Based on Figure 4, in 2023, publications regarding e-governance and sustainable development produced 84, the highest year in the 2018–2023 period, while in 2022, with 31 publications, it was the year with the second-highest number of research results on this topic. Meanwhile, in 2018, the number of publications was only 15, the lowest year from 2018 to 2023.
Figure 5 shows that of the 52 articles used as reference sources. Journals that published two articles each on e-governance and sustainable development goals were Sustainable Development, Sustainability Switzerland, Intelligent Cities, the Journal of the Knowledge Economy, and Discover Sustainability. Meanwhile, 42 other journals published one article related to this topic.
4.1 Relationship and Grouping of E-Governance Themes and Sustainable Development Goals
The network visualization results in Figure 6 show that 32 concepts from 52 articles have been identified as having a relationship with e-governance and sustainable development goals. Based on the visualization results via Vosviewer, there are 6 clusters indicated by different colors, with a list of dominant concepts identified and studied in each cluster. This classification aims to identify how many concepts or topics are often discussed in studies that have been conducted previously. Table 1 shows that cluster 1 is marked in red with topics related to big data technology, the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies, e-government, social sustainability, sustainability development, and systematic literature review. The second cluster (green) concerns digital transformation, democracy, the public sector, governance, human development, and innovative governance. Cluster 3 (blue) contains topics such as e-governance, e-governance implementation, ICTS, online governance, sustainability, and the study of e-governance implementation. Cluster 4 (yellow) contains citizen participation, digital public administration, e-government, e-democracy, e-platforms, and smart cities. Cluster 5 (purple) contains the concepts of digital democracy, electronic equipment, artificial intelligence, and social media. Finally, cluster 6 (black) contains the themes of digital transformation, information technology, and sustainable development goals.
Table 1. E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals theme group
Name
|
Concept
|
Total
|
Cluster 1
(Red)
|
Big Data Technology, Covid-19 Pandemic, Digital Technologies, E-Government, Social Sustainability, Sustainability Development, Systematic Literature Review
|
8
|
Cluster 2
(Green)
|
Digital Transformation, Democracy, Public Sector, Governance, Human Development, Smart Governance
|
6
|
Cluster 3
(Blue)
|
E-Governance, E-Governance Implementation, ICT, Online Governance, Sustainability, Study Of E-Governance Implementation
|
6
|
Cluster 4
(Yellow)
|
Citizen Participation, Digital Public Administration, E-Government, E-Democracy, E-Platform, Smart City
|
6
|
Cluster 5
(Purple)
|
Digital Democracy, Electronic Equipment, Artificial Intelligence, Social Media
|
4
|
Cluster 6
(Black)
|
Digital Technology, Information Technology, Sustainable Development Goals
|
3
|
4.2 E-Government in the Theme of E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals
Table 1 shows that one of the topics discussed in First Cluster, which is related to e-governance and sustainable development goals, is "e-government." This review focuses on several articles related to this topic, including studies (Ladychenko et al., 2020) about the development of e-government globally, as seen in the article "How E-Government Supports Sustainable Development." (Castro & Lopes, 2022) showed that e-government plays an essential role in achieving sustainable development, as seen from adjusted net savings, which include a country's social, economic, and environmental aspects. This study also found that e-government increases the likelihood of achieving sustainable development, especially in developing and transition countries. Something different was done (Sanmukhiya, 2019). This research produces essential findings about the factors influencing citizens' perceptions of the six dimensions of e-governance. These findings can help policymakers design more effective e-government strategies. This study shows that the level of education and frequency of e-government use influence citizens' perceptions of collaboration dimensions. Citizens with low education and who rarely use e-government tend to have a positive attitude toward collaboration. Apart from that, age also influences perceptions of the dimensions of trust. Citizens aged 26–35 and over 45 tend to distrust government websites. This research provides new insights that were previously unavailable and can be used to develop more effective e-government initiatives to attract more users and retain existing users.
4.3 Digital Transformation in the Theme Of E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals
In Second Cluster, digital transformation is one of the topics studied related to "e-governance" or "sustainable development goals," as in the article (ElMassah & Mohieldin, 2020), which discusses the impact of digital transformation on localization and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). (Galushi & Malatji, 2022) They examined the difficulties faced in e-governance and digital public administration in South Africa during the COVID-19 outbreak, focusing on rural areas. Despite the benefits of digital transformation of public administration, such as increased accessibility and reduced corruption, poor communities in rural areas have difficulty accessing government services and technology. (Mergel, 2021), according to the 12 Guidelines for Good Governance, it examined how digital transformation affects democracy and good governance by highlighting opportunities and risks, mitigating and enabling factors, and offering examples based on the experience of Council of Europe member states. (Seo & Myeong, 2020) revealed the latest digital transformation in public administration called government as a Platform (GaaP), which leverages networking and cloud computing to manage data effectively and can facilitate higher performance and lower cost government while still concentrating on critical public sector responsibilities, as well as managing big data and contracted services effectively and data-driven.
4.4 Sustainability in the Theme of E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals
In Third cluster, Posts from (Pougel et al., 2018) discussed the relationship between sustainability and e-governance through a scientific literature review involving 30 articles published since 2012. The literature review results show two main points of view discussed in these articles: governance and sustainability. Furthermore, (Ferguson & Wollersheim, 2023) clarified the relationship between resilience and sustainable development in a broader domain. As a reaction to the shortcomings of neoliberal sustainable development, resilience is also presented as a language that integrates climate resilience and sustainable development, as a requirement for sustainable development, and as something fundamentally different from sustainable development. (Hindriks, 2023) revealed that in discussions about sustainable development, the idea of social sustainability is often ignored. According to him, social sustainability must be seen from a normative perspective, where a system must respect moral principles such as justice. Prioritizing these principles and building durable institutions should be the primary goal.
4.5 Smart City in the Theme Of E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals
In Fourth Cluster, the author pays attention to the topic "smart city," which is related to "e-governance" and "sustainable development goals." (Lim & Yigitcanlar, 2022) Investigated participatory governance with smart cities and e-participation platforms in Malaysia. The findings show gaps in the availability of electronic decision-making space in the two smart cities and inefficiencies in integrating electronic platforms with city plans. Malaysia also does not have a political culture in electronic decision-making, which hinders the development of electronic democracy in smart cities. (Leelavathy & Nithya, 2021) put forward the concept of a smart city combining technology, multisectoral collaboration, and market innovation with the aim of sustainable urban development. However, smart mobility strategies and measures in smart cities still need more focus on social inclusivity and sustainability. Studies (Kuzior et al., 2023) also revealed that e-governance facilitates smart city integration. Essential factors in e-governance include economic, social, political, information, and technological indicators. The Human Development Index has the most significant impact on e-governance, while the GNI per capita indicator has no effect. Information technology factors also play a significant role in the Smart City Governance Index.
4.6 Artificial Intelligence in the Theme of E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals
In the fifth cluster, the author took the topic "Artificial Intelligence" with the themes "e-governance" and "sustainable development goals," where (Vinuesa et al., 2020) found that the ever-increasing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in various industries requires us to evaluate its impact on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. (Vinuesa et al., 2020) Found that rapid AI advances must be accompanied by an understanding of the regulation and oversight required by AI-based technologies to facilitate continued growth. If not done, there will be gaps in ethical norms, security, and openness. (Nasir et al., 2023) also provide a new contribution to this study. The results mentioned that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to benefit society, the economy, and the environment and must have a goal for social good, per research conducted to analyze AI in achieving the SDGs. The methodology used is keyword matching and similarity to calculate SDG relevance in AI documents. The results showed an imbalance in coverage of the SDGs, with SDG 9 (Industrial et al.) having the highest representation (50.3%) and SDGs 5, 6, 14, and 15 having the lowest representation (5%) (Nasir et al., 2023). These findings suggest that AI development focuses more on economic growth but may ignore important social and environmental issues. So, efforts need to be made so that the development of AI technology can help achieve all SDGs and not just focus on economic growth alone. (A. Singh et al., 2023) examined bibliometric patterns and advances in AI theory for sustainable development goals. Computational analytics is used to process research data spanning the last 20 years in deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. The results show a growing number of papers on the use of AI in the SDGs around the world, with most studies focusing on SDGs 3 (health and well-being) and 7 (cheap and clean energy). SDG 3 covers precision and personalized medicine, while SDG 7 focuses on energy efficiency and the use of solar power. SDGs 4 (education), 13 (climate action), 11 (sustainable cities), and 16 (peace and justice) are some of the other SDGs that utilize AI. This analysis provides insight into how AI can achieve the SDGs.
4.7 Artificial Intelligence in the Theme of E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals
Finally, in the sixth cluster, there is the topic of "digital technology" studies (Galushi & Malatji, 2022), which discusses the challenges of digital public administration and e-government governance in South African local government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implementing digital public administration can speed up service delivery and increase user accessibility. E-government also helps reduce the risk of corruption in the public sector. However, poor people still have difficulties accessing these services (Galushi & Malatji, 2022). Therefore, special attention must be paid to ensuring that this digital transformation also benefits all levels of society, including poor communities in villages. Effective digital public administration is essential in improving public services today, so it needs to be developed with attention to sustainability and inclusion of all communities. According to (Allam et al., 2022), smart city governance is increasingly popular, with demands for citizen participation, continuous innovation, and inclusive policies. This research can help policymakers in designing better policies. This research can help policymakers in designing better policies. (Malodia et al., 2021) They concluded that the information revolution and hyper-connectivity have disrupted citizens' interactions with governments worldwide. His research shows essential factors for implementing e-government, including citizen orientation, communication channels, technology, digital divide, economic growth, political stability, privacy, and mutual understanding. (Kuzior et al., 2023) They investigated the main supporting factors of e-governance in smart cities, using 68 smart cities as a research base. The Human Development Index has the most significant impact on e-governance, while the GNI per capita indicator has no effect. Information technology is the main factor directly influencing the Smart City Governance Index.
4.8 Article Publication Period in the E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals Study
The following explanation relates to the publication period of articles in the E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals study. Figure 7 shows articles published during the period 2018 to 2023. If seen based on thickness or color dominance, research related to E-Governance and Sustainable Development Goals published between 2018 and 2020 predominantly discusses ICT, electronic equipment, citizen participation, online governance, e-governance, e-government, e-democracy, smart city, digital technology, sustainable development goals.
During 2018-2023, the dominant focus of studies is that e-government development has the potential to promote sustainable development by involving citizens in the decision-making process and how E-government provides new insights, becomes the basis for more effective initiatives, and supports good governance and a sustainable future, and further efforts are needed to increase the effectiveness of e-governance and facilitate integration in the context of service technology development and smart cities. Then, from 2020 to 2023, new domains will emerge, such as digital technology, digital democracy, digital transformation, sustainability, innovative governance, e-platform, and others related to the above topics and the themes of e-governance and sustainable development goals. There has been a dynamic study on various topics related to digital-based government governance, which supports the goals of sustainable development as an interaction between government and citizens in its function as a digital or electronic-based service. This research is expected to provide an overview of the extent of the main trends and knowledge gaps in the literature related to e-governance and sustainable development goals, as well as provide valuable insights for future studies. Therefore, future research should be enhanced to provide updates and lessons learned from e-governance and sustainable development goals.
Findings from (Pougel et al., 2018) concluded that e-governance is a solution for effective and long-lasting government management. The study aims to analyze the latest research on e-governance and its progress. The results showed the challenges and opportunities related to e-governance and the need for support so that e-governance can continue. This research used a systematic review approach to examine academic literature published since 2012. Of the 180 documents identified, 30 documents were thoroughly analyzed and examined. This analysis was carried out by looking at the government's long-term and short-term perspectives. Writers from developing countries tend to focus more on development potential, while writers from developed countries prioritize increasing efficiency. This research provides important insights into e-governance and its implementation.
4.9 Dominant Topic in the Study Of E-Governance And Sustainable Development Goals
In addition, using density visualization, 52 Scopus-indexed articles related to the topic "e-governance and Sustainable Development Goals" were mapped to identify the most frequently explored themes based on density. By using density visualization, one can ascertain the dominant themes examined through color density analysis.
Figure 8 shows three dominant topics, namely 1) E-Governance, 2) E-government, and 3) sustainable development goals. Based on the density of the dominant color, this topic shows that attention is paid to e-government and e-governance issues towards sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, the authors focus on e-governance, considering that both e-government and e-governance have an essential role in supporting sustainable development goals (SDGs) (Dhaoui, 2022). The assessment and development of e-governance, or e-gov, can provide the tools necessary to move closer towards good governance, often cited as an essential element for the next general election. E-gov and ongoing efforts provide information on the identifiable risks and opportunities of e-gov and the prerequisites for e-gov in sustainable development (Pougel et al., 2018). (Massey, 2022) did something similar. Before advising on how the government can carry out its duties to achieve the SDGs, it is essential to consider several criteria used by various interested parties to determine public service standards.
A large number of e-governance studies have been carried out in various fields with a classification approach resulting in five sub-fields of e-governance: (1) awareness, (2) literacy level, (3) user acceptance; (4) law, and (5) digitalization (M. Singh, 2018), A key factor in the creation and integration of all aspects of smart cities is e-governance (Kuzior et al., 2023), participation and platformization (multi-sided) as working tools to increase awareness in the dynamic field of e-governance (van der Graaf, 2018), the role of e-governance in fighting the global outbreak of COVID-19 by integrating the implications of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (Ullah et al., 2021), as well as the integration of e-governance as a critical point towards smart applications in a smart environment, for the development and growth of the country towards the need to link digital technology-based products and services (Al-Rzoky et al., 2019). Taken by (Sanmukhiya, 2019) through six dimensions of e-governance (PEOU, PU, Collaboration, Trust, Participation, and Transparency) to help policymakers rethink and redesign their e-government initiatives to retain existing users and attract more website users. It will be a significant force behind development, advancing basic and secondary services across various policy domains, including social welfare, education, health, and employment, and significantly impacting institutions' effectiveness, transparency, and inclusiveness. It also enables countries, regions, cities, towns, and other territorial and social units to work towards sustainable development goals (Pougel et al., 2018).
4.10 Research methods used in E-governance and SDGs
Various research methods have been found in the 52 articles that have been used in the 6-year time frame. With details in the following table :
Table 2. Methods used in the literature from 2018-2023
Method
|
Amount
|
The multiple case study approach
|
1
|
The analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
|
1
|
Systematic literature review
|
4
|
Survey methods
|
2
|
Study involves a critical analysis
|
1
|
Quantitative methods
|
1
|
Qualitative methods
|
7
|
Preparation of lecture notes
|
1
|
Philosophical research
|
1
|
Mixed method
|
7
|
Literatur riview
|
2
|
Empirical investigation
|
1
|
Document analysis
|
2
|
Discourse analysis
|
1
|
Consensus method
|
1
|
Comparative analysis methods
|
1
|
Combination of literature review and case study
|
1
|
Cluster analysis
|
1
|
Case studies
|
4
|
Bibliometric analysis and path analysis
|
3
|
Action research
|
1
|
A random survey
|
1
|
A literature review
|
4
|
A comprehensive approach to utilize nlp techniques
|
1
|
Cause-and-effect analysis
|
1
|
Cross-sectional study
|
1
|
Amount
|
52
|
Table 2 lists various research methods along with the number of times each method is used. The methods and their corresponding amounts are as follows: The multiple case study approach and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) are each used once. A systematic literature review was used four times, while survey methods were used twice. Studies involving critical analysis, quantitative methods, preparation of lecture notes, philosophical research, empirical investigation, discourse analysis, consensus method, comparative analysis methods, a combination of literature review and case study, cluster analysis, action research, a random survey, a comprehensive approach to utilize NLP techniques, cause-and-effect analysis, and cross-sectional study are each used once. Qualitative methods and mixed methods are used seven times each. Literature review and document analysis are each used twice. Case studies are used four times, and bibliometric analysis and path analysis are used three times. In total, there are 52 instances of the various methods being used.