Digital Governance in Ethnic Minority Regions: A Supportive Community Pathway from Structural Support to Governance Effectiveness

Digital governance in rural ethnic minority regions often runs into what practitioners call “technological suspension”-a disconnect between externally introduced technologies and the social structures they are meant to serve. Drawing on years of targeted assistance experience in Aba Prefecture, this study introduces the concept of a “supportive community” and builds an analytical framework that traces a trajectory from structural support, through adaptive embedding, to governance effectiveness. The findings show how external assistance and recipient communities interact to create the social conditions that allow digital governance to take root. Structural support works through resource investment, institutional grafting, and emotional bonding. Adaptive embedding follows, weaving technology into local life through technological translation, institutional buffering, and cultural adaptation. The result is governance effectiveness that shows up in better public services, stronger local industries, and more cohesive communities. By shifting the focus from technology deployment to social integration, this study extends governance community theory and offers a grounded perspective on the social foundations of digital governance-with implications for digital economy development and management practice in complex socio-cultural settings.