Governing Waste: Multi-Level Governance Dynamics and the Politics of Waste Management in Two Indonesian Cities

PhD pre-submission seminar

This thesis examines why cities operating under the same national waste management framework experience divergent outcomes. Focusing on Surabaya City and the Yogyakarta Urban Area, this thesis explores the nature of urban waste governance in Indonesia and explains why some cities succeed in managing waste while others fail.

Drawing on a multi-level governance framework and the concept of modes of governing waste, the study analyses political and institutional interactions among formal and informal actors at national, provincial, and municipal levels. Using a comparative case study approach, it examines seven analytical dimensions: institutional fragmentation; vertical policy coherence and national support; local political commitment; fiscal capacity and resource mobilisation; citizen participation and incentive structures; the scale and structure of the recycling economy; and historical pathways.

The thesis argues that local political dynamics are more decisive than national policy frameworks in shaping waste management outcomes. While national regulations provide an enabling structure, effective waste reform depends on strong local political commitment, coherent vertical relations, and the capacity to mobilise resources. Surabaya demonstrates a shift towards more resource-oriented waste governance, whereas the Yogyakarta Urban Area remains trapped in a disposal mode due to fragmented institutions and weak policy coordination.

The findings show that technical solutions alone are insufficient. Waste governance outcomes are shaped by political leadership, inter-actor coordination, and historically embedded governance arrangements. This study contributes to debates on urban governance, decentralisation, and environmental policy by providing empirically grounded insights from Indonesia and other decentralised contexts.


Speaker
Nur Azizah is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political and Social Change, where she has been studying since 2019. Her doctoral research examines the politics of urban waste governance in Indonesia, focusing on Surabaya City and the Yogyakarta Urban Area. Her work analyses how local political leadership, national–local policy coherence, and fiscal capacity shape divergent waste management outcomes under a shared national framework. Her research interests include local politics, decentralisation, and urban governance.

Prior to her PhD, she was a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and Government Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Universitas Gadjah Mada and a Master’s degree from the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Image credit: “Piyungan Landfill” (Personal documentation, taken on 26 June 2021)

Additional information:
Zoom details will be sent upon registration.

TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) | CRICOS Provider Code: 00120C

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