Opportunities and challenges of digitized discretionary practices: a public service worker perspective. Government Information Quarterly: an international journal of information technology management, policies, and practices. ISSN 0740-624X. 35(4), p. 546–555. doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2018.09.003. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2018). Conceptualizing Digital Discretion Acceptance in Public Service Provision: A Policy Maker Perspective. In Tanabu, Motonari & Senoo, Dai (Ed.), PACIS 2018 Proceedings - Opportunities and Challenges for the Digitized Society: Are We Ready? : Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS 2018). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9784902590838. Full text in Research Archive
• Majchrzak, Tim A.; Busch, Peter André & Sandvik, Kjetil (2018). Technology-Mediated Learning for Resilience. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 1530-1605. p. 2331–2340. doi: 10.24251/hicss.2018.292. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2018). Technology and Institutional Logics. In Baskerville, Richard & Nickerson, Robert (Ed.), Proceedings of the 39th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780996683173. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  During the past decade, information systems (IS) scholars have increasingly benefited from the concept of institutional logics. Whereas much of this literature looks at how actors are influenced by and seek to influence institutional logics, less research has focused on the direct link between technology and institutional logics. By neglecting this perspective, we have failed to explain how technologies, as material manifestations of institutional logics, can influence institutional stability and change. This paper has two main contributions. First, we provide an overview of IS research that draws upon institutional logics. We show that this research stream clusters into four perspectives focusing on how agentic behavior influences logics, how logics influence human behavior, how technology can influence logics, and how technology can influence human behavior. Our review shows inconclusive results regarding the role of technology in institutional stability and change, and more research is called upon. As our second contribution, we suggest an analytical framework to systematically investigate how technological artifacts relate to institutional logics and how they can change organizing.

• Busch, Peter André & Henriksen, Helle Aagard Zinner (2018). Digital discretion: A systematic literature review of ICT and street-level discretion. Information Polity. ISSN 1570-1255. 23(1), p. 3–28. doi: 10.3233/IP-170050. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2017). The Role of Contextual Factors in the Influence of ICT on Street-Level Discretion. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 1530-1605. p. 2963–2972. doi: 10.24251/hicss.2017.358. Full text in Research Archive
• Eikebrokk, Tom Roar & Busch, Peter André (2016). Progress and Stewardship in Information Systems Research: Addressing Barriers to Cumulation through Active Process Ownership. In Shin, Bongsik; Nickerson, Robert & Sharda, Ramesh (Ed.), AMCIS 2016 Proceedings, San Diego CA, August 11-14, 2016. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780996683128. Full text in Research Archive

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• Busch, Peter André (2022). Funksjonelle websider med PHP: en innføring i webprogrammering. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215049694. Full text in Research Archive
• Dvergsdal, Henrik; Hannemyr, Gisle & Busch, Peter André (2015). Datamaskinens historie. Store norske leksikon. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Datamaskinens historie strekker seg helt fra de første kulerammene og regnestavene til de elektroniske, digitale datamaskinene vi har i dag. De første innretningene ble brukt til å gjøre enkle kalkulasjoner. Den første elektroniske datamaskinen ENIAC fra 1946 var over tusen ganger raskere enn dens mekaniske forgjenger.

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• Wihlborg, Elin; Roszczyńska-Kurasińska, Magdalena & Busch, Peter André (2024). Introduction to the Digital Government Theory: Development and Application Minitrack. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). ISSN 1530-1605. p. 2022–2022. Full text in Research Archive
• Hausvik, Geir Inge & Busch, Peter André (2022). One Size Does Not Fit All: Designing Adaptive Public Services for All. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2019). Facebook: sosialt medium eller sosialt kloakkrør? p. 15–15. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2017). Norge er en digital sinke. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2016). Digitalisering av offentlig sektor. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2016). Putting the 'e' into e-government. Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André & Henriksen, Helle Aagard Zinner (2015). Smart Cities: A Fata Morgana? Full text in Research Archive
• Busch, Peter André (2019). Digital Discretion Acceptance and Impact in Street-Level Bureaucracy. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 9788271179250. Full text in Research Archive

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