Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia

The study was based on initial research during 2000 and 2002 in the districts of Kapuas, Central Kalimantan, supplemented with interviews with policy makers in Jakarta during July-August 2001. This paper considers how the decentralization process involves legal and institutional changes that encompa...

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Autor principal: McCarthy, J.F.
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Murdoch University. Asia Research Centre 2004
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18899
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author McCarthy, J.F.
author_browse McCarthy, J.F.
author_facet McCarthy, J.F.
author_sort McCarthy, J.F.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The study was based on initial research during 2000 and 2002 in the districts of Kapuas, Central Kalimantan, supplemented with interviews with policy makers in Jakarta during July-August 2001. This paper considers how the decentralization process involves legal and institutional changes that encompass a wide arrary of actors, institutions and levels of government. It raises issues of coordination, negotiation and conflict across multiple levels and jurisdictions. It analyzes the overlapping socio-legal configurations arising from parallel development at the national, district and village levels to advance three arguments. First, in a complex polities like Indonesia, after decades of authoritarian rule, corruption and clientelist networks predominate. Second, in remote provinces, infrastructure and government services are extremely limited, and most of the population is distant from centers of power. Third, despite the range of legal initiatives developed following the inception of decentralization, up to now the legal changes have yet to provide transparent and accountable mechanisms at the village and district levels for recognizing customary (adat) rights, contributing to an environment of distrust, competition and violence. The paper concludes that decentralization has opened space for positive change, which might be significant if political actors such as indigenous groups and NGOs could organize themselves to make advantage of these new openings.
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spelling CGSpace188992025-01-24T14:20:15Z Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia McCarthy, J.F. decentralization central government local government communities institutions policies regulations law conflicts The study was based on initial research during 2000 and 2002 in the districts of Kapuas, Central Kalimantan, supplemented with interviews with policy makers in Jakarta during July-August 2001. This paper considers how the decentralization process involves legal and institutional changes that encompass a wide arrary of actors, institutions and levels of government. It raises issues of coordination, negotiation and conflict across multiple levels and jurisdictions. It analyzes the overlapping socio-legal configurations arising from parallel development at the national, district and village levels to advance three arguments. First, in a complex polities like Indonesia, after decades of authoritarian rule, corruption and clientelist networks predominate. Second, in remote provinces, infrastructure and government services are extremely limited, and most of the population is distant from centers of power. Third, despite the range of legal initiatives developed following the inception of decentralization, up to now the legal changes have yet to provide transparent and accountable mechanisms at the village and district levels for recognizing customary (adat) rights, contributing to an environment of distrust, competition and violence. The paper concludes that decentralization has opened space for positive change, which might be significant if political actors such as indigenous groups and NGOs could organize themselves to make advantage of these new openings. 2004 2012-06-04T09:08:55Z 2012-06-04T09:08:55Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18899 en Open Access Murdoch University. Asia Research Centre McCarthy, J.F. 2004. Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia . Working Paper (Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University) No.101. Perth, Australia, Murdoch University. Asia Research Centre. 46p.
spellingShingle decentralization
central government
local government
communities
institutions
policies
regulations
law
conflicts
McCarthy, J.F.
Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia
title Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia
title_full Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia
title_fullStr Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia
title_full_unstemmed Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia
title_short Changing to gray: decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio-legal configurations in central Kalimantan, Indonesia
title_sort changing to gray decentralization and the emergence of volatile socio legal configurations in central kalimantan indonesia
topic decentralization
central government
local government
communities
institutions
policies
regulations
law
conflicts
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/18899
work_keys_str_mv AT mccarthyjf changingtograydecentralizationandtheemergenceofvolatilesociolegalconfigurationsincentralkalimantanindonesia