Informal Politics in the Management of Village Funds in Indonesia: Case in West Sumatra Province

Abstract

This article wants to explain the obstacles associated with the government's approach using the New-Institutionalism Approach, which emphasizes formal statutory rules in managing village funds. New-Institutionalism approach only focuses on implementing laws and ignores the community's norms, values, and beliefs, which hinder the emergence of innovation and creativity following resources in the village. This study used a qualitative approach with descriptive case study methods. This research uses semistructured interviews with 15 informants with various backgrounds such as Nagari apparatus, Nagari Deliberative Council, religious leaders, and traditional leaders. This article concludes that the Village Fund's rules in Nagari, West Sumatra Province, often change, are ambiguous, and contradict each other, making the Nagari Government challenging to manage the Village Fund. Whereas informal politics carried out by traditional elites in Nagari is an essential dimension in the New-Institutionalism Approach, which is rooted in state regulations and Nagari society. However, there are still many Nagari in West Sumatra that has not taken advantage of existing socio-cultural values that hinder the success of achieving the Village Fund's goals in this area.