The Paradox of Asymmetric Decentralization in Indonesia: Institutional Drift and Bureaucratic Standardization in the Implementation of the Special Status of the Special Region of Yogyakarta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55927/jpp.v5i3.26Keywords:
Special Status of DIY, Asymmetric Decentralization, Institutional Drift, Constitutional Recognition, Differentiated EqualityAbstract
Fourteen years after the enactment of Law No. 13 of 2012, the implementation of the Special Status of DIY reveals a paradox between administrative compliance and constitutional recognition. This qualitative socio-legal study combines Historical Institutionalism and Constitutional-Cultural Hermeneutics through the Constitutional Recognition Interpretive Framework (CRIF). An analysis of regulations, policy documents, and Special Status Fund data reveals the penetration of national administrative standards into finance, permitting, land management, and spatial planning which drives institutional drift and institutional capture. The Sultanates and Regencies risk shifting from decision-making entities to mere administrative objects. The study recommends Asymmetric Constitutional Safeguards, institutional repositioning, substantive performance indicators, and land-use harmonization to uphold “differentiated equality” in accordance with Article 18B of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.
References
Agranoff, R. (2004). Autonomy, asymmetry and fitness in federal systems. Governance, 17(1), 25–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0952-1895.2004.00236.x
Amanat 5 September 1945.
Banakar, R., & Travers, M. (Eds.). (2005). Theory and method in socio-legal research. Hart Publishing.
Butt, S. (2010). The Constitutional Court and Indonesia's regional autonomy. Australian Journal of Asian Law, 12(1), 101–117.
Chalil, T. M. (2025). The impact of asymmetric decentralization on public health: A synthetic control analysis of special autonomy in Aceh and Papua. Indonesian Treasury Review, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.33105/itrev.v10i2.917
Cicellia, C., Widaningrum, A., & Isnadi, Y. (2026). Asymmetric decentralization and the rise of monitorial citizens: Institutional opportunity structures in Indonesia's special autonomy regions. Journal of Governance and Public Policy, 13(2), 241–257. https://doi.org/10.18196/jgpp.v13i2.30171
Elazar, D. J. (1987). Exploring federalism. University of Alabama Press.
Fossati, D. (2017). The policy consequences of decentralization: Subnational politics and state capacity in Indonesia. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 39(3), 518–544. https://doi.org/10.1355/cs39-3d
Gagnon, A.-G., & Tully, J. (Eds.). (2001). Multinational democracies. Cambridge University Press.
Hall, P. A., & Taylor, R. C. R. (1996). Political science and the three new institutionalisms. Political Studies, 44(5), 936–957. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.1996.tb00343.x
Huda, N. (2014). Desentralisasi asimetris dalam NKRI: Kajian terhadap daerah istimewa, daerah khusus dan otonomi khusus. Nusa Media.
Jacobsohn, G. J. (2006). Constitutional identity. The Review of Politics, 68(3), 361–397. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670506000192
Jacobsohn, G. J. (2010). Constitutional identity. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674059399
Kumala, S. N., Mulyanto, & Sarjiyanto. (2026). Comparative analysis of special autonomy efficiency in Indonesia. Efficient: Indonesian Journal of Development Economics, 9(2), 253–264. https://doi.org/10.15294/efficient.v9i2.6593
Loughlin, M. (2010). Foundations of public law. Oxford University Press.
Mahoney, J., & Thelen, K. (Eds.). (2010). Explaining institutional change: Ambiguity, agency, and power. Cambridge University Press.
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1984). The new institutionalism: Organizational factors in political life. American Political Science Review, 78(3), 734–749. https://doi.org/10.2307/1961840
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (2006). The logic of appropriateness. In M. Moran, M. Rein, & R. E. Goodin (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of public policy (pp. 689–708). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199548453.003.0034
McGarry, J. (2007). Asymmetric autonomy in multinational states. In M. Weller & S. Wolff (Eds.), Autonomy, self-governance and conflict resolution (pp. 105–141). Routledge.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Peraturan Daerah Istimewa Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Nomor 1 Tahun 2018 tentang Kelembagaan Pemerintah Daerah Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta.
Piagam Kedudukan 6 September 1945.
Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing returns, path dependence, and the study of politics. American Political Science Review, 94(2), 251–267. https://doi.org/10.2307/2586011
Putusan Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia Nomor 81/PUU-VIII/2010.
Putusan Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia Nomor 88/PUU-XIV/2016.
Rahman, S. (2024). Exploring fiscal decentralization in Indonesia: The impact of special autonomy funds on the economies of Aceh, Papua, and West Papua. J-3P (Jurnal Pembangunan Pemberdayaan Pemerintahan), 9(1), 118–135. https://doi.org/10.33701/j-3p.v9i1.4193
Reumi, F. (2023). Special autonomy and the principles of federal system: A blurred portrait of the special autonomy for Papua. Hasanuddin Law Review, 9(1), 126–138. https://doi.org/10.20956/halrev.v9i1.4289
Roem, M., et al. (1982). Tahta untuk rakyat: Celah-celah kehidupan Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX. Gramedia.
Salman, K. F., et al. (2023). Keistimewaan Yogyakarta: Antara Sabda Raja dan kuasa negara. Thafa Media.
Setyarini, A. L. T. (2025). Esensi Keistimewaan Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta: Tafsir historis-konstitusional atas pasal-pasal UU Nomor 13 Tahun 2012. Graha Ilmu.
Simarmata, R. (2019). The enforceability of formalised customary land rights in Indonesia. Australian Journal of Asian Law, 19(2), 299–313. Artikel ini relevan untuk bagian SG/PAG, formalisasi dan kepastian hukum tanah adat.
Streeck, W., & Thelen, K. (Eds.). (2005). Beyond continuity: Institutional change in advanced political economies. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199280452.001.0001
Sufajar, R., Sadiyatunnimah, S., Muqaddim, & Cheguevara, C. (2025). A special autonomy: A comparative study of the Papua and Aceh conflict in the perspective of special autonomy. Journal of Social Political Sciences, 6(4), 308–326. https://doi.org/10.52166/jsps.v6i4.334
Suharno. (2021). Aceh's special autonomy in the perspective of asymmetric decentralization policies. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 18(2), 276–285. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v18i2.43607
Tryatmoko, M. W. (2012). Problem demokratisasi dalam desentralisasi asimetris pascaorde baru. Masyarakat Indonesia, 38(2). https://doi.org/10.14203/jmi.v38i2.647
Tushnet, M. (2014). Advanced introduction to comparative constitutional law. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945.
Undang-Undang Nomor 13 Tahun 2012 tentang Keistimewaan Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta.
Undang-Undang Nomor 23 Tahun 2014 tentang Pemerintahan Daerah.
Undang-Undang Nomor 3 Tahun 1950 tentang Pembentukan Daerah Istimewa Jogjakarta.
Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1960 tentang Peraturan Dasar Pokok-Pokok Agraria.
Undang-Undang Nomor 6 Tahun 2023 tentang Penetapan Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang Nomor 2 Tahun 2022 tentang Cipta Kerja Menjadi Undang-Undang.
Wardhani, L. T. A. L., Noho, M. D. H., & Natalis, A. (2022). The adoption of various legal systems in Indonesia: An effort to initiate the prismatic mixed legal systems. Cogent Social Sciences, 8(1), 2104710. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2104710
