Institutional Barriers to Public Service Integration Despite High Digital Government Performance: Evidence from Bandung, Indonesia
Abstract
Indonesia's electronic government (SPBE) evaluation ranks Bandung City first nationally, yet citizen perceived integration of public services remains comparatively weak. This study examines why formal digital government compliance does not translate into integrated service delivery in Bandung. Using a mixed-method that triangulates data by a validated Perceived Accessibility-Seamlessness Index (survey n= 40), semi-structured interviews with institutional informatns from Diskominfo, Disdukcapil, and DPMPTSP, and content analysis of national and city-level regulations, this study aims to distinguish between technical, institutional,and regulatory explanations regarding service integration gaps. The results indicate that the Service Integration dimension received the lowest score among the six measured dimensions with score 0,469 (Moderate Category), despite Bandung City’s SPBE Index reaching score 4,59. Institutional data-sharing records show only 6.9% (5 of 72) of agencies with legal access to population data have automated integration; the remainder rely on manual verification. Interviews findings initally pointed to Law No. 23/2006 concerning Population Administration (as amended by Law No. 24/2013) as the cause of this gap; however, document analysis reveals that the regulation actually permits the automated exchange of individual-levels data, provided a verification mechanism is in place. Instead, the agencies’s cautious approach to implementing such mechanisms compounded by fragmented application development and wear inter-agency coordination, offers a more accurate explanation for this low level of integration. Based on an analysis using Edwards’s (1980) policy implementation framework, the integration gap can be attributed primarily to bureaucratic structure and the application of existing regulations, rather than to limitations in resources or technology. The study recommends simplifying Bandung’s data access verification workflow and clarifying the scope of sharing already permitted under existing regulation.