Asian Digital Governance Problems
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025): Asian Digital Governance Problems

Public Sector Management in Crisis Contexts: Digital Service Adaptation and Informal Governance

Thein Ye Paing (Department of Management Studies, Yangon University of Economics)
Sein Aung Tun (Department of Management Studies, Yangon University of Economics)



Article Info

Publish Date
23 Oct 2025

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines how public sector management adapted to prolonged crises through digital service adaptation and informal governance in Myanmar following the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 military coup. It aims to explain how these adaptive mechanisms interacted to sustain public service delivery and to develop a conceptual model of crisis governance for institutionally fragile contexts. Subjects and Methods: This research employed an interpretive qualitative case study design using multiple documentary evidence and digital observation. Data were collected from government regulations, institutional reports, humanitarian publications, international organization reports, academic literature, and publicly accessible digital platforms. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis integrated with process tracing to identify the sequential mechanisms underlying governance transformation. Results: The findings reveal that institutional disruption functioned as the primary catalyst for governance transformation, accelerating digital service adaptation and stimulating the emergence of informal governance. Digital technologies evolved beyond administrative tools into mechanisms supporting communication and collaboration, while community organizations compensated for weakened state capacity through flexible and trust-based service delivery. The interaction of these adaptive mechanisms gradually produced a hybrid governance model that strengthened public service continuity despite prolonged institutional instability. Conclusions: This study contributes a conceptual framework integrating institutional disruption, digital adaptation, informal governance, and hybrid governance. The findings highlight that governance resilience depends on adaptive institutional collaboration and inclusive digital ecosystems rather than conventional bureaucratic capacity alone, providing practical implications for crisis governance in fragile institutional settings.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

ADGP

Publisher

Subject

Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Social Sciences

Description

Asian Digital Governance Problems is a concept or approach to governance that uses digital technology, such as computers, the internet and information systems, to increase efficiency, transparency, participation and effectiveness in decision making and the delivery of public services. This includes ...