Discussion highlights symbiotic relationship between universities and bureaucracy

Amid the growing complexity of modern governance, a fundamental question arises: does Indonesia have enough professional policy designers capable of responding to this complexity?  

This question was the central thread of a public discussion titled The Urgency of Advanced Education in Public Policy in Indonesia, held at Atma Jaya Catholic University, in Jakarta on October 29. 

The event brought together government officials, academics, and policy advocates to explore how higher education can strengthen policy design capacity through more targeted and needs-based advanced training. 

The Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform’s (PANRB) Deputy Assistant for the Development of the Merit System and Evaluation of Civil Service Management, Katmoko Ari Sambodo, emphasised that universities must play a stronger role, not only as knowledge hubs but also as strategic partners for policymakers.

“Through data-driven research and a design thinking approach, universities can help the government craft citizen-centric solutions,” he said. 

According to Sambodo, this strategic role would include positioning universities as public policy laboratories; as experimental spaces, like sandboxes, where governments could test new ideas before rolling them out on a larger scale. 

He noted that universities could contribute through micro-credential programmes in public policy, digital leadership, and public sector innovation. 

Sambodo added that universities could further support civil service talent development through international academic programmes and collaborative research, and serve as partners in leadership and governance training, and create a policy talent pipeline through applied education and research. 

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Building adaptive public policy 

The PANRB representative dismissed the notion that policymakers and academics operate in separate planes. In fact, he argued that a partnership between universities and bureaucracy was key to creating an adaptive public policy ecosystem.

He highlighted five major challenges in bureaucratic transformation that could be addressed through university support. 

First, building a new bureaucratic culture that is more agile, innovative, and outcome driven. Second, restoring public trust through transparent and accountable governance, as well as fast, simple, and high-integrity public services. 

The next challenge was reducing the digital competency gap across the provinces, ensuring that technology was used evenly to improve service quality throughout Indonesia. 

Equally important was the need to build policies based on data, evidence, and empathy. 

“Government decisions must be grounded in knowledge, based on accurate data analysis and evidence, while continuously understanding and responding to citizens’ needs,” he said. 

The final challenge lay in dismantling bureaucratic silos, ensuring that services were no longer fragmented or overlapping. 

Sambodo also underscored the importance of cross-disciplinary digital leadership – one that went beyond IT and took into account social, economic, and cultural contexts in public decision-making. 

Strengthening the foundations  

The National Institute of Public Administration (LAN) Head, Muhammad Taufiq, echoed Sambodo’s views. He noted that compared neighbours, Malaysia and Singapore, the quality of Indonesia’s public policies had considerable scope for improvement. 

“Only around 39 per cent of our policies are considered to be of good quality,” he said, referring to the LAN’s internal survey across 167 countries in 2025.  

LAN is a state institution that oversees capacity development and arranges learning programmes for civil servants. 

Taufiq stressed that high-quality public policy does not emerge naturally. It had to be carefully designed and supported by skilled professionals.  

“This is what makes advanced education and state-universities partnership more relevant, he said. 

He cited practices in the United States and Australia, where every ministry has a dedicated research and policy unit that systematically supported the development of evidence-based policy. 

“In both countries, policy analysts occupy strategic positions across the entire policy cycle – from research and formulation to implementation and evaluation. In Indonesia, this governance structure still needs to be better connected,” he explained. 

Taufiq referred to a common misconception that public policy was synonymous with regulation-making. 

In reality, policy goes far beyond legal frameworks. It encompasses the government’s strategic actions in addressing societal needs, he said.  

To address this, LAN has been developing a Policy Hub, a collaborative platform “to connect policy analysts and legal drafters”. Through this initiative, Indonesia’s public policies could become more integrated, and data driven. 

“The goal is simple but crucial: to ensure that policies are truly relevant to citizens’ needs and deliver real impact,” he added. 

Bridging policy analysis and political decision-making 

Think Policy’s Founder and CEO, Andhyta Firselly Utami, highlighted another crucial dimension of policymaking: how analysis can be translated into real political decisions. 

“In the policy window theory, opportunities to push for policy change don’t always exist. They open only when a solution is ready or when political pressure arises,” she said. 

According to her, analysis alone was not enough. What ultimately mattered was the ability to influence political and policy decisions.  

Utami stressed the importance of advanced public policy education for three reasons: limited resources, the irreversible nature of policy, and moral responsibility.  

“This is crucial, because public policy is funded by the people,” she concluded.