When institutions face the shock: Rethinking governance in Indonesia’s disaster social assistance

¹ Doctoral Student in Administrative Science, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
² Departement of Public Administration, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
³ Center for Decentralisation and Participatory Development Research, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

The 2022 Cianjur earthquake revealed significant challenges within Indonesia’s disaster response coordination system. In the immediate aftermath, local program implementers experienced shock and operational disorientation—not because social assistance was unavailable, but because they were confronted with a large-scale disaster for the first time and lacked clear operational guidelines for emergency response. Simultaneously, national agencies, local governments, communities, and individual volunteers mobilised rapidly, reflecting Indonesia’s enduring ethos of gotong royong, even as inter-agency coordination remained insufficient. This study draws on a qualitative case study of the Cianjur earthquake to examine how disaster-related social assistance was organised and implemented across national, local, and community levels. Findings show that overlapping mandates, fragmented data collection, and unclear decision-making procedures often hinder timely and coordinated action. Nevertheless, informal collaboration, personal initiative, and community- led support networks played a critical role in bridging institutional gaps and maintaining aid delivery. The study highlights that effective disaster response relies not only on resources but also on institutional readiness, trust, and the ability to coordinate under uncertainty. The study also holds practical relevance for improving inter-agency coordination and refining social assistance mechanisms to build a more adaptive and responsive protection system in Indonesia.