Purpose: This study aims to examine the association of technology acceptance variables with the intention of adopting e-government transformation, as defined by four dimensions, namely, using new technology systems, redesigning of governmental processes, restructuring of governmental organization and changing the organizational culture and behavior, from the perspective of city government employees in Indonesia and the Philippines.Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative approach was used in the conduct of this research. Variables were operationalized into indicators, which were transmuted into a self-reported survey questionnaire. Survey data obtained from purposively sampled city government employees were analyzed using structural equation modeling.Findings: Findings suggest that attitude is a pivotal predictor of intention to adopt e-government transformation across all four dimensions, while performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions also positively influence the intention to adopt process redesign, organizational structuring and cultural and behavioral change in the city government. Respondents’ length of work experience appears as a significant moderating variable.Research limitations/implications: This study reports only on the findings from two cities in two countries, Surabaya in Indonesia and Davao in the Philippines. The determination of the sample size was done through purposive sampling, so the application of results should be done with prudence. The constructs used for the research model were chosen because of their prominence in the literature. This study made use of a simple linear regression model in hypothesizing the relationships of the constructs.Practical implications: For e-government transformation to be adoptable and efficacious, supporting and facilitating conditions are necessary. Structural, technical and financial support, as well as legal framework, for local e-government transformation should be in place. Maintaining and sustaining the positive attitude toward it should be done.Originality/value: Although many studies have been conducted on adoption of ICT-enabled government services from the citizens’ viewpoint, little has been done from the local government employees’ perspective, and no prior cross-country study has been made. This study fills those gaps in the e-government adoption literature. Further, this study has shown that technology acceptance variables’ roles as predictors of behavioral intention can be extended to other dimensions of e-government.

Social capital is a common feature among disaster-resilient communities. This research aims to define how social capital shapes the post-disaster conditions in the 2011 Typhoon Washi-affected communities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City in Region 10 Philippines. Qualitative analysis was used in analyzing the data gathered through purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews. Thirty typhoon survivors and 14 focal persons of the government and non-government agencies were chosen based on their active involvement in the community. The findings revealed that the solidarity among typhoon-affected communities contributed to the recovery of the survivors. The findings also highlighted that the solidarity in the typhoon-affected communities is part of the normative structure of the society where bonding and linking social capital are nurtured. Further, the community remains to believe that their respective local officials can be trusted and are capable of helping them in times of need despite the shortcomings during the 2011 Typhoon Washi. We argue that social capital in the community is not easily diminished over a crisis and therefore must be nurtured towards effective community-based disaster resilience mechanisms.

Background: Concern for the development of actions against COVID-19 has continued to grow since February 2020. Government responses remain a crucial part of preventing virus transmission through policy formulation and strengthening national capacity. Methods: This study has used quantitative analysis, using secondary data from 177 countries. The variables consist of Global Health Security (GHS) category and COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of the appropriateness of the government’s policy response in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was carried out by comparing the two variables. Results: The study indicated a significant relationship between global health security category and pandemic score (P < 0.01). There were 37 countries out of 177 (20.9%) categorized as under-reaction and least-reaction. Conclusion: Pandemic COVID-19 score, rated based on doubling time, is directly significant with the health security category. The government should improve its responsiveness and preparation to improve national capacity during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of initiative e-procurement in decentralized system on Indonesia’s local government system. Design/methodology/approach: – The authors combine quantitative and qualitative methods. The central finding of this research is that human resources are the pivotal factors that determine the performance of local e-procurement in three cities. This research focusses on three local governments in Indonesia – Yogyakarta City, Tangerang City, and Kutaikartanegara Regency. Findings: – The central finding of this research is that human resources are the pivotal factors that determine the performance of local e-procurement in three cities. However, Tangerang City is going institutionalization phase in e-procurement initiative to ensure its sound local regulation. Research limitations/implications: – There are several limitations to this study including the recent nature of decentralized procurement in Indonesia, limited standardized and disaggregated data on local government procurement expenditures and performance. Practical implications: – The study recommends that human resources management in procurement needs to be addressed by both local and central government. Originality/value: – e-Procurement is an important instrument for preventing corruption in goods and services procurement. Indonesia has been implementing an e-procurement policy since 2008 based on a Presidential Decree. The president has issued annual orders (presidential instructions), and all central ministries and local governments have been required to comply with them to obtain their budget through the e-procurement system. However, as of 2012 fiscal year, only around 10.26 percent of the central government institution procurement budget and 10 percent of the local government procurement budget in Indonesia went through the e-procurement system, with wide variations among cities.

This study focuses on the way in which Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations, stood in the 2019 General Election. Like its counterpart Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah has marked the moderation of Islam in Indonesia, different from Islam elsewhere in the Middle East. Since its establishment, Muhammadiyah has urged its members not to join any specific political party, but rather to take a moderate position in political pragmatism and support patriotism in broader national interest. Likewise, in the 2019 election, Muhammadiyah did not organizationally support any candidates, citing its “middle way” approach. However, this study identifies a dualism in the political attitudes of Muhammadiyah’s elites. Even without official orders or prohibitions from the central leadership, some Muhammadiyah members got involved and carried their organization’s attributes to support certain candidates, resulting in political division within the organization. Some members of the organization took a clear political stance, whereas others remain neutral. This created tension within the organization in both elite and grass-root level. The main data for this study were collected through interviews, unstructured discussions, and focus group discussions with several Muhammadiyah elites.[Artikel ini melihat posisi yang diambil salah satu organisasi Islam terbesar di Indonesia, Muhammadiyah, dalam Pemilu 2019. Bersamaan dengan Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah menjadi penanda moderasi Islam di Indonesia yang berbeda dengan Islam di tempat lain. Sejak didirikan, Muhammadiyah telah menandaskan untuk tidak berafiliasi dengan partai politik tertentu, tetapi mengambil posisi moderat dalam perpolitikan dan mendukung patriotisme demi kepentingan nasional yang lebih luas. Demikian juga, dalam Pemilu 2019, Muhammadiyah secara resmi tidak mendukung calon mana pun berdasarkan konsep “jalan tengah”. Namun, penelitian ini mengidentifikasi adanya dualisme dalam sikap politik para elit Muhammadiyah. Tidak adanya perintah atau larangan resmi dari pusat, banyak anggota Muhammadiyah yang membawa atribut organisasi dan terlibat aktivitas politik serta mendukung kandidat tertentu. Ini berakibat munculnya keterbelahan politik dalam Muhammadiyah. Beberapa anggota mengambil sikap politik yang jelas, sedangkan yang lain tetap netral. Ini menimbulkan ketegangan dalam organisasi, baik di tingkat elit maupun akar rumput. Data utama untuk penelitian ini dikumpulkan melalui wawancara, diskusi tidak terstruktur, dan diskusi kelompok terfokus dengan beberapa elit Muhammadiyah.]

Indonesia has sustained annual forest fires since the 1990s related to land clearing activities for agriculture. The Indonesian Government has made substantial efforts to resolve annual fires by improving intergovernmental coordination at national and local levels. Overall, 96 government agencies are liable for controlling forest fire. This study explores local to central government’s bureaucratic reluctance in addressing forest fires, focusing on Riau Province, the most forest fire-prone region in Indonesia. Data were collected from 2015 to 2019 using participatory observation, engaging in meetings of key players; in-depth interviews with key heads of relevant agencies, officials, and NGOs; and a questionnaire for Social Network Analysis. The results show that there are seven influential institutions for addressing land and forest fires in Riau. However, the power of the decision-making process is concentrated at the level of the President and the Governor as the regional leader, which implies that large institutions involved in fire response have less power and responsibility owing in part to bureaucratic inertia as bureaucracy is overly centralised and less responsive. In the long term, devolution of government authority from the central to the local level is required to furnish front-line institutions with the power to deal with the fires.