Understanding the Challenge of Implementing a Merit-Based System in Indonesia’s Public Service: A Case Study of NTB Province

Abstract:

Indonesia’s public service reform under Law No. 5/2014 aims to create a merit-based system that professionalises its public service, enhances its effectiveness, and improves service delivery. While formal frameworks such as the Merit System Index have been developed to monitor progress, many local governments struggle with effective implementation, particularly in promotion processes. Despite compliance with regulations, persistent concerns about fairness and legitimacy remain, especially in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, where all local governments have consistently received low merit system ratings. Existing studies tend to focus on institutional, political, and capacity-related barriers, such as bureaucratic resistance, political interference, and uneven understanding of meritocratic principles, often based in national agencies or well-resourced regions. These accounts, however, overlook how the concept of ‘merit’ itself is interpreted and enacted by those responsible for applying it in more diverse local settings. This study adopts an interpretivist approach to investigate how local actors in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) understand and enact merit principles in everyday practice. By examining how meanings of merit are constructed and negotiated in a decentralised governance setting, the research seeks to explain why formal reforms often fail to gain traction at the local level. It contributes to the literature by shifting focus from institutional performance to meaning-making processes, offering deeper insights into the socio-cultural dynamics of policy implementation. The findings aim to inform more context-sensitive approaches to strengthening merit-based governance in Indonesia.

About the author:

Emba Emba holds a Master of Public Policy from the Australian National University (2016). He has over 15 years of experience in Indonesia’s public service. Prior to commencing his doctoral studies, he led the Planning and Budgeting Sub-Division at the Regional Civil Service Agency in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat/NTB), Indonesia. His research interests lie in public sector reform, public personnel management, and local governance.

Panel: Dr Lhawang Ugyel, Professor Janine O’Flynn, Dr Eve Warburton