Evaluation of Digital Governance Implementation in the Public Sector: A Study of the Effectiveness of the Smart Governance Program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71435/685960Keywords:
Smart Governance , Digital Governance , Public Service Effectiveness, Transparency , Citizen ParticipationAbstract
Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Smart Governance Program in Makassar City, Indonesia, particularly in improving public service effectiveness through transparency, responsiveness, and digital accessibility.
Subjects and Methods: The study employed a quantitative descriptive-explanatory design involving 200 respondents consisting of government employees and citizens interacting with digital public services. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis with SPSS.
Results: The findings revealed that transparency, responsiveness, and digital accessibility positively and significantly influenced public service effectiveness. Transparency emerged as the strongest predictor, indicating that open administrative systems and accessible information substantially improve citizen trust and governance performance. Digital governance also improved efficiency, accountability, and service responsiveness, although challenges related to accessibility disparities and institutional coordination persisted.
Conclusions: The study concludes that successful smart governance depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on institutional readiness, organizational coordination, and citizen-centered governance practices that strengthen public trust and administrative effectiveness in urban governance transformation.
References
Akopian, V., Zakharenko, K., & Zhyzhko, T. (2024). The Postmodern Paradigm: Shaping the Philosophy for the Future Landscape of Public Administration. Philosophy & Cosmology, 32. https://doi.org/10.29202/phil-cosm/32/5
Alajmi, M., Mohammadian, M., & Talukder, M. (2023). The determinants of smart government systems adoption by public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia. Heliyon, 9(10).
Al-Obthani, F. S., & Ameen, A. (2019). Influence of overall quality and innovativeness on actual usage of smart government: an empirical study on the UAE public sector. International Journal on Emerging Technologies, 10(1a), 141-146.
Aslam, B., Tariq, U., & Ahmad, O. (2024). Analysis of Factors that Influence the Implementation of Technological Innovation in the Indonesian Public Sector. Journal of Loomingulisus ja Innovatsioon, 1(6), 266-276. https://doi.org/10.70177/innovatsioon.v1i6.1713
Basuki, T. M., Nugroho, H. Y. S. H., Indrajaya, Y., Pramono, I. B., Nugroho, N. P., Supangat, A. B., ... & Simarmata, D. P. (2022). Improvement of integrated watershed management in Indonesia for mitigation and adaptation to climate change: A review. Sustainability, 14(16), 9997. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169997
Bernerth, J. B., Cole, M. S., Taylor, E. C., & Walker, H. J. (2018). Control variables in leadership research: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Management, 44(1), 131-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317690586
Chan, F. K., Thong, J. Y., Brown, S. A., & Venkatesh, V. (2021). Service design and citizen satisfaction with e‐government services: a multidimensional perspective. Public Administration Review, 81(5), 874-894. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13308
Cioffi, J. W., Kenney, M. F., & Zysman, J. (2022). Platform power and regulatory politics: Polanyi for the twenty-first century. New Political Economy, 27(5), 820-836. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2022.2027355
Combs, J. G., Crook, T. R., & Rauch, A. (2019). Meta‐analytic research in management: Contemporary approaches, unresolved controversies, and rising standards. Journal of Management Studies, 56(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12427
Dakarai, A., Tererau, M., & Tariri, F. (2023). Reviewing the Effectiveness of Public Service Policy Implementation to Enhance Citizen Satisfaction. Journal Social Civilecial, 1(2), 54-69. https://doi.org/10.71435/610482
Das, D. K. (2024). Exploring the symbiotic relationship between digital transformation, infrastructure, service delivery, and governance for smart sustainable cities. Smart Cities, 7(2), 806-835.
Demirel, D., & Mülazımoğlu, M. E. (2022). How the smart governance model shapes cities? Cases from Europe. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 16(1), 8-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-08-2021-0115
Eze, O. I., Chibuzor, C. N., Okafor, J. C., & Osita, J. I. (2024). Leveraging technology to bridge the policy innovation gap in developing countries: Enhancing service delivery and public engagement. West African Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (ISSN: 3027-1878), 2(2).
Gebrihet, H. G., & Pillay, P. (2021). Emerging challenges and prospects of digital transformation and stakeholders integration in urban land administration in Ethiopia. Global journal of emerging market economies, 13(3), 341-356. https://doi.org/10.1177/09749101211034097
Hasgall, A., & Ahituv, N. (2018). Implementing continuous adaptation to technology innovation in complex adaptive organizations. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 29(1), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2018.04.004
Ilawagbon, O. O., & Ajisebiyawo, A. S. (2024). Transparency and accountability in public service delivery: Leveraging E-administration in the post-COVID-19 era in the federal civil service of Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 29(7), 1-12.
Janowski, T., Estevez, E., & Baguma, R. (2018). Platform governance for sustainable development: Reshaping citizen-administration relationships in the digital age. Government Information Quarterly, 35(4), S1-S16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2018.09.002
Jashari, M., & Pepaj, I. (2018). The role of the principle of transparency and accountability in public administration. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Administratio, 10(1).
Jia, K., & Chen, S. (2022). Global digital governance: paradigm shift and an analytical framework. Global Public Policy and Governance, 2(3), 283-305. https://doi.org/10.1177/09520767231198737
Krause, R. M., Fatemi, S. M., Nguyen Long, L. A., Arnold, G., & Hofmeyer, S. L. (2024). What is the future of survey-based data collection for local government research? Trends, strategies, and recommendations. Urban Affairs Review, 60(3), 1094-1115. https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874231175837
Lim, W. M. (2025). What is quantitative research? An overview and guidelines. Australasian Marketing Journal, 33(3), 325-348. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264622
Lips, M. (2010). Rethinking citizen–government relationships in the age of digital identity: Insights from research. Information Polity, 15(4), 273-289. https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-2010-0216
Manaf, H. A., Mohamed, A. M., & Harvey, W. S. (2023). Citizen perceptions and public servant accountability of local government service delivery in Malaysia. International Journal of Public Administration, 46(12), 823-832. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2022.2025829
Meyer-Sahling, J. H., Mikkelsen, K. S., & Schuster, C. (2019). The causal effect of public service motivation on ethical behavior in the public sector: Evidence from a large-scale survey experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 29(3), 445-459. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muy071
Mohajan, H. K. (2020). Quantitative research: A successful investigation in natural and social sciences. Journal of economic development, environment and people, 9(4), 50-79.
Nambassa, G., & Nurmandi, A. (2024). EGDI Impact on Control Corruption in Africa: Exploring E-Government Development Index. Policy & Governance Review, 8(3), 269-283. https://doi.org/10.30589/pgr.v8i3.970
Narne, S., Adedoja, T., Mohan, M., & Ayyalasomayajula, T. (2024). AI-driven decision support systems in management: enhancing strategic planning and execution. International journal on recent and innovation trends in computing and communication, 12(1), 268-276.
Nastjuk, I., Trang, S., & Papageorgiou, E. I. (2022). Smart cities and smart governance models for future cities: Current research and future directions. Electronic Markets, 32(4), 1917-1924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00609-0
Nie, L., & Wang, H. (2023). Government responsiveness and citizen satisfaction: Evidence from environmental governance. Governance, 36(4), 1125-1146.
Omweri, F. S. (2024). A systematic literature review of e-government implementation in developing countries: examining urban-rural disparities, institutional capacity, and socio-cultural factors in the context of local governance and progress towards SDG 16.6. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8(8), 1173-1199. https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.808088
Pavel, K., & Nikita, N. (2025). Transparency in public administration in the digital age: legal, institutional, and technical mechanisms. Legal Issues in the digital Age, (2), 161-182.
Pereira, G. V., Parycek, P., Falco, E., & Kleinhans, R. (2018). Smart governance in the context of smart cities: A literature review. Information Polity, 23(2), 143-162. https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-170067
Petrakaki, D. (2018). Re-locating accountability through technology: From bureaucratic to electronic ways of governing public sector work. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 31(1), 31-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-02-2017-0043
Przeybilovicz, E., & Cunha, M. A. (2024). Governing in the digital age: The emergence of dynamic smart urban governance modes. Government Information Quarterly, 41(1), 101907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2023.101907
Przeybilovicz, E., & Cunha, M. A. (2024). Governing in the digital age: The emergence of dynamic smart urban governance modes. Government Information Quarterly, 41(1), 101907.
Purwanto, A., & Sudargini, Y. (2021). Partial least squares structural squation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis for social and management research: a literature review. Journal of Industrial Engineering & Management Research, 2(4), 114-123. https://doi.org/10.7777/jiemar.v2i4.168
Seppänen, S., Ukko, J., & Saunila, M. (2025). Understanding determinants of digital transformation and digitizing management functions in incumbent SMEs. Digital Business, 5(1), 100106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2025.100106
Setiawan, I., Hendra, A., Taebenu, M. M., Johannes, A. W., & Sidiq, F. F. (2024). Integrating Local Culture in Smart City:‘Sombere’Based Governance Collaboration in Makassar City, Indonesia. Jurnal Bina Praja, 16(3), 541-556. https://doi.org/10.21787/jbp.16.2024.541-556
Suyuthi, N. F., Hamid, M., & Saputro, L. E. (2023). Leadership strategies for Technological Advancement in Makassar City Governance. Journal of Management and Administration Provision, 3(3), 143-148. https://doi.org/10.55885/jmap.v3i3.330
Sykes, B. L., Verma, A., & Hancock, B. H. (2018). Aligning sampling and case selection in quantitative-qualitative research designs: Establishing generalizability limits in mixed-method studies. Ethnography, 19(2), 227-253. https://doi.org/10.1177/1466138117725341
Tomor, Z., Meijer, A., Michels, A., & Geertman, S. (2019). Smart governance for sustainable cities: Findings from a systematic literature review. Journal of urban technology, 26(4), 3-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2019.1651178
Trajkovski, G. (2024). Bridging the public administration‐AI divide: A skills perspective. Public Administration and Development, 44(5), 412-426. https://doi.org/10.1002/pad.2061
Udoh, H. (2024). E-governance performance in the context of developing countries (Doctoral dissertation, University of Leicester).
Webster, C. W. R., & Leleux, C. (2018). Smart governance: Opportunities for technologically-mediated citizen co-production. Information Polity, 23(1), 95-110. https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-170065
Wu, S. P. J., Straub, D. W., & Liang, T. P. (2015). How information technology governance mechanisms and strategic alignment influence organizational performance. MIS quarterly, 39(2), 497-518.
Zhang, W., Zhang, M., Yuan, L., & Fan, F. (2023). Social network analysis and public policy: what’s new?. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 16(2), 115-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2021.1996869
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Asian Digital Governance Problems
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
.jpg)
