Institutional Proliferation without Political Empowerment? Power Reconfiguration and the Politics of Special Autonomy for Indigenous Papuans in Sorong Regency

Abstract

The establishment of Southwest Papua Province in 2022 reorganised the institutional landscape through which Indonesia's Special Autonomy policy is implemented. Yet the multiplication of governmental institutions does not necessarily expand the political influence of Indigenous Papuans (Orang Asli Papua, OAP). This article examines how post-division power relations shape Special Autonomy implementation in Sorong Regency and how those relations condition substantive policy affirmation for OAP. It uses a qualitative case-study design based on semi-structured interviews, observation, and analysis of legislation, planning documents, and government reports. The analysis integrates Jones's account of policy implementation, Lukes's three dimensions of power, and Smith's territorial perspective on decentralisation. The findings identify four connected mechanisms. First, provincial formation redistributes decision venues while leaving decisive administrative, informational, and fiscal resources concentrated within governmental institutions. Second, bureaucratic actors shape affirmation through the organisation, interpretation, and application of policy. Third, formal representation through legislatures, the Papuan People's Assembly, and participatory forums does not ensure agenda-setting influence. Fourth, administrative definitions of development can marginalise customary priorities before formal decisions occur. The article argues that the central implementation deficit is not simply inadequate funding or institutional capacity; it is an unequal distribution of the capacity to define problems, set agendas, authorise resources, and evaluate benefits. Special Autonomy becomes substantively affirmative only when OAP institutions can convert cultural legitimacy and formal presence into durable influence over planning, budgeting, implementation, and oversight.