Elections, governance, and polarization in Indonesian villages

ABSTRACT

This article explores the deepening of affective polarization in rural Indonesia after the Village Law. The 2014 Village Law was envisioned as an essential way for promoting rural decentralization to fostering collaborative governance. Nevertheless, this article finds that there has been a deepening of polarization in rural communities after Village Law. Through an everyday political approach, the study employs qualitative research to provide a more tangible picture of the depth of polarization. This article examines three ways of affective polarization in rural communities: intense political competition, disaggregated voting patterns, and selective handing out of government benefits. We conclude that the dynamics of the village head election, built on ethnic and religious lines, generate an intense political competition and segregated voting patterns. Furthermore, affective polarization ultimately affects the selective distribution of government benefits. This article offers new insights into the aftermath of the Village Law dynamics from village head elections to village governance, focusing on how polarization in rural Indonesia is deepening.

KEYWORDS:

• Election
• Governance
• Polarization
• Village
• Indonesia
• Decentralization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the research project of ‘Qualitative Study on Village Governance,’ PolGov Research Centre, Department of Politics and Government, Universitas Gadjah Mada, funded by the World Bank [P174562].

Notes on contributors

Haryanto

Haryanto is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin. His research focuses on local politics and governance. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Andi Ilmi Utami Irwan

Andi Ilmi Utami Irwan is a lecturer in the Department of Government, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Palangka Raya. Her research focuses on women’s studies. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Yusriah Amaliah

Yusriah Amaliah is a lecturer in the Department of Government, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin. Her research focuses on policy and government studies. She can be contacted at [email protected].