Reframing Digital Public Service Transformation: A Perspective of Community Empowerment in Smart City Practices in the Global South

Abstract

The transformation of digital public services has been more widely understood as an effort to improve the efficiency and quality of services. This approach tends to place technology as an administrative instrument, without considering its impact on community capabilities. This study aims to analyze how digital public service transformation contributes to community empowerment through three main dimensions, namely service accessibility, digital literacy, and community participation. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study design in the city of Banjarmasin. Data were obtained through the analysis of policy documents, observations of digital service platforms, and the review of academic literature. The analysis was carried out through thematic coding. The results of the study show that digital transformation increases the accessibility of services, encourages the development of digital literacy, and opens up opportunities for community participation. However, the impact is not even due to the gap in access and user capacity. This research shows that digital public services not only function as an instrument of efficiency, but also as a mechanism that shapes community capabilities in the governance process.