Analysing and explaining variation in village governance regimes across Indonesia

This article analyses variation in patterns of village governance across Indonesia, drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted in eighteen villages in nine provinces. The research focused on the performance and behaviour of village authorities as well as the character and quality of participation by residents in village affairs. We use this material to analyse variation in ‘village governance regimes’ in terms of twenty comparative dimensions, including the nature of village head elections, selection of village officials, budget allocations and the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms such as village meetings. Applying this comparative framework, we find extreme variation in patterns of village governance. Even our relatively small sample demonstrates a wide spectrum of participation in village affairs, and of openness and turnover in village government. We suggest that more economically diverse villages generally appear to generate more competing sources of authority, and hence facilitate more open and participatory politics, whereas elite capture tends to occur in villages with relatively homogeneous agrarian economies. Persistence of strong informal sources of traditional authority based on adat or religion can also constitute an impediment to inclusive governance. We conclude that such economic and sociocultural factors significantly impact outcomes of village governance reforms.