Governance Paradox in Regulating Civil Society Organizations in Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines the governance paradox in regulating civil society organizations (CSOs) in post-Reform Indonesia by analyzing how administrative regulation, securitization, and inter-institutional governance interact within a formally participatory political system. Using qualitative document analysis, the study examines regulations and official governmental and institutional materials, with 2017–2025 as the principal analytical period and earlier regulation as a baseline. The materials were analyzed through deductive and inductive coding and interpretive policy analysis. The findings show that administrative procedures generate organizational visibility, security-oriented categories shape governmental assessments of particular organizations and activities, and inter-institutional arrangements facilitate the coordination of information and supervisory responsibilities across national and subnational institutions. These mechanisms reveal a governance paradox in which broad formal civic participation coexists with administrative capacities for organizational oversight. The article develops the concept of administrative surveillance governance to explain how administrative visibility, security-oriented interpretation, and inter-institutional coordination can become partially coupled within a formally participatory governance system.