Technological vulnerability and knowledge of cyber-incidents: threats to innovativeness in local governments?

Governments are greatly concerned about cybersecurity, yet most public managers perceive their organization as technologically vulnerable and have little knowledge of past cyber-incidents. Both vulnerability perceptions and knowledge of past exposure are known to affect innovativeness but evidence is mixed and context-dependent. Using a three-year nationally representative pooled dataset of 2,500 managers in 500 US cities, we find that technologically vulnerable departments are less innovative. Knowing about past cyber-incidents positively affects innovativeness but ‘ignorant’ managers more likely support innovation when technological vulnerability is high. Results call for more research on ignorance management and the implications of cybersecurity management in government agencies.