Institutional Capacity and the Local Governance Gap: Explaining the Limited Effectiveness of Affirmative Policies in Papua

Authors

  • Muh Tang Abdullah Department of Administrative Science, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Hasanuddin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8504-4111
  • Much Faisal Syaputra 2Department of Administrative Science, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Hasanuddin, Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan Km.10 Makassar, Indonesia 90245 https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8132-0580
  • Ralaivao Hanginiaina Emynorane Department of Management, Faculty of Law, Economy, Management and Sociology, University of Toliara, Maninday 5 Km East of Toliara, Madagascar 601 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7843-7841

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26905/pjiap.v11i1.16488

Keywords:

Affirmative policy;, Governance structure;, Indigenous Papuans;, Institutional capacity;, Local governance;

Abstract

This study examines the role of institutional capacity in shaping the effectiveness of affirmative policy implementation within the local governance context of Southwest Papua. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through interviews, document analysis, and institutional reports. The findings reveal that, despite strong normative recognition of Indigenous Papuans (OAP), affirmative policies remain largely symbolic and have not produced substantial structural changes. This condition is driven by the misalignment between institutional design, institutional capacity, and governance structure. The study offers a theoretical contribution by proposing the Local Governance Gap Model (LGGM), which explains how the interaction of these dimensions constrains policy effectiveness in decentralized and asymmetric governance contexts. In addition, this research introduces a distinction between symbolic and substantive policy outcomes as a critical analytical lens. This study extends institutional capacity theory by positioning capacity as structurally embedded rather than purely organizational. Unlike previous studies that focus on institutional roles or policy implementation in isolation, this research integrates institutional capacity, affirmative policy, and governance structure into a unified analytical framework. The findings highlight that effective affirmative governance requires alignment between authority, capacity, and governance context to move beyond symbolic recognition toward substantive outcomes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Anaya, S. J. (2004). Indigenous Peoples In International Law. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195173499.001.0001

Ansell, Chris, & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032

Ansell, Christopher, & Torfing, J. (2021). Public Governance as Co-creation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108765381

Baudoin Farah, A. (2024). Meanings of indigenous autonomy: between identity, authority, and integration. Geoforum, 148, 103916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103916

Beebeejaun, Y. (2017). Gender, urban space, and the right to everyday life. Journal of Urban Affairs, 39(3), 323–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2016.1255526

Campbell, G., & Pirie, L. (2024). Incorporating indigenous boundaries into Australian Law. Land Use Policy, 141, 107158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107158

Chairullah, Emir. (2022). Indonesia’s Failure in Papua: The Role of Elites in Designing, Implementing and Undermining Special Autonomy. Routledge.

Chauvel, R., & Bhakti, I. N. (2003). The Papua Conflict: Jakarta’s Perception and Policies. East-West Center Washington, East-West Center.

Chen, C., Estorcien, V., & Neshkova, M. I. (2025). Advancing social equity in public budgeting: the role of minority political representation in local government. Public Administration. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.70023

Cornell, S. (2015). Processes of Native Nationhood: The Indigenous Politics of Self-Government. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2015.6.4.4

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publication, Inc.

Crosby, F. J., Iyer, A., & Sincharoen, S. (2006). Understanding affirmative action. Annual Review of Psychology, 57(1), 585–611. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190029

Dhillon, J. (2022). Indigenous Resurgence: Decolonialization and Movements for Environmental Justice (J. Dhillon, Ed.). Berghahn Books. https://doi.org/10.3167/9781800732452

Emerson, K., Nabatchi, T., & Balogh, S. (2012). An integrative framework for collaborative governance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mur011

Eversole, R. (2010). Empowering institutions: indigenous lessons and policy perils. Development, 53(1), 77–82. https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2009.81

Ferguson, J., & Gupta, A. (2005). Spatializing States: Toward an Ethnography of Neoliberal Governmentality. In Anthropologies of Modernity (pp. 105–131). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775875.ch4

Hasibuan, S. N. (2022). Special autonomy in papua and west papua: an overview of key issues. Bestuurskunde: Journal of Governmental Studies, 2(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.53013/bestuurskunde.2.2.145-158

Healey, P. (1997). Collaborative Planning. London: Macmillan Education UK. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25538-2

Healey, P., de Magalhaes, C., Madanipour, A., & Pendlebury, J. (2003). Place, Identity and Local Politics: Analysing Initiatives in Deliberative Governance. In Deliberative Policy Analysis (pp. 60–87). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511490934.004

Hoppe, R. (2011). Institutional constraints and practical problems in deliberative and participatory policy making. Policy & Politics, 39(2), 163–186. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557310X519650

Jamin, M., Hermawan, S., & Mulyanto, M. (2023). A discourse of the indigenous peoples’ rights and their contributions to the indonesian development: lessons learned from new zealand. PADJADJARAN Jurnal Ilmu Hukum (Journal of Law), 10(3), 346–366. https://doi.org/10.22304/pjih.v10n3.a3

Jayasinghe, K., Adhikari, P., Carmel, S., & Sopanah, A. (2020). Multiple rationalities of participatory budgeting in indigenous communities: evidence from Indonesia. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 33(8), 2139–2166. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-05-2018-3486

Kania, M. A. (2019). Indigenous peoples’ rights and cultural heritage: threats and challenges for a new model of heritage policy. Latinoamérica. Revista de Estudios Latinoamericanos, 1(68), 121–157. https://doi.org/10.22201/cialc.24486914e.2019.68.57064

Liesbet, H., & Marks, G. (2003). Unraveling the central state, but how? types of multi-level governance. American Political Science Review, 97(02), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055403000649

Lysaker, J. T., & Furuness, S. (2011). Space for transformation. Journal of Transformative Education, 9(3), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344612439939

Meteray, B. (2025). Dinamika perjuangan status politik papua: peran elite politik papua periode 1949-1961. Jurnal Penelitian Politik, 21(1), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.14203/jpp.v21i1.1679

Morales Quiroga, M. (2022). Experience of discrimination and democratic engagement. Ethnopolitics, 21(5), 581–605. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2021.1984031

Munro, J., & Baransano, Y. (2023). From saving to survivance: rethinking Indigenous Papuan women’s vulnerabilities in jayapura, indonesia. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 64(2), 209–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/apv.12367

Noor, R. S., Hamzani, A. I., Widyastuti, T. V., Kristanto, K., & Fransisco. (2024). Gender equality in indigenous peoples in indonesia (challenges and efforts towards the 2030 sustainable development goals). Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 12(1), e2173. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v12i1.2173

Purnomo, A., Salmawati, S., & Banggu, M. (2025). Political representation of indigenous papuans in the special autonomy era: case study of local democracy in southwest papua. Journal of Contemporary Local Politics, 4(1), 70–80. https://doi.org/10.46507/jclp.v4i1.714

Rakia, A. S. R. S., Suaib, H., & Simanjuntak, K. W. (2022). Continuing the limited authority of the majelis rakyat papua; a missed opportunity. Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.5130/ccs.v13.i3.7915

Sarjito, A., & Mursidi, M. (2025). Decolonizing bureaucracy in papua: indigenous logics, institutional hybridity, and the limits of special autonomy. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Humaniora, 4(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.57248/jishum.v4i1.665

Scott, W. Richard. (2001). Institutions and Organizations. Sage Publications.

Setiawan, H., Widiono, G. W., & Hikmah, G. (2023). The formation of the new autonomous region of papua and welfare guarantees in the decentralization policy. Jurnal Borneo Administrator, 19(3), 319–332. https://doi.org/10.24258/jba.v19i3.1181

Siahay, A. Z. D., & Salle, A. (2025). Autonomy without accountability? the governance challenges of papua’s special fiscal regime. SSRN Electronic Journal, 6(4), 1635–1647. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5377580

Timisela, M., Kameo, D. D., Rupidara, N. S., & Siahainenia, R. (2020). Local papuan migrants: wamena migrants in an urban city of jayapura, papua-indonesia. Journal of Regional and City Planning, 31(1), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2020.31.1.3

van der Muur, W. (2018). Forest conflicts and the informal nature of realizing indigenous land rights in Indonesia. Citizenship Studies, 22(2), 160–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2018.1445495

von Lüpke, H., Leopold, L., & Tosun, J. (2023). Institutional coordination arrangements as elements of policy design spaces: insights from climate policy. Policy Sciences, 56(1), 49–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-022-09484-0

Wilson, N. J., Montoya, T., Arseneault, R., & Curley, A. (2021). Governing water insecurity: navigating indigenous water rights and regulatory politics in settler colonial states. Water International, 46(6), 783–801. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2021.1928972

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Downloads

Published

2026-05-06

How to Cite

Abdullah, M. T. ., Syaputra, M. F., & Emynorane, R. H. (2026). Institutional Capacity and the Local Governance Gap: Explaining the Limited Effectiveness of Affirmative Policies in Papua. Publisia: Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi Publik, 11(1), 90–105. https://doi.org/10.26905/pjiap.v11i1.16488

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1: April 2026

Section

PUBLISIA: Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi Publik

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Publisia: Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi Publik

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Copyright of the published articles will be transferred to the journal as the publisher of the manuscripts. Therefore, the author confirms that the copyright has been managed by the journal.
  2. Publisher of Publisia: Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi Publik University of Merdeka Malang.
  3. The copyright follows Creative Commons Attribution and share a like License (CC BY SA): This license allows to Share and copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, Adaptative remix, transform, and build upon the material, for any purpose, even commercially.