Indonesian Decentralization: Accountability Deferred

Abstract

For nearly a decade, Indonesia has been engaged in one of the world's largest programs of public sector decentralization. The evidence suggests that Indonesian decentralization has not yet, however, led to good quality local public services. Implementation of immediate remedies typically proposed by government officials and others are all likely to be deficient in one regard or another. A long-term, incremental approach that focuses on experimenting with output-based central-local incentive grants, enhancing local government capability in expenditure and revenue management, and, most importantly, building capacity in civil society groups to educate citizens and motivate demand seems the most feasible strategy for moving forward under the current circumstances.

Slum upgrading with community-managed microfinance: Towards progressive planning in Indonesia

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Menganalisis Tata Kelola Pemerintahan Multilevel di Indonesia: Pelajaran untuk REDD+ dari penelitian perubahan tata guna lahan di Kalimantan Tengah dan Kalimantan Barat

“…Pada bagian ini, kami menguraikan beberapa konteks sejarah serta karakteristik utama desentralisasi dan resentralisasi dari perspektif tata kelola multilevel dan pengelolaan sumber daya alam. (Lewis 2010). Pemerintah kabupaten dan provinsi memperoleh "otonomi politik" dalam arti mereka sekarang memiliki kepala daerah yang dipilih secara demokratis beserta badan eksekutif dan legislatifnya sendiri.…”

Analyzing multilevel governance in Indonesia: Lessons for REDD+ from the study of landuse change in Central and West Kalimantan

“…Previously, these governments were fully accountable to the national government without any meaningful lawmaking authority. By 2001, both administrative and fiscal decentralization had been implemented, as outlined in Law 22/99 and Law 25/99, respectively (Lewis 2010). Both district and provincial governments gained 'political autonomy' in the sense that they now have democratically-elected heads and their own executives and parliaments.…”