STEM-Enabled Governance for Cultural Heritage: Integrating Digital Innovation and Policy in Indonesia

Romi Saputra

doi:10.29333/ejecs/2586

Authors

Romi Saputra IPDN https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8925-1081

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2586

Keywords:

STEM-enabled governance, digital heritage, cultural policy, digital ethics, Indigenous data sovereignty, participatory technology

Abstract

This study investigates the intersection of digital innovation and cultural policy through the lens of STEM-enabled governance for cultural heritage in Indonesia. As governments and communities increasingly adopt science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) tools, such as 3D digitization, AI-based archiving, and cloud-based heritage platforms, to manage and disseminate heritage assets, critical questions arise about authority, inclusivity, and ethical stewardship. Despite Indonesia's rich cultural diversity and its policy momentum toward digital transformation, there remains a lack of empirical research examining how digital tools reshape heritage governance, especially in diverse communities with rich traditions. Using a qualitative, multi-case study approach, this research draws on in-depth interviews (n = 42), field observations, and document analysis across cultural institutions, ministries, NGOs, and Indigenous communities in six Indonesian provinces. Thematic analysis revealed key dimensions of STEM-enabled governance, including asymmetrical access to infrastructure, competing epistemologies, evolving roles of institutions, disrupted custodianship, and tensions between sacredness and digital publicity. The findings highlight the urgent need for participatory, ethically grounded, and culturally adaptive frameworks that center local values in digital innovation. The study makes theoretical contributions to the digital heritage and governance literature, providing practical guidance for developing context-sensitive STEM policies that avoid digital extractivism and enable meaningful co-stewardship. Importantly, it advances the discourse on cultural data sovereignty, platform ethics, and digital justice in the Global South.

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Author Biography

Romi Saputra, IPDN

Romi Saputra is a lecturer in the study program, Public Policy Studies, at the Faculty of Government Politics, Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri, and currently serves as Deputy Dean for Administration, Faculty of Politics and Government Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri, Jatinangor, Indonesia. He had a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from the Bandung College of Administrative Sciences, Indonesia, in 2006, and a Master’s Science degree from the YAPPANN. College of Administrative Sciences, Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2011, and a Doctorate Degree in Government Science at the Institute of Domestic Government, Jatinangor, Indonesia, in 2017. He is known as a lecturer in administrative sciences, philosophy and is also a well-known researcher. He is widely known as a researcher on public policy and social politics, and culture in Indonesia.

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