Determinants of E-government interoperability capabilities for social welfare data integration in Gunung Kidul and Bangkalan Regencies, Indonesia

This study examines the interoperability capabilities associated with social welfare data integration in Gunung Kidul and Bangkalan Regencies, Indonesia. Drawing on the interoperability capability framework, interoperability is conceptualized as a combination of organizational, institutional, relational, and technological capabilities that shape e-government integration outcomes. Social welfare data integration in Indonesia remains challenging because of fragmented data standards, coordination arrangements, and implementation practices across programs and administrative levels. E-Government Integration Impact (EGII) captures the perceived outcomes of integration in terms of information, system, and service quality, responsiveness, and public trust, while E-Government Integration Scope (EGIS) reflects the breadth of integration across data, applications, electronic communication, and knowledge-sharing processes. Survey data from 246 village-level social welfare data operators were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Business Architecture, Cross-Organizational Collaboration, and Technological Readiness were positively and significantly associated with EGII, whereas Governance and Leadership and Information Policy did not show statistically significant direct relationships in the pooled sample. EGII was strongly associated with EGIS. A regency-based robustness analysis further showed significant differences between Gunung Kidul and Bangkalan in the TR–EGII and EGII–EGIS relationships, indicating that some interoperability relationships are sensitive to local implementation conditions. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of process alignment, cross-organizational coordination, and technological readiness in strengthening social welfare data integration. Although sustainability outcomes were not directly measured, stronger interoperability may provide enabling administrative conditions for more continuous and coordinated social protection governance, with relevance to sustainable development objectives, particularly SDG 1.