Melbourne School of Government - Theses
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ItemComparative study of Indonesian think tanks as policy entrepreneurs in influencing social assistance reform( 2021)The reform of Indonesia’s democracy and public administration in 2001 increased the participation of think tanks in the policymaking process. Since then, the role of Indonesian think tanks as policy entrepreneurs has proliferated. Policy entrepreneurs can be described as advocates of policy change characterised by motivated individuals or organisations. Using their resources and influence, they act as agents of change throughout the policy cycle by presenting innovative policy solutions, building coalitions of support, and securing legislative action. This thesis analyses how two Indonesian think tanks have acted as policy entrepreneurs who influenced the social assistance reform process in the last 15 years. The thesis conducts a comparative case study of NGO-based think tank and quasi-government think tank. It explores their strategies, such as disseminating new and innovative ideas across multi-level government, building coalitions and utilising windows of opportunity. The research also investigates other factors which contribute to the effectiveness of their role as policy entrepreneurs such as resources and institutional context. The thesis concludes that both think tanks can be seen as policy entrepreneurs that use varying strategies to influence social assistance reform. There were examples of striking similarities in coalition building and exploiting windows of opportunity. However, some notable differences were found in developing innovative ideas across multi-level government and crafting institutions for learning. This is due to the different governance arrangements of think tanks. This case study also highlights the critical role of the organisation’s resources and the context in determining policy entrepreneurs’ success. In turn, this suggests social assistance reform is a highly complex and political process. Hence, the findings support the thesis hypothesis that Indonesian think tanks play a crucial role in influencing social assistance reform as policy entrepreneurs.
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ItemGoverning disability in Indonesia: lesson learnt from self-directed disability support in Australia( 2019)This study investigates the possibilities of implementing self-directed disability support (SDDS) in Indonesia by drawing on Australian SDDS framework as case study. Through a thematic analysis of documents relating to the most recent reforms to Australian disability policy, the study explores the specific issues arising from the Australian case in implementing SDDS framework and define the six care and support right principle to be taken in the study of Indonesian case. It highlights the ethics of care perspective, right-based discourse and citizenship rights framework which manifested through a set of principles for designing and evaluating care and support policy. The principle is an extending previous academic effort from a scholar that used in the study that provide a more comprehensive guidance to formulating policies that promoting equal choice, control and independence to PwD. Applying the principle to the case study demonstrates how SDDS framework is successfully in governing disability in Australia. It shows Australian experience in designing policies that afford equal care and support rights to PwD by situating choice, control and independence as core of social citizenship. Given the detailed guidance in formulating disability policy, Australian SDDS context is useful as policy learning for exploring how promoting citizens right through independence, choice and control could address Indonesian paternalistic disability policy. Using the principle to the existing Indonesian disability policy, the findings shows that the current Indonesian disability policy does not fully address either ethics of care perspective and social citizenship right to obtain and to give care and support right services. The policy at best indirectly offers a continuing payment cohort of PwD particularly with severe medical condition yet only to fulfill basic needs. As regard to the great differences of both Australian and Indonesian context, it is evident from the study that the socio-cultural and political context in Indonesia is creating new possibilities of SDDS as the new framework to reform the current disability in Indonesia because SDDS framework is relevant in terms of sociologically, philosophically and juridically in the contemporary Indonesia.
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ItemThe role of microfinance as a tool for economic empowerment of women in Lahore and adjoining rural areas( 2015)During the last three decades, the micro finance sector has witnessed immense growth, being seen as a tool for poverty alleviation and bringing financial sustainability through provision of micro loans to lower income groups in most parts of the developing world. However, researchers are widely divided on the efficacy of the contemporary micro finance model to achieve the desired goals including as a source of socio-economic empowerment for poor people, especially women. This research is undertaken to evaluate the impact of microfinance on women empowerment in Pakistan to determine how the provision of microcredit to women from lower income groups affected their lives and brought betterment or otherwise. More specifically it looks at whether women were able to enhance their income and control over assets, self-confidence, participation in household expenditures, decision making power and autonomy as outlined in the analytical framework of the ‘Virtuous Spiral’ presented by Mayoux. The research adapts a qualitative approach and is based upon semi-structured interviews and focussed group meetings, which leads to an examination of what motivated women to acquire micro loans, how these loans were used and what effects did these loans have in generating economic activity and increasing their income. The study has its limitations and is confined to slum/rural areas adjacent to the provincial capital of the Punjab province of Pakistan, Lahore, on account of its scope, time, resources, and budgetary constraints. The researcher is cognizant of the fact that these very constraints and limitations do not allow the researcher to thoroughly examine the above stated phenomena and the hypothetical framework in as much detail as required by the much larger scope of the contemporary micro finance model. However it can be expected that the research provides for a limited input regarding the impact of micro loans on the socio-economic status of poor women within their households in a male dominated society like Pakistan; a country ranked very low by international agencies in terms of gender equality and high on discrimination against women. The study concludes with the results in relation to the above mentioned questions and revisits the Virtuous Spiral framework.
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ItemDoes the implementation of a formal performance management system improve employee performance? Perspective of Indonesian civil servants( 2017)Recently, a new individual performance management system (PPKP) was introduced within the Indonesian civil service system. The purpose was to stimulate employees’ performance which was expected to have a great impact to improve the quality of Indonesian public service. As such, the primary aim of this thesis is to examine whether the implementation of the individual performance management system may improve employees’ performance by analysing perceptions of Indonesian civil servants towards the ideal view and actual experience in PPKP. This thesis is an exploratory study which combines a review of the literature on performance management frameworks, including relevant empirical evidence across countries and Indonesian context, with the primary data of Indonesian civil servants’ perspectives from the survey. The survey uses the Australia Awards Scholarship awardees civil servants as the sample of the population. The findings focus on four specific themes: goal-setting, feedbacks, motivational instruments and leadership as they have been shown to be fundamental to performance management system practice both in global and Indonesian context. This thesis contributes to the performance management literature, particularly in the Indonesian context. It also provides understanding of the implementation of the new individual performance management system and how it compares to previous approaches, drawing on the actual experience of civil servants. Our findings show a significant gap between the ideal view of performance management and actual experiences of the respondents. Our findings also confirm the importance of the four highlighted themes within the performance management system. This thesis highlights insights and ideas from respondents and points to a number of areas that the government and may want to focus on to improve performance management practice
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ItemThe Millennium Development Goals: a gendered critique within the context of climate change( 2014)This minor thesis applies a gendered lens to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) within the context of climate change. This was done in order to examine the degree that the MDGs will be affected by climate change as well as whether the current Development paradigm has in fact contributed to the process of climate change. A wide expanse of literature has been examined, focusing on several case studies. The finding of this thesis was that because the MDGs are designed to operate within the current capitalist system, the structural inequity and polluting methods of production and consumption which contribute to climate change and compound poverty are not questioned. Critiquing this is particularly significant at this moment as the Development sector moves from the era of the MDGs to the era of Sustainable Development.