From Budget to Impact: Provincial Government Operational Capacity in Coastal Community Empowerment

Abstract

The Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is the leading sector in implementing policies for empowering coastal and small island communities. With its extensive jurisdiction, the South Sulawesi Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries faces various challenges and obstacles related to its limitations in implementing this policy. This study aims to analyze the capabilities and capacities of the South Sulawesi Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in implementing the policy for empowering coastal and small island communities using Wu et al.'s (2018) policy capacity theory, which encompasses three aspects: analytical capacity, operational capacity, and political capacity. This study employed a qualitative approach with a case study design focusing solely on policy implementation in Makassar City. The results indicate that the analytical capacity of the South Sulawesi Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries remains low, as evidenced by the limited number of functional policy analyst staff and low employee motivation to participate in quality improvement training. Meanwhile, operational capacity is also suboptimal. The very minimal budget allocation, less than 3% from 2021-2024, and the partial coordination, also indicate the low commitment of the South Sulawesi Provincial Government to implementing this policy. Political capacity is also suboptimal due to limited participation and involvement of the community and non-governmental actors.