Improving Government Performance Through Human Resource Reform in Indonesia

What is it about?

Government performance depends not only on policies but also on the people who implement them. This publication examines how human resource management—including recruitment, training, performance evaluation, and career development—supports bureaucratic reform in Indonesia. The study shows that many government reforms fail when attention is focused only on rules and structures, while the management of civil servants is overlooked. When public employees are selected fairly, trained effectively, and provided with clear career paths, government organizations operate more effectively and deliver better public services. Using evidence from Indonesian government institutions, this publication highlights both progress and ongoing challenges in human resource reform. While regulations already exist, their implementation is often uneven due to limited capacity, weak leadership commitment, and outdated management practices. Overall, the study demonstrates that improving how governments manage their people is a key factor in achieving meaningful and sustainable bureaucratic reform. The findings are relevant not only for Indonesia but also for other countries seeking to strengthen public institutions and improve service delivery.

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Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This article is especially timely because Indonesia continues to push for bureaucratic reform while facing growing public demand for more effective, faster, and more transparent government services. Although many reform policies already exist, the on-the-ground results remain uneven. This study addresses a critical question: why reforms often fall short when human resource management is not fully strengthened. What makes this article unique is its focus on human resource management as the central driver of bureaucratic reform, rather than treating it as a supporting or technical issue. Many studies discuss reform in terms of regulations and organizational structures. This article shows that without fair recruitment, proper training, clear performance evaluation, and career development, reform efforts are unlikely to succeed. The article is also distinctive in highlighting the gap between policy design and implementation. It provides practical insights into why well-designed reform policies do not always yield the expected outcomes, particularly when leadership commitment, institutional capacity, and employee development are weak. The difference this article can make is both practical and strategic. For policymakers and government leaders, it offers clear lessons on where to focus reform efforts—on people, not only procedures. For researchers and students, it provides evidence from a developing-country context that is often underrepresented in the international public administration literature. Overall, the article helps readers better understand how strengthening human resource management can lead to more effective, sustainable bureaucratic reform.

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