Digital Transformation and Democratic Governance: Empirical Evidence from Open Government and Internet Access Data
Keywords:
Digital transformation, Digital democracy, Big data, Open government data, ASEANAbstract
Digital transformation has emerged as a key factor reshaping governance structures and democratic dynamics, particularly in developing countries. In the ASEAN region, increased internet access, the utilization of big data, and the implementation of open government data have created new opportunities for transparency, accountability, and public participation, while simultaneously generating uneven structural challenges across countries. This study aims to analyze the role of digital transformation in shaping the quality of democratic governance in ASEAN countries by examining the relationship between digital access, government data openness, and democratic indicators. The research adopts a qualitative–descriptive approach with a cross-national analysis of big data derived from international databases and public policy documents. The data are analyzed comparatively to identify patterns, trends, and cross-country variations in the use of digital technologies to strengthen democratic governance. The findings indicate that digital transformation has contributed positively to improving transparency and the effectiveness of public service delivery, particularly in countries with strong institutional capacity and a firm commitment to information openness. However, the results also reveal that increased digital access does not automatically lead to substantive political participation in countries characterized by more closed political systems. This study contributes to the literature on digital democracy by positioning big data as an analytical instrument for examining democratic governance in the ASEAN region. The main limitation of this study lies in its reliance on aggregated national-level data, which is unable to capture the dynamics of individual-level participation. Future research is therefore encouraged to integrate micro-level data and quantitative approaches to strengthen causal analysis of the relationship between digital transformation and the quality of democracy.
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