Innovation in digital public services in the Municipal Government of the Sucre Canton.

Abstract

This article examines digital public service innovation at the Sucre Municipal Government using a multi-criteria decision model that integrates AHP and TOPSIS. The aim was to prioritize digital initiatives with methodological traceability while aligning with the principles of digital by design,

openness, citizen-centeredness and proactivity. Criteria and subcriteria were operationalized, expert judgments were elicited with consistency verification and alternatives were ranked against ideal and anti-ideal solutions. Findings indicate that impact on efficiency received the highest weight, followed by total cost and institutional transparency, with an acceptable consistency ratio. Based on these weights, TOPSIS ranked the One-Stop Digital Window as the top priority, followed by Online Appointments and the Proactive Notifications initiative. The study discusses implications for municipal portfolio governance and for closing local gaps in online services, and proposes an implementation sequence that consolidates processes, strengthens interoperability and builds data capabilities to enable proactivity. Limitations concern the size and composition of the expert panel and the restricted set of criteria, and future research avenues are outlined to test ranking stability and assess realized impacts.