Community Development and Economic Welfare through the Village Fund Policy

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the implementation of village fund (VF) policy in Indonesia by addressing the following issues: (1) what is the VF policy; (2) factors that support and hinder policy implementation; (3) impact of policy implementation; and (4) model for implementing village fund policies that can improve community welfare. Through a descriptive qualitative-based approach, several indicators are measured, namely, the substance of implementing rules, the results of project implementation, supporting and inhibiting factors for policies, participation factors, and the impact generated by village fund policies, which include social and economic effects. The extraction of this information and indicators will lead this study to produce ideal models and propositions for quantitative confirmatory research as a future research agenda. This study was conducted in two villages (Mojomulyo and Tambakromo) in Pati District, Central Java, Indonesia. Data collection model using interviews and observations from all actors who play a role (e.g., village government, village supervisory agency, and community). The study results show that policies have been implemented by normative rules; there are several supporting and inhibiting factors both internal and external. The study results also confirm the relevance of the articulated theory and some comprehensive input to our study.