## 3 Research Design and Conceptual Model
### Research Constructs
Finally, perceived risk was introduced as a moderating variable, which is theoretically justified by prior models in the e-service and trust literature [85; 86]. In this context, perceived risk was introduced to moderate the relationship between determinant constructs and behavioural intention to adopt cloud services, under the assumption that even when government organisations intend to adopt cloud technology, heightened risk perceptions such as lack of control over sensitive data and data sovereignty concerns may inhibit adoption in government. This is relevant in the public sector, where legal liability, citizen trust, institutional accountability, and data sovereignty are tightly related to cloud computing risks. * Privacy Privacy is a substantive right to protect citizens' data. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [41] identified data protection and privacy as significant challenges for multinational corporations in cloud computing. Government institutions aim to achieve better service delivery by adopting cloud computing, but various information security and privacy issues have been a significant concern [58; 87]. Privacy has been labelled as one of the leading roles in the adoption of cloud computing because cloud services and technology operate in a manner that access could be granted to users' personally identifiable information (PII) through a virtualised environment; this is evident in the work of [PERSON], [PERSON] [9], where privacy was identified as a significant challenge to the government's intention to adopt cloud services. [PERSON] [36] also confirmed that cloud computing security, especially data security and privacy protection, is the primary inhibitor for adopting cloud computing services. Additionally, privacy captures individual perceptions of how personally identifiable information (PII) is protected, monitored, and possibly misused within a cloud environment. This is highlighted as a key barrier to public cloud adoption in government sectors [17] and observed not just a legal or ethical requirement for cloud providers [81], and the government; instead, it is the foundational element that can significantly influence the behavioural intention of the government to adopt cloud services and identify reliable cloud providers when a public cloud is considered as an option. Therefore, this study proposed a construct to examine the significant influence of privacy on the government's intention to adopt cloud services. * Governance Framework  
A governance framework is vital in integrating cloud computing services into government structures and processes. The study proposed a governance framework as the new construct. The governance processes cut across policies, laws, regulations, compliance rules, and frameworks [88] that guide the implementation and adoption of cloud computing for service delivery. The governance framework encompasses several other components, including data protection, regulations, compliance, strategies, and the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders. The process ensures citizens'privacy and security protection through an outlined framework that guides various attributes like confidentiality, integrity, and availability. From the public sector, a process-oriented and institutional perspective, governance frameworks establish the normative and structural boundaries within which adoption decisions are made. The governance processes are a top management support priority, as they will ultimately affect adoption decisions [89] and build its intention for cloud services adoption. Governments are typically risk averse and operate in highly regulated environments, making top-down regulatory and strategic decisions central to any adoption initiatives. Effective governance frameworks can mitigate perceived institutional risk, enhance inter-agency collaboration, and ensure compliance with national or sectoral regulations [83].