Seeking Accountability Within Public Service Failure: The Case of Yogyakarta's 2023 Waste Management Crisis

NI MADE RADYANING SATYA DIANDRA, Dr. Suripto, A.Md., S.I.P., MPA

2024 | Skripsi | ILMU ADMINISTRASI NEGARA (MANAJEMEN DAN KEBIJAKAN PUBLIK)

During times of public service failure, governments are expected to fulfill their duty as the primary provider of public services. The waste management crisis in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2023 (Indonesian: Krisis Persampahan Yogyakarta; Jogja Darurat Sampah) followed the temporary closure of the Piyungan Landfill in the Bantul Regency due to overcapacity. This closure led to a crisis affecting the Municipality of Yogyakarta, the Sleman Regency, and the Bantul Regency. This research aims to investigate the role of accountability in the decisions made by the Yogyakarta government to mitigate the crisis. Employing a qualitative method, this study utilizes a case study approach with an instrumental case study design to gain a deeper understanding of accountability within the context of public sector failure. The research is framed by the concept of environmental proactivity to foster environmental accountability by Alrazi et al. and public service failure by Van de Walle. The waste management crisis is analyzed as a public service failure resulting from failed intervention. Environmental accountability can be fostered through environmental management systems, environmental accounting, and stakeholder engagement. The results highlight major shortcomings in the current waste management efforts, particularly in stakeholder engagement, environmental management systems, and accountability. Government officials exhibit reluctance to collaborate and lack effective relationships with smaller communities. Residents are often blamed for failed initiatives, and existing facilities are underutilized. There is also a notable gap between expected upgrades in manpower and machinery and the actions taken, along with inadequate allocation of special funds for waste management. This indicates that accountability serves as a measure of whether the government has fulfilled its duties during the crisis, where the higher-level government as primary service provider should be the catalyst of initiatives to improve the waste management practices before delegation of duties occur towards the smaller units of government to avoid misplaced intervention. Further study should explore the use of quantitative data in illustrating the sentiments of the general public. 

During times of public service failure, governments are expected to fulfill their duty as the primary provider of public services. The waste management crisis in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2023 (Indonesian: Krisis Persampahan Yogyakarta; Jogja Darurat Sampah) followed the temporary closure of the Piyungan Landfill in the Bantul Regency due to overcapacity. This closure led to a crisis affecting the Municipality of Yogyakarta, the Sleman Regency, and the Bantul Regency. This research aims to investigate the role of accountability in the decisions made by the Yogyakarta government to mitigate the crisis. Employing a qualitative method, this study utilizes a case study approach with an instrumental case study design to gain a deeper understanding of accountability within the context of public sector failure. The research is framed by the concept of environmental proactivity to foster environmental accountability by Alrazi et al. and public service failure by Van de Walle. The waste management crisis is analyzed as a public service failure resulting from failed intervention. Environmental accountability can be fostered through environmental management systems, environmental accounting, and stakeholder engagement. The results highlight major shortcomings in the current waste management efforts, particularly in stakeholder engagement, environmental management systems, and accountability. Government officials exhibit reluctance to collaborate and lack effective relationships with smaller communities. Residents are often blamed for failed initiatives, and existing facilities are underutilized. There is also a notable gap between expected upgrades in manpower and machinery and the actions taken, along with inadequate allocation of special funds for waste management. This indicates that accountability serves as a measure of whether the government has fulfilled its duties during the crisis, where the higher-level government as primary service provider should be the catalyst of initiatives to improve the waste management practices before delegation of duties occur towards the smaller units of government to avoid misplaced intervention. Further study should explore the use of quantitative data in illustrating the sentiments of the general public. 

Kata Kunci : accountability, public service failure, waste management, crisis, environmental accountability, stakeholder engagement, environmental management system, environmental accounting, ELAP framework.