Contextual Public Service Planning: Bridging Administrative Planning and Local Realities in Papua’s Special Autonomy

Abstrak

Public service planning plays a central role in determining the quality of government services. Yet standardised planning approaches often fail to accommodate the institutional, social, cultural, and geographical diversity found in regions with special autonomy, such as Papua. This study examines public service planning within Papua's Special Autonomy and explores the factors influencing service effectiveness in an asymmetrically decentralised setting. A qualitative case study was conducted using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, field observations, and document analysis. The findings reveal that many public service challenges originate during the planning stage, where administrative procedures and standardised performance indicators often fail to reflect local realities. Field evidence further shows that social structures, customary land tenure, cultural values, ecological conditions, and local institutional relationships shape planning priorities and service outcomes. Building on these findings, this study proposes the Contextual Public Service Planning (CPSP) framework, which conceptualises local context as an integral component of the planning process rather than merely a factor affecting implementation. The study demonstrates that planning effectiveness depends not only on administrative compliance but also on the capacity of planning systems to respond to local social, cultural, and institutional realities.