<![CDATA[Digital transformation in public service delivery for the protection of women and children faces not only technological challenges but also limitations in bureaucratic capacity, inter-agency coordination, and service system integration. Previous studies on collaborative governance have predominantly emphasized collaborative processes and inter-actor relationships, while the relationship between collaborative governance, bureaucratic capacity building, and digital service integration in the context of women and children’s protection remains underexplored in an integrated manner. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of collaborative governance and its contribution to strengthening bureaucratic capacity in digital public services for the protection of women and children in Makassar City. This study employed a qualitative approach using a case study method. The analytical framework was based on collaborative governance proposed by Ansell and Gash and Emerson and Nabatchi, as well as Grindle’s framework of bureaucratic capacity. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, and analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings show that collaborative governance involves the Department of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (DP3A), the Technical Implementation Unit for Women and Children Protection (UPTD PPA), the Department of Communication and Informatics, community organizations, NGOs, and social institutions. However, the collaborative process has not yet fully reached substantive collaboration due to limitations in digital system integration, inter-agency coordination, differences in working procedures, relatively formal inter-actor trust, and organizational capacity constraints. Collaboration contributes to strengthening bureaucratic capacity through joint learning, knowledge exchange, cross-sectoral coordination, and learning from case management. However, the learning process has not yet been fully institutionalized, and face-to-face communication remains necessary because the digital service system is not yet fully integrated. These findings indicate that collaborative governance functions not only as a coordination mechanism but also as an institutional learning mechanism that contributes to strengthening bureaucratic capacity at the individual, organizational, and institutional levels. This study contributes to the development of the collaborative digital governance perspective by demonstrating that strengthening digital public services for the protection of women and children requires the interconnectedness of collaboration quality, bureaucratic capacity, and system integration.]]>
