Since joining the Open Government Partnership in 2011, the Indonesian Government has shown some commitment towards implementing initiatives that increase citizen voice and government and service-providers\u2019 accountability to citizens and service users. These include a series information and communications technology (ICT)-based complaint-handling systems that give members of the public an opportunity to highlight problems with the delivery of public services to those in a position to fix them. Yet the reach and uptake of these systems \u2013 which are both national and local \u2013 varies considerably across the country, for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n
This research examines four cases of complaint-handling systems. At the national level, it reviews LAPOR!, a one-stop complaint-handling platform set up by the Indonesian Government to manage citizens\u2019 complaints and requests via SMS, smartphone apps and a website. At the subnational level, it looks at the wider ecosystem of complaint-handling systems in three regencies: Bojonegoro, Indragiri Hulu and Indramayu. As well as evaluating how LAPOR! is used subnationally, the research looks at other systems in these regions, ranging from radio shows to regular face-to-face consultation spaces with local officials.<\/p>\n
The research asks how, and by whom, complaint-handling systems are used, identifies a series of barriers to citizens using them, and explores the factors that shape their effectiveness and impact.<\/p>\n