How do local government strategies advance social accountability? The challenges from environmental management of Slaughterhouse in Semarang City, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to analyze local government strategies in advancing social accountability regarding the environmental impact of Slaughterhouses in Semarang City, Indonesia. It also highlighted the significant challenges experienced by managers in fulfilling social accountability. This social accountability is necessary because it relates to SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), which have become a global commitment, with a particular focus on point 11 concerning sustainable cities and communities. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, observation, scientific literature, government official reports, and actual news using a qualitative approach case study. This study identified several policy problems, including the technical requirements for a hygienic, clean, and healthy environment that had not been met at the Semarang City Slaughterhouse. In addition, there was no preventive mechanism from the manager to identify diseases in animals before being slaughtered. The institutional changes of the slaughterhouse, through several regional regulations, had also not succeeded in realising social accountability due to the negative environmental aspects caused. The community lacked a bargaining value and the right channel to pressure the slaughterhouse to carry out social accountability for environmental management. Therefore, this study suggested that the institutional approach and emphasis from CSOs/NGOs will have more impact in realising social accountability for environmental management in public organisations.

KEYWORDS:

• Social accountability
• environmental management
• transparency
• institutional
• local government
• slaughterhouse

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Universitas Diponegoro for funding this study. The authors are also grateful to all informants, specifically the Director of the Semarang City Slaughterhouse, who gave crucial information.

Disclosure statement

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