Herie Saksono

This study identifies the contribution of the Future City Hub (FCH) to the Jakarta–Berlin sister city partnership, evaluates its role in Jakarta’s startup ecosystem, and proposes a model of sustainable governance. Using a descriptive qualitative design, we conducted a content analysis of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. The findings suggest that globalization has shifted the dynamics of international relations, allowing local governments to act in the international arena through paradiplomacy. The Jakarta–Berlin partnership is one such arrangement, operating as an urban living lab that brings together academia, government, industry, and the public to foster innovation. Although the ecosystem surrounding the FCH has faced challenges since European Union funding ended, its host institution, the Jakarta Smart City Management Unit, has been designated a technical implementation unit operating under the regional public service agency financial management pattern, an arrangement that affords greater flexibility in financial management. The findings further indicate that the FCH has supported improvements in the quality of Jakarta’s startups by facilitating knowledge and technology transfer from Berlin. Through this model of paradiplomacy, the FCH may offer a reference point for other cities pursuing international collaboration to drive innovation in support of sustainable regional development. The study is intended to contribute to the development of policies that sustain the startup ecosystem in Jakarta.

Geopolitical shocks, currency depreciation, and inflation pose fundamental challenges to sustainable development in emerging economies. Since the US-Iran conflict escalated in early 2026, Indonesia-a net energy importerhas experienced rupiah depreciation exceeding 7% and inflation pressures that threaten progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study addresses the intersection of conflict-driven economic shocks, state-market tensions in crisis response, and implications for SDG resilience. This study employs a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design. The quantitative strand analyzes time-series data (2020-2026) using Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) to identify shock transmission channels, examining exchange rate volatility, inflation dynamics, fiscal balances, and SDG-sensitive indicators (poverty, food security, employment, inequality). The qualitative strand uses multiple-case study design with semistructured interviews of policy institutions (Bank Indonesia, Ministry of Finance), multinational enterprises, stateowned enterprises, and development partners, complemented by document analysis and thematic coding. Preliminary analysis reveals: (1) rupiah depreciation reflects confidence crisis beyond oil price shocks, linked to fiscal policy uncertainty; (2) conflict management strategies increasingly channel through SDG-directed nonmarket approaches; (3) SDG financing gaps widen as fiscal space contracts, necessitating innovative multilateral mechanisms. This study advances understanding of institutional resilience under geopolitical stress, demonstrates mixedmethods integration in crisis-response analysis, and provides practical insights for policy design in energyimporting emerging economies facing volatile environments.

The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program requires an effective food safety assurance system to prevent contamination and foodborne disease throughout all stages of food service operations. This study analyzed the implementation of the Hygiene and Sanitation Eligibility Certificate (SLHS) and operational supervision in ensuring food safety within the MBG program and developed an integrated food safety assurance model (IFSAM). Seven informants were selected by purposive sampling based on their involvement in the program: a representative of the Palembang City Health Office, a sanitarian, a Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit manager, a food handler, an MBG program supervisor, a school principal, and the head of the National Nutrition Agency office serving South Sumatra province. Data were analyzed thematically, with source and method triangulation to establish the trustworthiness of the findings. The results indicate that the SLHS serves as a system readiness mechanism by ensuring the preparedness of food service providers through compliance with hygiene and sanitation standards, while operational supervision functions as an implementation compliance mechanism that maintains the consistent application of standards throughout food production, distribution, and serving. The study also identified several challenges, including suboptimal risk-based monitoring, limited supervisory resources, insufficiently integrated cross-sectoral coordination, and as yet unsystematic feedback and follow-up mechanisms, potentially affecting the effectiveness of food safety assurance. The IFSAM integrates certification, operational supervision, cross-sectoral coordination, feedback mechanisms, and continuous improvement as a conceptual framework for food safety assurance in the MBG program.

The phenomenon of qualification mismatch among vocational high school graduates in Batam represents a paradox in the context of the free trade zone (FTZ), which demands skilled technical workers. This study evaluates the quality of vocational education policy and the relevance of vocational high school curricula to industry needs in Batam using an integrative secondary research mixed-methods approach. Administrative data from national and local agencies covering statistics, education, manpower, and professional certification were analyzed through six proxy variables (X1–X6) to construct the Vocational Education Readiness Index (IKPV). The IKPV stands at 0.787, placing it in the optimal category, yet a structural paradox emerges: the Participation dimension achieves a perfect score (1.000) while the Acceptability dimension reaches only 0.559. Only 39.86% of vocational high school graduates are employed in relevant industry sectors, while 52.58% experience vertical mismatch. Three core failures are identified: signaling, curriculum, and regulatory failures. The study recommends evidence-based policy reform—regional regulations compelling industries operating in the FTZ to engage in the vocational education ecosystem, mandatory synchronization of vocational curricula with national competency standards, and a universal competency certification system aligned with industry.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of super-app-based digital governance, focusing on Jakarta Kini (JAKI) as an integrated public-service platform. Despite the proliferation of over 27,000 government applications in Indonesia, which has produced systemic inefficiencies and fragmented services, comprehensive evaluations linking digital-service performance, bureaucratic integration, and public well-being remain limited in the academic literature. This research addresses that gap by analyzing the interrelationships among digital-service quality—system, information, and service quality—user satisfaction, and public well-being, while considering the role of bureaucratic integration within the JAKI ecosystem. Employing a secondary data analysis method, the study synthesizes information from the JAKI service database, official government documents, media reports, and scientific publications to identify institutional patterns and dynamics of digital governance. The findings indicate that system, information, and service quality are associated with user satisfaction, which in turn relates to public well-being, as measured by perception, participation, and acceptability. However, bureaucratic fragmentation, regulatory inconsistencies, and the absence of a unified governance framework emerge as significant impediments to optimizing digital-service integration. These insights underscore that effective digital services require robust institutional alignment and coherent governance. Theoretically, the study integrates the information systems success model with a well-being approach to digital governance, underscoring the importance of coherent policy, cross-sectoral governance harmonization, and inclusive digital literacy to maximize the impact of digital public services.

The merit system is central to Indonesia’s bureaucratic reform agenda, which seeks professional, objective, and competency-based civil service governance. The assessment center is among the principal instruments developed to support it, yet many local governments still struggle to ensure that assessment results actually inform personnel decisions. This study analyzes the relationship between assessment center implementation and the utilization of assessment results in strengthening the civil service merit system in the Palembang City Government, and formulates a governance model integrating the two. A qualitative multi-case design was used. The first case examined assessment center implementation at the Palembang City Civil Service and Human Resources Development Agency; the second examined the utilization of assessment results. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentary analysis of regulations, official reports, and institutional records, and their credibility was established through source triangulation. The data were analyzed using thematic cross-case synthesis. The findings indicate that assessment center implementation is supported by institutional arrangements, regulations, and relatively adequate assessment mechanisms, but that assessment results are not yet fully utilized in personnel decision-making, resulting in a gap between the institutional capacity of the assessment center and the utilization of its outputs within the merit system. The study proposes an integrated assessment governance model comprising institutional capacity, competency intelligence, governance integration, and merit system strengthening, and offers it as a reference for competency-based talent management policy and for sustaining merit system implementation at the local level.

This study investigates how digital marketing shapes the income of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in songket weaving in Ungga and Sukarara Villages in Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Songket weaving is a culturally embedded craft, but its market prospects increasingly depend on visibility and engagement in digital channels. Using a quantitative design, data were collected from 100 songket weaver MSMEs through structured questionnaires and analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Digital marketing is conceptualized through five dimensions, accessibility, interactivity, entertainment, trust, and informativeness, while MSME income is measured by monthly revenue and profit. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity, as well as high reliability across all indicators. The structural model shows that digital marketing has a strong and statistically significant positive effect on MSME income (β = 0.747; p < 0.001), explaining 55.8% of the variance (R² = 0.558) with high predictive relevance (Q² = 0.671). These findings confirm that more intensive and higher-quality use of digital channels is associated with higher income for the songket weavers. The study concludes that targeted interventions, such as digital marketing training, content creation support, and facilitation of social media and marketplace usage, are critical to enhancing the competitiveness, resilience, and livelihood outcomes of traditional craft-based MSMEs in peripheral tourism regions like Central Lombok. This study contributes to the MSME and digital transformation literature by providing destination-specific evidence from a craft cluster in an emerging economy context and offering an empirically grounded basis for designing local government and development agency programs for the digital empowerment of artisans.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk merumuskan model revitalisasi Produk Lokal Unggulan Daerah (PLUD) menjadi Regional Flagship Product (RFP) di Kabupaten Musi Rawas, dengan mengintegrasikan Wellbeing Methodology dan ekosistem kolaborasi Dodeca-Helix. Dicabutnya Peraturan Menteri Dalam Negeri Nomor 9 Tahun 2014 memicu kekosongan regulasi yang menuntut pemerintah daerah untuk proaktif merumuskan kebijakan berbasis bukti empiris. Melalui pendekatan metode campuran (mixed-methods), data primer dikumpulkan dari 885 responden representatif. Evaluasi dilakukan menggunakan Indeks Persepsi, Partisipasi, dan Akseptabilitas (PPA) serta Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan Indeks Kelayakan MR-RFP berada pada skor 5,67 (kategori moderat). Ditemukan fenomena "Paradoks Kesiapan Tinggi, Literasi Rendah", di mana antusiasme masyarakat sangat tinggi, namun pemahaman konseptual terkait inovasi, tata kelola, dan literasi finansial masih rendah. Analisis aspirasi mengungkap dualisme visi ekonomi: kelapa sawit dan padi merepresentasikan stabilitas komoditas, sementara kopi, kuliner, dan batik merepresentasikan ekonomi pengalaman (experience economy). Berdasarkan MCDA, Padi Dayang Rindu dan Kopi Selangit ditetapkan sebagai kandidat flagship utama karena keunggulan indikasi geografis, dengan hilirisasi sawit sebagai produk pendamping strategis. Sepuluh imperatif strategis publik secara absolut menuntut pergeseran intervensi pemerintah dan pemda dari pembangunan infrastruktur fisik menuju penyediaan kapasitas perangkat lunak (software) berupa pemasaran digital, branding, dan peningkatan kualitas sumber daya manusia. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan pelembagaan ekosistem inovasi melalui model Dodeca-Helix untuk mengorkestrasi 12 pemangku kepentingan dalam merealisasikan visi Musi Rawas MANTAB 2025-2029.

This study examines the multidimensional determinants of extreme poverty among households in Southwest Papua, Indonesia, with the aim of identifying critical factors at the household level. The Study utilizes quantitative methods an analytical‐descriptive research design, including using logistic regression analysis on data from the 2023 Targeted Extreme Poverty Eradication Program (P3KE) and the 2021 Village Potential (Podes) survey, the research explores demographic, economic, social, and infrastructure variables across five districts and Sorong City. The results reveal that employment status, gender of household head, household savings, and engagement in the service sector significantly reduce the likelihood of extreme poverty. Conversely, higher dependency ratios and inadequate cellular infrastructure increase poverty risk. Notably, female‐headed households are less likely to experience extreme poverty, while households with better access to infrastructure show greater resilience. These findings suggest that policies targeting female empowerment, employment generation, financial inclusion, and infrastructure improvement are essential for reducing extreme poverty. Strengthening local governance through Village Representative Bodies (BPD) and promoting service‐sector growth, particularly ecotourism, are vital for sustainable poverty alleviation in Southwest Papua.

Transformasi digital yang diharapkan menjadi solusi pengangguran justru menghadapi kegagalan di Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB). Penelitian ini menganalisis paradoks penyerapan tenaga kerja era digital dengan tujuan mengembangkan model kebijakan ketenagakerjaan adaptif. Tujuannya adalah mengembangkan model kebijakan transformatif dengan analisis determinan keberhasilan penurunan TPT, penyebab ketahanan pengangguran urban, strategi diferensiasi kebijakan per daerah, dan model prediktif dampak transformasi digital pada TPT-TPAK. Menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif-analitis melalui studi komparatif longitudinal periode 2017–2024, penelitian menganalisis data sekunder Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) dengan perhitungan Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) dan tipologi daerah berdasarkan nilai TPT-TPAK. Hasil menunjukkan tiga paradoks utama: (1) infrastruktur digital tinggi di perkotaan justru memiliki pengangguran persisten, (2) peningkatan TPAK tidak diimbangi penurunan TPT yang proporsional, dan (3) daerah ekonomi tradisional seperti Sumbawa Barat justru mencapai penurunan pengangguran signifikan (CAGR -6,99%). Dikembangkan Spatial-Adaptive Digital Employment Model (SADEM) yang mengintegrasikan strategi digital terdiferensiasi berbasis karakteristik wilayah dengan prinsip integrasi bertahap, pemanfaatan kearifan lokal, dan kombinasi efisiensi digital-ketahanan tradisional. Kesimpulannya, kegagalan penyerapan tenaga kerja bukan disebabkan teknologi melainkan implementasi yang mengabaikan konteks lokal. SADEM menawarkan solusi melalui strategi adaptif: demokratisasi keterampilan digital di perkotaan, peningkatan rantai nilai digital di pedesaan berperforma tinggi, dan revitalisasi sektor tradisional dengan teknologi tepat guna di daerah tertinggal.