Indonesia: Incentives, Innovations and Replication – Local Governance Improvements for Better Services for All

Indonesia introduced a dramatic decentralization in 2001 – but local governments (LGs) often lacked sufficient capacity to deliver. The USAID-supported Indonesia Local Governance Service Improvement (Kinerja) program focused on incentives, empowering citizens to demand better services; on introducing performance standards and existing innovations; and on replication building on carefully collected evidence. The approach of Kinerja succeeded among others in getting more teachers to work in underprovided rural areas by building local government commitment and strong political leadership through stimulus, public attention, supporting regulations, and on-the-job technical assistance.