The Case of Indonesian Public Administration Reform Prim
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The Embeddedness of Policy Learning in Reform-Oriented Policy Change: The Case of Indonesian Public Administration Reform Primatia Romana Wulandari [0000-0001-7730-4078] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7730-4078 Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Arts, School of Social and Political Sciences July 2020 Abstract Governments around the world have undertaken extensive programs of public administration reform. While such reform is intended to achieve specific, practical outcomes, it may also involve policy learning. Scholars have investigated the conceptual relationship between reform and policy learning, but there is a lack of empirical research into the causal mechanisms that explain this relationship. This thesis seeks to contribute to the understanding of reform-oriented policy learning, drawing theoretical insights from the fields of politics, public policy, and public administration. Its central question is: To what extent does policy learning facilitate policy change in shaping the trajectory of public administration reform? The thesis conducts an in-depth, comparative case analysis of two pieces of Indonesian legislation intended to reform public administration: the 2014 Civil Service Law (UU no. 5/2014) and the 2014 Government Administration Law (UU no. 30/2014). The ratification of these two laws marked a significant move away from the existing paradigms of Indonesian public administration, influenced by NPM and NPS paradigms layered on top of the old ways of public administration and patronage. This thesis compares the processes by which these two laws were proposed, negotiated and resolved in their ongoing processes of institutionalisation. Drawing on this analysis, the thesis describes the dynamic relationship between structure, institution and agency in shaping the reform trajectory, and analyses the role of path dependence in explaining the reform sequence; the importance of antecedent conditions; and the role of cumulative causation in the interaction between structural persistence, reactive sequence and reform outcomes. The thesis argues that reform-oriented policy learning is inherently political and contextually dependent; and thus, that it can be best understood as a multi-level phenomenon, whereby structure, institution and agency interact simultaneously to shape the reform trajectory. The thesis presents three key findings. The first is that policy learning involves distinct types and levels of learning. Thus, the thesis identifies the micro-foundations of learning, individual learning, collective learning and learning aggregation in the interdependent relationship between structure, institution and agency. The second is that policy learning is both an influence on, and a product of institutional change: policy learning is found in the i mechanisms of change, which involve both exogenous and endogenous pressures for reform, the distinction between formal and informal change, and the feedback mechanisms that are produced by (and influence) change. The third is that policy learning is evident throughout the successive stages of the reform process; different aspects of policy learning shape the reform trajectory in different ways. The analysis of the reform trajectory and policy learning presented in this thesis provides the foundations for new theoretical work that connects structure, institution and agency in a more dynamic relationship. The thesis develops a model for analysing how reform-oriented policy learning occurs during the reform process, and how it shapes the reform trajectory. The study makes a major contribution to the public administration literature and provides important lessons for governmental practice. Keywords: Policy Learning, Policy Change, Causality, Reform Sequence, Public Administration Reform, Indonesia. ii Declaration This is to certify that: 1. The thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD except where indicated in the preface, 2. Due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, 3. The thesis is fewer than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Signature: Date: 12 October 2020 iii Preface The entire research was conducted and completed by Primatia Romana Wulandari during the course of enrolment of her PhD (Arts) at the University of Melbourne, especially under the supervision of Prof. Janine O’Flynn (primary supervisor) and Dr Rachael Diprose (associate supervisor). The research conducted for this thesis was undertaken with the approval of the Human Research Ethics Committee of The University of Melbourne, particularly the Human Ethics Sub-Committees (HESC) on Humanities, Law and Social Sciences (HLSS). The University of Melbourne HESC – HLSS ID number approval is ID 1748679. iv Acknowledgements This PhD thesis marks a journey that was not undertaken alone. There are many individuals and institutions who supported me and continued to inspire me throughout this endeavour. If I start using the vocabulary which runs through this work, during this four year journey they all have been a benchmark, an example, and/or a model from which I have had the privilege to continuously update my beliefs and knowledge. My encounters with these people and the experiences offered during the PhD study have been a rewarding journey of discovery and the least that I can do is to acknowledge the huge debt I owe them for sharing their time, knowledge, experience, friendship, and love with me. It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to study under my two supervisors, Prof. Janine O’Flynn and Dr Rachael Diprose. I couldn’t agree more when someone told me that I had struck gold by securing Janine as my supervisor. She has been a source of encouragement, wisdom, and guidance that empowered me to reach my highest potential. Likewise, I am indebted to Dr Rachael Diprose who taught me how to be an academic and a professional researcher. I would also like to thank Dr Lan Anh Hoang for her support as the chair of my thesis project, particularly for inspiring me to overcome the challenges of raising a child while doing a PhD. I would also like to thank the examiners for their time, the work they put into assessing the thesis, and their recommendations for future publications. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Australia Awards Scholarships, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Australia, for their financial assistance, leadership development program, and the opportunity they gave me to take an active role as President of the Australia Awards Scholars Club during my study. My thanks go to all the people who agreed to be interviewed and generously offered their time and insights. I am obliged to Rohani Budi Prihatin, Margareth Aritonang, Benedicta Kirana, Puthut Yulianto and Rizal Malik for providing helpful advice and contacts when I was conducting fieldwork for the two case studies. I humbly acknowledge the contributions of several scholars at the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, who have helped clarify my thinking, particularly A/Prof. Paul Fawcett, Prof. Jenny Lewis, and Prof. Vedi Hadiz. Appreciation is also extended to my colleagues in the University of Melbourne and friends in Melbourne, particularly those who I became close friends with throughout my PhD journey. I am grateful for the opportunity to have developed unique friendships with people who have inspired, encouraged and supported me when needed: Bahruddin, Randy Nandyatama, Hellena Souisa, Luqman Nul Hakim, Shuntaro v Iisuka, Gordana Subotic, Susan Wright, Diane Zhang, Dr Dave McRae, Dr Ken Setiawan, Rizal Adi Prima, Kartika Juniwaty, Widi Laras Sari, Wisnu Harto Adiwijoyo, Rut Dini Prasti, Lestari Nugraheni, Septaliana Dewi, Zahra Murad, Ria Arief, Jinia Lilianty, Annisa Hartoto, and Agus Wicaksana. I am also grateful for the friendships I made with the fellow Australia Awardees I encountered during my study and through my role as the President of Australia Awards Scholars Club. I must also thank my parents, Herman Romanus and Lidwina Sudarmi, who understand how important this PhD was to me. I am especially grateful to them for the mental and physical support they gave me during my maternity leave, leaving Indonesia for the first time in their lives to be with me in Melbourne. This support allowed me to continue making progress while also taking care of my new-born baby. Equally supportive in this PhD journey were my parents-in-law, David and Clare Devereux, who also came all the way from Scotland to do their share of babysitting. Most importantly, I am eternally grateful to my brother-in-law, Joseph Devereux, who tirelessly and patiently helped me to copy-edit my thesis, starting over a year before its final submission. In the middle of the PhD journey a little angel, named Gabriella Kalyani Devereux, came to join me. Her arrival made things much more challenging and interesting, and helped me put the thesis and everything else in perspective. During the past 18 months, I have learned from Gabriella more than I ever thought I could learn from any one person. She is the source of inspiration – watching her grow, seeing her enthusiasm to learn new things and her determination in mastering new life skills have provided me with the strength to finish this thesis. There was of course a behind-the-scenes story of a new mum raising a baby girl during a PhD, which involved a messy, chaotic, and sometimes frustrating journey that upended life as I knew it. Luckily, I shared this challenge with my amazing husband, Thomas David Devereux. For the past 4 years, he has been my rock, my personal proof-reader and my best friend throughout my PhD journey who would put up with all my complaints and frustrations, and always be ready to put the kettle on and offer a warm cup of tea. There were times when I was so exhausted and just wanted to give up, juggling between taking care of a baby and writing the thesis, but Tom always helped me pull myself back on track.