The Principle and Characteristics of good Enough Governance in the Cash for Work Program in Mekar Mulya Village

Abstract

The Reform Era has led to Law Number 6 of 2014 concerning Villages to realize decentralization to encourage good governance. Good governancewas initially used in governance reform. However, good governance encountered many obstacles and was criticized for applying the one-size-fits-for-all principle. It was renewed withthe concept of Good Enough Governance (GEG). The Labor-intensive CashProgram (Padat Karya Tunai- PKT) is one of the reform programs representing good governance. Cash for Work, as a rural empowerment program, still fails to reach its objectives. One example of Cash for Work failure happened in Mekar Mulya, a village in Sematu District, Lamandau Regency, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. This study aimed to describe and analyze the application of GEG principles in Cash for Work in Mekar Mulya Village. The research wasqualitative with a case study approach. Findings indicated that Cash for Work implementation did not consider GEG principles—Cash for Workactivities did not include the poor, there was no analysis prior to Cash for Work implementation, and the local government set no priority.