Building Digital Governance Capacity for Digital Transformation in Public Administration: Evidence from Lima, Peru

Digital transformation has become a strategic pillar of modernization in public administration; however, evidence from emerging economies shows that technology implementation alone does not guarantee institutional transformation. This study examines the structural relationships among digital competencies, change management, technology adoption, and digital transformation in public administration institutions in Lima, Peru, incorporating Digital Inclusion Practices (DIP) as a moderating variable. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was applied to a sample of 358 public servants working in ministries, national agencies, regional administrative units, and municipal governments located in Lima. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that digital competencies and change management are positively associated with technology adoption, and that change management and technology adoption show significant positive relationships with digital transformation. Technology adoption partially mediates the relationships between digital competencies and digital transformation, and between change management and digital transformation. Additionally, digital competencies show a direct and statistically significant, although weak, relationship with digital transformation. The moderating relationship involving DIP was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that digital governance in emerging public administrations may depend less on individual skills alone and more on structured institutional processes that support effective technology adoption, strategic change management, and institutional modernization.