International Journal of Electronic Governance (5 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Digital governance and citizen service frictions in land administration: evidence from Ghana's Lands Commission  
  by Albert Nii Noi Okwei 
  Abstract: This study examines how digital governance reshapes citizen service experiences in Ghana's land administration, using the Lands Commission as a case. Drawing on a convergent mixed-methods design, the study combines semi-structured interviews with three Lands Commission officials and survey data from 104 clients. Findings show perceived improvements in speed, convenience, application tracking and reduced corruption-related interactions. These gains are constrained, however, by staff-capacity challenges, limited training, portal downtime, payment disruptions, platform dependency and continued demand for hybrid assistance. The study contributes to digital governance scholarship by showing that digitisation can reduce some citizen service frictions while relocating others into new digital, organisational and socio-institutional forms. Strengthening digital land services in Ghana requires reliable infrastructure, workforce capacity, payment-system resilience, workflow monitoring, legal-institutional coordination and inclusive hybrid support.
  Keywords: digital governance; electronic governance; land administration; citizen service frictions; administrative burden; platform reliability; digital inclusion; public service delivery; Ghana.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2026.10080810
   
  
• Data labs as intermediary governance structures in the German Federal Administration: a qualitative document analysis of experimentation, coordination and administrative implementation  
  by Norbert Földi 
  Abstract: Data-driven innovation is becoming increasingly important in the public sector, yet traditional administrative structures are often poorly suited to experimentation, cross-functional collaboration and rapid prototyping. This paper examines data labs in the German federal administration as intermediary governance structures linking strategic digital priorities with administrative implementation. Based on a qualitative document analysis of nine strategically selected documents, the study identifies four dimensions through which data labs matter for digital government: experimentation, coordination, institutional embedding, and transfer and scaling. The findings show that data labs are hybrid organisational arrangements that translate between data expertise, policy priorities and administrative routines. Their effectiveness depends on formal anchoring, organisational legitimacy and pathways for moving prototypes into durable administrative use. The paper also clarifies that data labs differ from generic innovation labs and digital service teams because their core role lies in intermediary coordination, analytical translation and the preparation of organisational uptake.
  Keywords: data labs; electronic governance; digital government; public sector innovation; qualitative document analysis; data governance; experimentation; coordination.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2026.10081456
   
  
• Towards effective data-driven policy in Indonesia: a perspective from people, process, and technology framework  
  by Shiddiq Sugiono, Purwadi Purwadi, Perdhani Yunia Putri 
  Abstract: Indonesia holds significant potential for data-driven policy, supported by existing regulations and abundant data availability. However, challenges in managing the data lifecycle from collection to utilisation remain persistent. This study employs a meta-synthesis of 20 qualitative papers to identify themes within the People, Process, and Technology framework, revealing four People, seven Process, and five Technology categories. Findings demonstrate that realising data-driven policy demands strategic alignment of People, Process, and Technology for a robust national data management ecosystem. Accordingly, this study recommends five strategic steps for One Data Indonesia to advance data-driven policy: 1) developing Human Resources for functional position data skills; 2) facilitating data exchange cooperation between organisations; 3) optimising data curation and codes of ethics; 4) providing credible data stewardship services; and 5) data and information technology infrastructure sharing. These steps are expected to strengthen the national data ecosystem and accelerate the government's digital transformation, thereby supporting national development.
  Keywords: data-driven policy; policy formulation; policy analytics; one data Indonesia; sustainable development; data governance; people-process-technology framework; data policy; data culture; public policy.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2026.10080702
   
  
• Data-driven digital communication and policy legitimacy in Indonesia local government  
  by Rusliandy Rusliandy, Muhamad Husein Maruapey, Lesmana Rian Andhika 
  Abstract: This study aims to analyse how digital communication shapes policy legitimacy through communicative governance and digital inclusion in Indonesian local governments. The research uses a qualitative case study design to examine the provincial governments of Jawa Barat and the regencies of Sumedang and Aceh Tenggara. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, and analysed using thematic coding in NVivo 13. The study's results show that data-driven digital communication plays an important role in increasing transparency, public participation, and policy accountability. The research concludes that policy legitimacy is shaped not only by data disclosure but also by the government's ability to communicate data to the public in an inclusive, participatory, and easily understandable manner. This study contributes to the development of the digital governance literature by placing data-driven digital communication as the main mechanism for establishing policy legitimacy.
  Keywords: data-driven digital communication; communicative governance; digital inclusion; policy legitimacy; local government.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2026.10080814
   
  
• Bridging the digital divide: e-governance and public satisfaction in Bangladesh's local government  
  by Jannatul Ferdous 
  Abstract: The study investigates how productive the e-governance approach is using the Union Digital Centres (UDCs) in rural Bangladesh in terms of citizens satisfaction, service delivery process and trust in the institution. In the district of Cumilla, data was gathered using a qualitative case study approach, and analysed thematically. The results indicate that in terms of inputs like infrastructure, internet connectivity, trained peoples etc., e-governance affects positively on the access, cost and efficiency. However, issues such as weak digital infrastructure, limited staff capacity, unequal service delivery and 'tadbir culture' remain to hinder equal access. The study reveals that citizen satisfaction and trust are a result of the interplay between inputs, processes, and outputs of the local governance system. It also points to a deep rural/urban, income, and digital skills divide. This study is novel because of its input-process-outcome structure that connects citizen experience with citizen trust of the institutions in rural e-governance. The study provides policy suggestions on inclusive digital transformation in developing context.
  Keywords: E-governance; service delivery; satisfaction; trust; local government.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEG.2026.10080812