Depok, January 6, 2026 — A Doctor from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Nian Riawati, assesses that the implementation of decentralization in Indonesia has not yet run optimally in encouraging improvements in local government performance and public welfare. Various issues in the allocation of government affairs are considered to still hinder the achievement of the main objectives of decentralization as designed within the national policy framework.
During the doctoral promotion session in the field of Administrative Sciences at the FIA UI Graduate Program, Riawati explained that the practice of decentralization in Indonesia continues to be marked by unclear divisions of government affairs, misalignment between resources and the affairs delegated, as well as the construction of decentralization in Law Number 23 of 2014, which remains symmetric in character.
“The practice of decentralization is still marked by many problems, ranging from unclear divisions of government affairs, misalignment between resources and the affairs delegated, to the construction of decentralization in Law Number 23 of 2014, which is symmetric in character,” she stated.
According to Nian, this lack of clarity in the division of government affairs causes ineffective spans of control and coordination between levels of government, hampers the performance of public services—particularly licensing—and affects the quality of governance at the local level. This condition has even triggered conflicts between the structures of central and local governments.
“These problems arise as a result of the retraction of local government affairs that had previously been delegated to the regions,” she emphasized.
In addition, Nian highlighted the misalignment between regional resource capacity and the government affairs imposed. According to her, the allocation of government affairs should not merely transfer authority, but must also ensure alignment between the affairs assigned and the fiscal capacity, human resources, and institutional capacity possessed by the regions.
Based on a study entitled “Reconstruction of the Allocation of Central and Regional Government Affairs in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” with a focus on the public works sector in Jember Regency, Sidoarjo Regency, and Ternate City, Riawati found that the use of symmetric criteria for the allocation of government affairs across all regions has resulted in performance disparities between regions.
The research findings show, first, the existence of dynamics and ambiguity in the allocation of government affairs from the enactment of Law Number 5 of 1974 to the present, which has triggered central–local conflicts. Second, regional capacity has not yet been made the primary basis in the allocation of government affairs, which is still carried out in a top-down manner. Third, the construction of the allocation of government affairs does not yet represent the real needs and capacities of regions, thereby widening performance disparities between regions.
“This study proves that regions have varying capacities. Assigning the same government affairs to all regions without considering these capacities will actually worsen disparities between regions,” she explained.
Theoretically and practically, these research findings provide important implications for decentralization policy in Indonesia. Riawati recommends the need to reconstruct the allocation of government affairs by making regional capacity the main variable and by applying an asymmetric approach in the delegation of affairs.
According to her, the allocation of central and regional government affairs must be contextual, relevant to the needs and interests of each region, and formulated through a bottom-up process with the active involvement of local governments and representative forums.
As a strategic recommendation, the study proposes three main points, namely strengthening central government support for regions with low capacity, implementing a real household affairs allocation design based on regional capacity, and strengthening the role of the Regional Autonomy Advisory Council (DPOD) as a representative forum in the allocation of government affairs.
“Synergy and collaboration between the central, provincial, and regency/city governments are key in formulating policies on the allocation of government affairs that are fair, effective, and sustainable,” Nian concluded.
For information, the session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Retno Kusumastuti Hardjono, M.Si., with Prof. Dr. Irfan Ridwan Maksum, M.Si. serving as Promoter and Dr. Roy Valiant Salomo, M.Soc.Sc. as Co-Promoter, and supported by the Board of Examiners consisting of Prof. Muchlis Hamdi, MPA., Ph.D., Prof. Dr. M. R. Khairul Muluk, M.Si., Prof. Dr. Amy Yayuk Sri Rahayu, M.Si., Dr. Achmad Lutfi, M.Si., and Dr. Phil. Reza Fathurrahman, MPP.



