Reducing Administrative Burden Through Simplification and Document Management in Local Governments: Evidence from a District-Level Public Organization

This study examines whether administrative simplification is associated with stronger document-management practices in a district-level local government organization, and why this matters for societal outcomes such as transparency and more equitable access to public services. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, non-experimental design, we surveyed officials and administrative staff with validated Likert-type instruments (62 items for administrative simplification; 17 items for document management) and tested associations using Spearman’s rho. Results show a positive, modest relationship between simplification and document management (ρ ≈ 0.37; p < 0.001). Stage-level analyses indicate consistently positive correlations, with stronger associations in later, institutionalization-oriented stages (implementation, monitoring/evaluation, continuous improvement, and sustainability). The study contributes to debates on administrative burden and digital-era governance by linking staged simplification efforts to the organizational backbone of records flows. Practically, findings suggest that resource-constrained municipalities can improve governance quality by treating document management not as a back-office function but as an enabling infrastructure for user-centered services, accountability, and compliance with digital-government guidance. Limitations include the single-organization design and reliance on staff perceptions; future research should test citizen-level outcomes and service-equity effects.