Governing capacity: how to define it, build it, measure it, and understand it in Indonesia!

Abstraksi

Robert Thomson and Julian Millie This paper provides insights into governing capacity that are relevant to the formulation of Indonesia’s 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan. It begins by summarizing existing authoritative definitions of the related concepts of governing and administrative capacity. We provide a critical appraisal of these definitions, and examine how some of these ideas have been developed and applied in the Indonesian context. Our review of objective measures of governing capacity reveals some of their implicit assumptions and biases. For instance, some broad definitions encompass substantive policy choices, such as deregulation. A key feature of governing capacity that is examined in more depth is the practice of consulting impartially and effectively with relevant stakeholders. Another key feature of governing capacity is the practice of coordinating effectively with other government bodies. The paper reviews relevant models and practices of such consultations with stakeholders and inter-agency coordination. Throughout the paper, the emphasis is on relevant concepts, methods and practices from a range of relevant contexts. When we turn to how governing capacity is understood in the Indonesian context, we consider the process of ‘capacity mapping’ (pemetaan kapasitas) in which regional governments engage in a process with the Department of Internal Affairs. In particular, we examine the Department of Internal Affairs’ (Mendagri) annual system of awarding prizes to high-achieving governmental units. This self-reporting award system for strengthening governing capacity may indeed be effective, and we outline a research design to identify the conditions under which this may be the case.