This study examines the direct and indirect effects of digital service quality, digital trust, perceived usefulness, and system quality on citizen satisfaction and loyalty among Access by KAI users on Java Island, while reassessing the mediating role of satisfaction in government-operated digital transportation platforms. A quantitative approach using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysed responses from 324 purposively sampled users across six provinces in Java. Validated instruments were adapted from ESERVQUAL, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the DeLone & McLean Information System Success Model. Perceived usefulness and system quality significantly influenced both citizen satisfaction and citizen loyalty. Digital service quality significantly affected satisfaction but not loyalty, while digital trust significantly affected loyalty but not satisfaction. Satisfaction significantly influenced loyalty but did not mediate the effects of any exogenous construct on loyalty. The model demonstrated moderate explanatory power (R² satisfaction = 0.512; R² loyalty = 0.491) with strong predictive relevance. The study's cross-sectional design limits causal inference. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine habit strength, switching costs, and cross-regional variations beyond Java Island. Policymakers should prioritise functional performance and technical reliability over traditional service quality enhancements. Building institutional trust proves critical for sustaining loyalty in public-sector digital platforms facing private-sector competition. This study challenges traditional mediation-based service quality models by revealing that loyalty formation in e-government transportation services is driven primarily by functional value, technical performance, and institutional trust rather than satisfaction, offering novel insights for public-sector digital service management.
This study examines the impact of anti-corruption practices on transparency and efficiency in supplier selection in San Ignacio city in 2023, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. The research followed a quantitative, descriptive, and correlational approach with a non-experimental design. An initial sample of 269 adult residents of the city of San Ignacio was selected through non-probability convenience sampling, of which 200 were included in the final analysis after data screening. Exploratory factor analysis identified two main dimensions of anti-corruption efforts: prevention and sanction, both showing a significant relationship with transparency in supplier selection. The findings highlight that preventive and punitive measures enhance ethical management and efficiency in public resource administration. However, the specific context of the municipality limits the generalisability of the results, suggesting the need for comparative studies in other regions. From a practical perspective, the results can guide public policy formulation aimed at strengthening transparency and ethics in government procurement processes. Furthermore, this research underscores the importance of public management based on ethics, accountability, and transparency, key elements for efficient governance and sustainable economic development. The use of advanced statistical techniques provides a robust empirical basis for improving public resource management and mitigating risks associated with corruption in government procurement processes
This study examines the politics-bureaucracy interface in the recruitment, promotion, and training of civil servants in the Amhara National Regional State of Ethopia. Employing a mixed-methods design, data were collected through surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics were used to assess civil servants’ perceptions of merit-based practices versus political influence, while an ordered probit model was applied to identify factors shaping these perceptions. Qualitative data were analysed thematically to uncover recurrent patterns and interpretations. The results indicate divergent views regarding the application of merit principles; however, a substantial majority perceived that recruitment processes are not consistently merit-driven due to weak personnel management systems, ineffective assessment procedures, political interference, and nepotism. Political influence was perceived to be more pronounced in promotion and training decisions than in recruitment. The ordered probit results show that civil servants in professional and administrative roles are more likely to report political interference across personnel processes, whereas those in managerial positions are less likely to acknowledge such influence. Overall, the findings suggest that despite longstanding national commitments to meritocratic civil service reform, political favouritism and personal networks continue to undermine fair recruitment, promotion, and training practices in the region.
The recent and increasing digitalisation of India’s governance framework represents a significant change in its urban development. The Smart Cities Mission is the response to the pressures of urbanisation by transitioning from traditional paper-based legacy models to agile, citizen-centric digital set-ups. This study provides a national-level assessment of how mobile governance platforms are transforming public service delivery and institutional processes across India’s 100 Smart cities. Using secondary datasets drawn from official portals, municipal dashboards, app-store metadata, and the Smart Cities Mission Data Portal, the research evaluates variations in service maturity, accessibility, citizen engagement, and inclusiveness. Anchored in the smart governance and citizen-focused governance frameworks, the analysis shows that cities such as Indore, Bhubaneswar, Pune, and Chennai have developed more advanced, integrated and participatory digital ecosystems, whereas several northern and Tier-2/Tier-3 cities continue to face challenges related to accessibility, multilingual support, and infrastructural limitations. The study argues that the long-term effectiveness of smart governance depends on interoperability, equity-oriented design, strong institutional coordination, and integration with national digital infrastructures. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on digital transformation by offering empirically grounded insights into the governance, technological, and social dimensions shaping citizen-centric innovation in India.
The aim of this study is to highlight the importance of adopting a more systematic approach to the interplay between AI governance and governance-oriented sustainability. It offers a synthesis of sustainable AI policy measures at the national and global level. More specifically, it assesses whether China’s current governance-oriented AI policies are sufficient for the AI-governance era and whether additional mechanisms may be required. Ultimately, this study examines policy-exchange opportunities between China and other national contexts. This paper draws on a qualitative assessment of sustainable measures of AI governance and the sustainability of AI governance. Priority is given to the latter, and a “sustainability by integration” approach is advanced, which, at its core, serves as a necessary condition for explainable, accountable and trustworthy AI governance systems. The inquiry chiefly examines the governance-oriented sustainability of AI governance arrangements. Most research focuses on how AI is applied to strengthen governance, with limited attention given to the sustainable integration of AI governance. By contrast, China’s wide-ranging approach to sustainable AI governance is most aligned with advancing a “sustainability by integration” approach. A number of pathways have been recognised through which China’s measures can be adapted for use in other national governance settings. A broad set of national AI governance strategies issued up to 21 May 2025 was reviewed to assess how far they emphasise the linkage between governance and AI governance. In addition, the paper reviews China’s policy and how it seeks to address AI governance through a sustainability lens.
