Government Decision-making Processes Research Articles

Demystifying the Relationship between Digitalization of Government Services and Public Trust: A Scoping Review

Citizen trust is critical for effective public policy implementation. However, according to a recent report from the OECD, only 39% of citizens have medium or high trust in the government. Among others, the use of digital technology has been considered to foster public trust by leveraging the transparency of government data, information, or decision-making process. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the relationship between digitalization of government services and public trust using the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework. Based on the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, individual, and trust aspect, this study identifies and categorizes 112 distinct constructs mapped across five key contexts: technology, organization, environment, individual, and trust. The study findings help to improve our previously limited understanding of the relationship between digitalization of government services and trust by identifying a set of concepts related to each of six research contexts that may prove fruitful in our efforts to develop theory explaining this key e-government relationship. Furthermore, from the practical aspect, it provides insights for the public administrators and policymakers that should be considered when developing effective public policies regarding digitalization and public trust.

YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The inclusion of youth in government decision-making processes is an increasingly prevalent trend within the context of global governance. The world’s population has more than 1.8 billion youths aged between 15 and 30 and therefore their integration into policy frameworks and decision-making processes is essential for achieving sustainable development goal, peace creation, and advancement of technologies. The youth are the key agent of change who are proficient in technology, optimistic about the future, and determined as they always seek to change. Unfortunately, they are on the other hand subjected to and required to endure in the face of tokenistic representation, disillusionment and institutions resistant to change. This paper seeks to evaluate the global governance youth participation by looking at the existing frameworks, examples of best practices, and the most systemic challenges that are preventing full integration of youth in global governance. Specifically, the findings show how emerging youth policies such as the African Union Youth Charter and the Commonwealth Youth Council, as well as youth-led social movements (e.g., Fridays for Future), are already influencing international policies. It also highlights the importance of significant institutional reforms as well as the infusion of consistent and sustainable investment to enhance the youth participation in global governance. This paper starts with practical policy recommendations such as capacity building and strengthening measures and recruitment case studies of inclusion of youth in governance. All in all, youth should be prepared with an active role in making the decisions that shape their future through strengthening measures through financial independence and meaningful educational reforms.

Strong or thin digital democracy? The democratic implications of Taiwan's open government data policy in the 2010s

What kind of “democracy” do new government-led digital initiatives facilitate? This paper discusses the issue by investigating the open government data policy in Taiwan in the 2010s, asking whether the policy encouraged “strong democracy.” Using interviews, written records, and an analysis of platform design, I argue that the implementation of Taiwan's open data policy has not institutionalized the engagement of civil society groups or ordinary citizens in government decision-making processes, which is at odds with the claims that open government data encourages “strong democracy.” Instead, open government data in Taiwan has facilitated monitorial democracy, which presupposes watchful but not active citizens, and neoliberal democracy, which presupposes profit-pursuing citizens. Both are more in line with “thin democracy,” which focuses more on individual rights and private interests than on participation and political community. The finding sheds light on why conservative governments around the world often embrace open government initiatives.

Digital Public Spaces for Youth Engagement in Informal Settlements

Public participation in all its forms is continually limited amongst the marginalized, especially those living in informal settlements. While the right to participate in decision-making on policy and development projects is enshrined in state laws, the urban poor continue to be excluded from such activities, thereby limiting their democratic rights. Inadequate public spaces are one factor that minimalizes the urban community’s participation in citywide proposals. Besides, other forms of participation, such as digital engagement, do not reach the urban poor due to the limited digital infrastructure in low-income areas of the city. Attempts to conduct participation in informal settlements see only a few people engaged in those worsening existing inequalities in cities. This article proposes a strategy for designing and implementing digital hubs as vital and vibrant public spaces for youth engagement in informal settlements. It looks beyond the hubs as spaces for merely enhancing digital connection but as spaces that integrate interactive and collaborative activities, thus bringing community members to participate in government decision-making processes and engagement with the community agenda. Taking the case of Mathare informal settlement, the article draws inspiration from the government of Kenya’s plan to establish 1450 digital hubs across all wards in the country. The article proposes a hybridity of activities in the proposed hubs to have both physical and digital engagement methods. Besides participation, the hubs would also be used to promote social health and wellbeing programs through digital literacy training, enterprise development, activism, empowerment, and engagement in remote/online tasks.

An analysis of public topics and sentiments based on social media during the COVID-19 Omicron Variant outbreak in Shanghai 2022

The outbreak of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Shanghai in 2022 elicited complex emotions among Shanghainese during the two-month quarantine period. This paper aims to identify prevailing public themes and sentiments by analyzing social media posts from Weibo. Initially, we conducted research based on a dataset of 90,000 Weibo posts during the 2022 COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai. By examining social media data that mirrors residents' emotional shifts and areas of focus during unforeseen circumstances, we have developed an analytical framework combining hotspot analysis and public sentiment assessment. Subsequently, we employed the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) method to conduct topic modeling on the Weibo text data. The SnowNLP sentiment classification method was then utilized to quantify sentiment values. Ultimately, we performed spatial visualization of sentiment and concern data, categorizing them into distinct time periods based on Shanghai's infection curve. This approach allowed us to investigate concern focal points, sentiment trends, and their spatiotemporal evolution characteristics. Our findings indicate that variations in public sentiment primarily hinge on the severity of the epidemic's spread, emerging events, the availability of essential resources, and the government's ability to respond promptly and accurately. It is evident that, while residents' concerns shift over time, their primary objective on social media remains expressing demands and releasing emotions. This research offers an avenue for leveraging public opinion analysis to enhance governance capacity during crises, fortify urban resilience, and promote public involvement in governmental decision-making processes.

Data-driven natural capital accounting model in Indonesia: Impacts of environmentally related economic activities on ecological processes and services

In this study, natural capital accounting (NCA) is enhanced by constructing a data-driven hierarchical model that can help improve policy decision-making. NCA enables the management and transparency of natural capital and ecological processes and services, resulting in better societal activities and well-being in Indonesia's regions; however, it does not account for environmentally related economic activities that may negatively influence natural capital, processes and services. In this study, a data-driven approach is used to address this issue. Valid attributes are identified, and a thorough NCA hierarchical model that incorporates synchronized accounting on ecology, environment-related economic activities and societal well-being is developed. This approach utilizes content and bibliographic analyses, the entropy weighted method (EWM) and the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM), which are used to validate the data-driven NCA measurements. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is utilized to cluster the measurements and assess their reliability. The fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) is used to construct the NCA hierarchical structure by considering the cause-and-effect interrelationships among attributes. The valid prioritized attributes are determined, and a hierarchical structure is built to support government decision-making processes. The findings suggest that water resource accounting, forestry production, raw material extraction, resource allocation management and resource consumption management are the criteria that fluctuate the most for practitioners and governments.

Penurunan Debit Air Danau Dendam Tak Sudah untuk Irigasi Persawahan Setelah Perubahan Status Cagar Alam Menjadi Taman Wisata Alam

Dendam Tak Sudah is a lake located in the Bengkulu Province. It is situated in the Dusun Besar Village, Singaran Pati District, Bengkulu City, Bengkulu Province. The total area of Danau Dendam Tak Sudah is 559 hectares, with a surface area of 68 hectares. Since the issuance of Decree No. 79/MENLHK/SETJEN/PLA.2/1/2019 dated January 21, 2019, regarding the strengthening of the main function within the forest function of part of the DDB Nature Reserve area, it has been designated as a Nature Tourism Park in Bengkulu City, Bengkulu Province, covering an area of approximately 88 hectares. The status of the Danau Dendam Tak Sudah area, which was previously a Nature Reserve, has now changed to a Nature Tourism Park. The purpose of this study is to analyze and understand the impact of the downgrade of the status of part of the Danau Dendam Tak Sudah area, formerly a Nature Reserve, to a Nature Tourism Park on the water condition in Danau Dendam Tak Sudah and its relation to the reduction in water discharge for rice fields. The objective of this research is to provide solutions to the government's decision-making process, emphasizing the consideration of environmental aspects and the interests of farmers, in addition to promoting tourism in Bengkulu City.

"Leading through Crisis": A Systematic Review of Institutional Decision-Makers in Emergency Contexts.

This review aims to map studies on governmental and institutional decision-making processes in emergencies. The literature reveals various approaches used by governments in managing emergencies. Consequently, this article suggests the need for a systematic literature review to outline how institutional decision-makers operate during emergencies. To achieve this goal, the most widely used databases in psychological research were consulted, with a specific focus on selecting scientific articles. Subsequently, these studies were rigorously assessed for their relevance using a structured literature selection process following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. At the conclusion of the review process, nine studies were identified, each suggesting different methods by which governments manage emergencies. This diversity arises because emergency decision-making processes must account for numerous variables that change depending on the type of crisis and the specific context. However, several critical aspects have emerged, such as the centrality of pre-disaster planning to improve intervention practices and methods, attention to information gaps that inevitably arise during an emergency, and the importance of streamlining and delegating decision-making to emergency responders in the field to counter the phenomenon of centralized decision-making that often hampers crucial interventions during emergencies.

Child-Friendly Cities and Communities: opportunities and challenges

ABSTRACT With greater numbers of children living in urban areas, increasing attention is being paid to Child-Friendly Cities (CFCs) and their potential for transforming local government decision-making to be more inclusive of the needs and interests of children. This paper draws on interviews with CFC practitioners at both local and national levels in 9 cities across 7 countries, to explore the opportunities and challenges that arise in planning and actualising CFC programmes. The data show CFCs can reshape local government decision-making processes, allowing for greater opportunities for children’s civic participation, through greater parity of children’s interests and voices. However, CFC practitioners also encounter challenges related to uncertain conceptualisations of what makes a city ‘child-friendly’, complex governance structures, lack of political will from external partners and intergenerational tensions. In addition, age-based fragmentation has the potential to further marginalise the interests of children and young people in key policy areas.

The role and importance of civil initiatives in local governance

Local governance is closely related to democracy and provides a central position to the participation of citizens in decision-making, where the perspectives of different authors such as political scientist Robert Dahl emphasized that democracy must offer equal and proper opportunities for citizens’ participation in decision-making (Forrester & Sunar, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to create a fair overview of the real condition of citizens’ involvement in local government decision-making processes, by highlighting the necessity to adapt local government to the real needs of citizens, which facilitates their lives within the municipalities. The review of literature and development of qualitative research was the methodology applied within this study. During the development of this study, surveys were also conducted with citizens and other institutional stakeholders with a key role in local governance. The findings of this paper indicated that municipal bodies have made minimal efforts to inform citizens about their opportunities and raise awareness regarding the importance of activism in decision-making, as substantiated by the questionnaire outcomes. On this occasion, it was also observed that there is a low level of citizens’ inclination to participate in public gatherings aimed at influencing municipal governance activities.

Tensions between Religion and Policy: Navigating the Public Sphere

This article explores the complex relationship between religion and policy in the public sphere. This research explores the tensions that arise when religious beliefs and practices intersect with government policies and decision-making processes. This study examines how individuals, communities, and governments address these challenges, seeking to strike a balance between upholding religious freedom and ensuring public policy is secular. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this research highlights the multiple dimensions of this issue, providing insight into its implications for governance, social cohesion and individual rights. This exploration aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamic relationship between religion and policy in contemporary society.

The Role of Economic Intelligence in Accelerating Welfare of Gorontalo Province

The Gorontalo Province region has the potential for significant resource wealth. However, the Gorontalo Provincial Government still faces problems and challenges when trying to improve the welfare of its people. One is the limited data/information that is accurate, up-to-date, and integrated. This data/information is important in planning and making appropriate decisions. Another problem is that the community's role in modern development based on economic intelligence in Gorontalo Province has not been optimal. This means that the public and even bureaucrats are still unfamiliar with "Economic Intelligence." As a result, economic intelligence has not been fully used in planning, implementing programs/activities, evaluating and monitoring, or government decision-making processes. This research aims to analyze the problems and challenges in modern development based on economic intelligence in Gorontalo Province. This research uses a qualitative-descriptive approach. This study found that the main problems in modern development based on economic intelligence in Gorontalo Province are: 1) The lack of integration of economic data/information from various government and private agencies; 2) Lack of human resources (HR) who are reliable and have competence as managers and/or analysts of scientific data; and 3) Lack of technological support in managing economic data/information. The results of data analysis also show that the role of society in modern development based on economic intelligence is still very low. A lack of public understanding of the importance of economic intelligence causes this. Therefore, it is recommended that the Gorontalo Provincial Government make: 1) efforts to integrate economic data/information from various government and private agencies; 2) increase human resource capacity in managing and analyzing scientific data; 3) provide technological support in managing economic data/information; and 4) increase public understanding of the importance of economic intelligence.

Spatial-temporal evolution and driving factors of green high-quality agriculture development in China

The fundamental means of addressing the challenges concerning China’s agricultural resources and environment is to achieve green and high-quality development within the agricultural sector. In this study, we measured the level of green high-quality agricultural development (GHQAD) in China from 2003 to 2020, and used Theil index, Moran’s I and Geographic detector to reveal the evolution trend and driving factors of GHQAD in China. The results show that the development level of GHQAD in China is constantly improving while the spatial difference is decreasing, and the primary contributor to this overall variation is the intra-regional variation. The spatial distribution of GHQAD in China was positively correlated, with high concentration in eastern and central regions, and low concentration in western regions. Notably, topographic relief degree and urbanization level are the key driving factors contributing to the spatial differences in GHQAD across China. The insights gained from this study will be particularly valuable for the government decision-making processes, thereby elevating GHQAD development in China and ultimately achieving coordinated development within the agricultural sector.

Government Information Disclosure and the Expansion of Public Reason

In the process of deepening government reform and transforming government functions, the disclosure of government information has increasingly gained widespread attention in both academic and practical circles. Government information disclosure is based on the evolution of rational choice model in organizational decision-making, the introduction of information asymmetry assumption in game theory, and the impact of information asymmetry on the effectiveness of policy decision-making, etc., focusing on the alleviation of information asymmetry. This paper finds that government information disclosure is mainly aimed at expanding public rationality by enriching the amount of information in the government decision-making process, increasing the possibility of monitoring government decision-making behavior, and weakening the influence of subjective factors of decision-makers.

Influential Factors Affecting the Adoption Intention of Electric Vehicles in Indonesia: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The primary goal of the thesis was to examine the factors that affect the willingness of people in Indonesia to adopt Electric Vehicles (EVs). Given the pressing need in Indonesia to address energy shortages and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this research aimed to investigate the elements that influence people's inclination to use EVs. In this study, questionnaires were used as a means of measurement. Respondents were provided with a brief explanation before completing the survey. Using an extended TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior) model, the research analyzed the adoption intentions of 310 respondents from Indonesia, following a minimum sample guideline of 200. The collected data was analyzed using smartPLS4 to extract insights. The empirical analysis of the research focused on five key factors: attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, environmental concern, and moral norms. Notably, the empirical results showed that while attitude had an insignificant impact on the adoption intention of EVs in Indonesia, the other factors subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, environmental concern, and moral norms had a significant and positive influence on the intention to embrace electric vehicles in the country. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the extended TPB model is suitable for predicting the adoption intention of electric vehicles. Considering these results, the study explores the implications for EV adoption in Indonesia, offering valuable insights and recommendations for future research and for the Indonesian government's decision-making process regarding the factors that influence EV adoption.

DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW IN THE ERA OF ALGORITHMS: A REVIEW ON INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN INDIA

The author of this article analyses the algorithmic impact on public participation in the decision-making process and its effects on democratic principles as recognized under the Constitution. Democratic principles are implemented through the Institutions of civil societies, and civil societies have problems with internal and external contractions and trust issues. In the contemporary world, it is observed that the government is silent on public opinion on several of its decision. This silence of government gives rise to several questions, such as – In a democratic setup, to what extent public can participate in the decision-making process of government? To what extent government can curb the voice of people with the help of assisted technologies such as internet shutdown and filter bubbles? What are the possible legitimate ways a government can be accountable for its actions?

Empowering Voices: Building an Electronic Petition System for Strengthening Freedom of Speech in Indonesia

Currently, the issue of freedom of expression poses a significant challenge in Indonesia. Despite being a democratic nation, the scope of people's freedom of expression is largely confined to electoral processes. In order to advance this fundamental right, the implementation of an electronic petition system has been undertaken as a means to facilitate the exercise of freedom of expression. The primary objective of this research is to examine the status quo of freedom of expression in Indonesia and to analyze the pressing need for the adoption of an electronic petition system. This study employs a normative legal approach and conducts comparative analysis with the United Kingdom and Germany, utilizing secondary data sources. The findings of this research demonstrate that Indonesia would greatly benefit from the adoption of an e-democracy system through the implementation of an electronic petition system. The efficacy of such a system has been successfully demonstrated in the United Kingdom and Germany, where it has served as an effective intermediary between the public and the government, ensuring sustained public participation and influencing governmental decision-making processes. In order to implement the electronic petition system in Indonesia, several crucial steps must be undertaken. These steps include the establishment of a Petition Committee, the formulation of Petition Laws, and the official recognition of a dedicated website serving as the electronic petition platform in Indonesia. Additionally, political will and legislative enforcement will be required to ensure the Indonesian Parliament's commitment to act upon the outcomes of these petitions.

LEGO: Linked electronic government ontology

E-government services are subject to a growing level of complexity, which requires a disruptive approach that better support the citizen needs concerning the government administration. Nowadays, available information technologies facilitate the description and online execution of administrative tasks, saving time and reducing possible errors. These technologies reduce administrative costs but require a complex electronic government system. We propose using semantic technologies to describe the e-government organisational units and services in the Open Government Data and Services context. The use of semantics improves government management, service delivery and decision-making processes. This article presents an extension of related work, introducing the evolution of the Ontology for Electronic Government (EGO): integrating other existing ontologies, supporting new features to describe e-government services and widening the usage scenarios. This extension enables the use in a real scenario with four use cases: the electronic government in the Province of Misiones (Argentina). However, the use in the domain of electronic government in a provincial context is also a proof of concept that this approach is general enough to expand into superior domains of countries that adopt the republican system of government with the division of government into the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

An Exploratory Study of the Determinants of the Decision-Making Process of Local Government During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

This study aims to answer how complex decision making is and what factors determine the decision making process in regions to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses the perspective of decision-making theory in crisis. However, this study is not intended to prove one specific theory. This study is an exploration type. It is intended to explore the practice of decision making in crises. The unit of analysis for this study is the highest officials, both executive and legislative, at the provincial and district levels, where it has been awarded as the best province in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. The total of respondents who completed the online questionnaire form were 45 percent of all DPRD members in the province and district; and 41 percent of provincial and district government officials. This study found new findings that executive leaders, rather than legislators, believed that pandemic-era decision-making was complex. The second new finding of this study is that the crisis has encouraged the emergence of transformational leadership. The last new finding is the consideration of the consequences of decision making that affect executive leaders in making decisions. Other factors that determine the extent of the complexity of the decision-making identified are organizational and management capacity and government innovation capacity.

Youth Participation and Disaster: Examining Suggestions on Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Metro Manila, Philippines

Communication is critical in all areas of disaster risk reduction management (DRRM). Efficient and comprehensive information is essential to minimize unanticipated and unexpected economic and social repercussions and increase the response's effectiveness. Furthermore, the local government unit should discuss youth involvement in DRRM to develop inclusive policies. Thus, this study examines 752 typhoon-and-flood-related textual suggestions of youth leaders and volunteers from different typhoon and flood communities in Metro Manila, Philippines to discuss emerging themes on DRRM. Using Google Forms, this study gathers suggestions regarding the disaster governance measures of the participant's respective communities. Youth leaders' and volunteers' suggestions for better disaster preparedness revealed seven thematic recommendations including the need for more robust early warning systems, information campaigns, capacity building and tactics for increasing personal preparedness. Filipino values such as damayan (to give sympathetic support), pakikipagkapwa (having a sense of shared identity) and bayanihan (a spirit of communal unity) have also emerged from the suggestions. The role of women and persons with disability was also a repeated theme that will empower them in times of disaster. Overall, this study provides initial insight into youths' role in increasing inclusivity in local government and communities' decision-making processes on disaster risk reduction management.