Residents Councils were held in two Indonesian towns

In May 2022, KOSO NIPPON held its first Residents Councils outside Japan, conducting Public Spending Reviews in two towns within the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Responding to the Indonesian government’s desire to inform citizens of what the government is actually doing and to make government and community affairs the business of local residents, we conducted Public Spending Reviews in which randomly-selected citizens served as decision-makers.

We found that our method is universally applicable

Participants included local residents, university professors, and government employees. Using an outsider perspective, participants created a review sheet for government projects that listed budget amounts, project aims, performance targets, and other necessary information. Then, they evaluated the projects in a discussion session open to the public. The programs they discussed were subsidized housing and a nutrition assistance program for children.’ Many of the residents’ opinions came from their own lived experiences, and their discussions and motivations for participating were similar to those in Japan. We realized that our Residents Council approach would work in any country.

In both countries, a non-governmental initiative

The Program Review initiative is proving to be a powerful model for effective governance. In order to further advance the adoption and promotion of the Program Review initiative among both central and local governments in Indonesia, KOSO NIPPON signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2023 with Yayasan Nusantara Sejati (YNS), a leading Indonesian non-governmental organization based in Jakarta. YNS brings extensive experience working with the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, particularly with the Badan Strategi Kebijakan Dalam Negeri (BSKDN).

The partnership between KOSO NIPPON and YNS highlights that this initiative is not government-led; instead, it is a collaborative effort driven by two non-governmental organizations with a shared commitment to engaging constructively with Indonesian governmental stakeholders.

Initially, KOSO NIPPON and YNS successfully piloted the Program Review approach at the municipal level in selected regions (leading to improved service delivery and resource allocation). Following these positive results, both organizations are now actively engaging with the Badan Strategi Kebijakan Dalam Negeri (BSKDN) to scale up the initiative and achieve broader national impact.

This non-governmental, community-driven strategy for catalyzing social change through government collaboration remains central to KOSO NIPPON’s mission. As the model proves successful in Indonesia, KOSO NIPPON aims to replicate and expand it to other countries around the world, offering a powerful blueprint for enhanced local governance and community development.