Decentralization and good governance: The case of Indonesia

Indonesia began a process of rapid government decentralization in 1999 from a formerly strong centralized government structure. I review the history of decentralization in Indonesia and assess how Indonesia has fared in pursuing a decentralization policy since 1999. I illustrate how Indonesia meets several criteria of successful decentralization and how it is fails the criteria in principle in other areas. Finally, I indicate the likely future challenges faced by Indonesia as it implements decentralization and provide some recommendations to improve the ongoing decentralization process.