Compliance under fragmented governance: the case of ASEAN economic community implementation in four Indonesian city governments

ABSTRACT

This article assesses the degree of compliance with international commitments by looking at the dynamics of policy implementation in four Indonesian city governments in implementing the conditions of ASEAN Economic Community reform. The article identifies an implementation gap between formal international commitments and their achievement in practice. The nature of Indonesian governance explains the gap and brings into focus central-local government relationships under highly formally decentralized systems. While forging international commitments is an exclusive responsibility of central government, the implementation of those commitments unavoidably brings in local governments. Local governments under a decentralized system may lack the knowledge or capacity to implement decisions. They may have political and economic interests that encourage non-compliance. Both sets of factors feature in this study.

KEYWORDS:

• Compliance
• international commitment
• implementation
• governance
• local government
• decentralization
• ASEAN Economic Community

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express his gratitude to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences through the ASEAN Studies Center (ASC) at Universitas Gadjah Mada which provides financial support to undertake this research and to all project members for allowing him to use the materials for this publication: Dafri Agussalim, Rahayu, Nanang Indra Kurniawan. The author also wishes to express his gratitude to Professor Mark Evans, Professor Gerry Stoker and Professor Diane Stone for their fruitful comments on the initial draft of this article.

Notes on contributor

Gabriel Lele is the Director of the Department of Public Policy and Management and Researcher at the ASEAN Studies Center, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. He obtained his PhD in Policy and Governance from the Australian National University in 2008.

Notes

1 See: http://wartaekonomi.co.id/read/2015/02/23/46527/oesman-sapta-sayalah-yang-paling-tolak-mea.html (accessed 10 March 2018).

2 See: http://www.beritasatu.com/ekonomi/246685-tolak-pmn-dpr-dinilai-lemahkan-bank-bumn-hadapi-mea.html (accessed 10 March 2018).

3 See: https://www.aktual.com/dpr-mea-akan-membuat-semakin-banyak-pengangguran/ (accessed 10 March 2018).

4 See: http://ekonomi.rimanews.com/read/20151230/253147/Partai-Gerindra-Tolak-Indonesia-Masuk-MEA (accessed 18 March 2018).

5 See: http://health.kompas.com/read/2015/04/21/071800123/IDI.Tolak.Layanan.Kesehatan.Diperdagangkan.di.ASEAN (accessed 18 March 2018); https://obsessionnews.com/kki-akan-tolak-mea-jika-jadi-ancaman-para-dokter/ (accessed 18 March 2018); http://www.republika.co.id/berita/koran/halaman-1/16/01/06/o0ilw68-soal-mea-arsitek-siap-dokter-menolak (accessed 18 March 2018); http://www.kspi.or.id/tak-jelas-batasannya-buruh-tolak-mea-2015.html (accessed 18 March 2018); http://ekonomi.metrotvnews.com/read/2014/12/05/328157/tolak-mea-2015-kspi-pertanyakan-nasib-kaum-buruh (accessed 10 March 2018).

6 See: http://www.wartasumbawa.com/smi-demo-tolak-pasar-bebas/; http://news.luwukpost.info/2016/01/13/smi-tolak-mea.html; http://www.metrosiantar.com/2015/05/06/189486/lmnd-tolak-kebijakan-mea/; http://www.purbalinggatimes.com/baca/101201/20150520/114458/ampb-desak-jokowi-tolak-mea/ (accessed 10 March 2017).