#KotaKolaborasi: City Branding as Collaborative Digital Governance for Responsive Public Service Innovation Said Amirulkamar1*, Khalida Ulfa2, Safirussalim3,
1State Administration Science, Faculty of Social Sciences and Government Science, UIN Ar-Raniry, Aceh, Indonesia.
2State Administration Science, Faculty of Social Sciences and Government Science, UIN Ar-Raniry, Aceh, Indonesia.
3Departement of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Syiah Kuala University, Aceh, Indonesia.
Abstract
Urban governments are increasingly employing city branding not merely as a promotional instrument for constructing territorial identity, but also as a strategic means of reshaping governance narratives, institutional partnerships, public responsiveness, and innovation in public service delivery. This study examines #KotaKolaborasi, a city-branding initiative adopted by the Banda Aceh City Government, as a strategic framework for promoting collaborative and digitally enabled governance. The study focuses on how this branding discourse is translated into policy narratives, multi-actor collaboration, and digital public service practices. Drawing on Ansell and Gash^s Collaborative Governance framework, this research analyses four key dimensions: inclusive stakeholder engagement, trust-building, shared commitment, and institutionalized collaborative processes. This study employs a qualitative research design, using data derived from policy documents, development planning documents, official government websites, online media reports, and digital traces of public service programs. The data were analysed using NVivo 12 Plus, particularly its cross-tabulation analysis feature, to map the relationships among city branding indicators, collaborative governance, digital governance, and public service responsiveness. The research gap lies in the limited scholarly attention given to city branding as an operational mechanism of governance, rather than merely as a promotional strategy, particularly within local government contexts shaped by local values. The novelty of this study lies in its conceptualization of #KotaKolaborasi as an institutional instrument that connects city branding with collaborative digital governance in order to realize responsive and innovative public services.
Keywords: Keywords: #KotaKolaborasi- city branding- digital governance- public service.
Topic: Building Adaptive and Digitally-Enabled Public Administrations for Responsive Governance (Adaptive Governance- Digital Public Administration- Responsive Public Service Delivery)
