Journal of Indonesian Scholars for Social Research

Retributive Justice in Ancient Mesopotamian Law: Institutional Foundations of Punishment in the Code of Hammurabi

Roberth Kurniawan Ruslak Hammar — 2026-06-28

Ancient Mesopotamia occupies a central position in the history of written law, particularly through the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest and most systematic legal collections of the ancient world. This article examines the concept of retributive justice in Babylonian legal thought and analyzes the institutional foundations of punishment reflected in the Code of Hammurabi. Using normative legal research with historical and conceptual approaches, the study explores how punishment was constructed, legitimized, and applied within the social and political order of ancient Babylon. The findings show that the Code of Hammurabi embodied the principle of lex talionis, emphasizing proportionality between offense and punishment as a core expression of retributive justice. However, punishment was not merely a moral response to wrongdoing; it was also embedded in institutional mechanisms involving courts, royal administration, and the king’s authority as the ultimate source of legal legitimacy. The study further reveals that the application of punishment was shaped by Babylonian social hierarchy, where legal consequences varied according to the status of offenders and victims. Historically, the Code of Hammurabi contributed to the development of criminal law thought by providing an early foundation for proportional punishment, legal codification, and the relationship between law, authority, and social order.

From Climate Early Warning to Government Action: Anticipatory Governance during Indonesia's 2026 Extreme El Niño

Yusriadi Yusriadi — 2026-09-06

Extreme El Niño events are often treated as meteorological or agricultural problems, yet their consequences also test the anticipatory capacity of public administration. This study examines how climate early-warning information was translated into government action during Indonesia's 2026 extreme El Niño episode. Using qualitative secondary-data analysis, the study synthesizes official documents and updates issued by the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Ministry of Agriculture, and other public institutions up to 2 September 2026, together with scholarly and OECD literature on anticipatory governance. The analysis uses six dimensions: foresight and signal detection, policy translation, inter-agency coordination, preventive resource mobilization, local implementation, and monitoring and adaptive learning. The findings show a strong forecasting and warning capacity. BMKG progressively escalated its alerts from a high probability of strong El Niño to confirmed very strong conditions, while government agencies-initiated weather modification, drought preparedness, water distribution, pumping, irrigation optimization, and cross-sector coordination. However, public evidence is substantially stronger for activities and inputs than for integrated outcome measurement. Significant drought and wildfire impacts continued to be reported, and publicly available documents provide limited evidence linking specific warnings, pre-agreed administrative triggers, interventions, and avoided losses. The article therefore identifies a warning-to-action accountability gap: Indonesia demonstrates substantial anticipatory activity, but the institutionalization and public measurement of the full warning-to-action chain remain incomplete. Strengthening trigger-based protocols, interoperable risk data, pre-arranged financing, local implementation indicators, and post-event learning would improve anticipatory governance for future climate extremes.

From Curative Habits to Preventive Care: Health Education and Shifting Dental Health Values in Makassar, Indonesia

Zulkarnain — 2026-06-25

This study examines how health education influences dental care behavior and contributes to shifting health values among urban communities in Makassar, Indonesia. Although dental and oral health is an essential component of overall well-being, preventive dental care is often treated as secondary to curative treatment, especially when individuals seek dental services only after experiencing pain or oral health problems. Using a sociological health perspective, this article explores how health education programs shape knowledge, attitudes, and everyday practices related to dental maintenance. The study highlights that health education delivered through campaigns, seminars, counseling, and educational materials can improve public awareness of oral hygiene, encourage regular tooth brushing, reduce harmful dietary habits, and promote routine dental check-ups. More importantly, the findings indicate a gradual shift in health values: dental care is increasingly understood not merely as a medical response to illness but as part of a preventive and healthy lifestyle. However, this behavioral transformation remains uneven. Socioeconomic barriers, particularly the cost of dental services and unequal access to adequate care, continue to limit the ability of low-income groups to translate knowledge into consistent practice. The study argues that effective dental health education must be integrated with broader efforts to reduce access inequalities. By linking behavioral change with social and economic contexts, this article contributes to sociological discussions on preventive health behavior, public health education, and value transformation in urban Indonesia.

Poverty Alleviation in Indonesia: Evaluating Social Protection, Targeting Reform, and Rural–Urban Disparities Using Secondary Data

Yusriadi Yusriadi — 2026-07-17

Poverty alleviation remains a central public-policy priority in Indonesia even as the official poverty rate continues to decline. This study evaluates recent poverty-alleviation progress and policy architecture using secondary data and documentary analysis. The analysis combines official poverty statistics from BPS-Statistics Indonesia for March 2025, September 2025, and March 2026 with national planning documents, presidential instructions on poverty reduction and the National Socioeconomic Single Data (DTSEN), social-welfare regulations, World Bank assessments, and selected empirical studies of Indonesian social protection. The evaluation focuses on four dimensions: poverty trends, rural–urban disparities, targeting and data integration, and the balance between social assistance and economic empowerment. Results show that the national poverty rate declined from 8.47 percent in March 2025 to 8.07 percent in March 2026, while the number of poor people fell from 23.85 million to 22.93 million. However, rural poverty remained substantially higher than urban poverty, reaching 10.67 percent compared with 6.34 percent in March 2026. At the same time, the Gini ratio increased from 0.363 in September 2025 to 0.368 in March 2026, indicating that poverty reduction and distributional improvement do not necessarily move together. The policy framework has strengthened through the RPJMN 2025–2029, Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025, and DTSEN-based targeting reform. Nevertheless, evidence from prior studies shows persistent risks of inclusion and exclusion errors and heterogeneous program effects across regions and socioeconomic groups. The study concludes that effective poverty alleviation requires not only continued social protection, but also accurate targeting, productive inclusion, territorial strategies, and transparent outcome monitoring.

Human Capital and Catch Management Capability in Small-Scale Fisheries: Evidence from Coastal Fishing Communities in Manokwari, Indonesia

Danne Wamafma — 2026-06-23

This study investigates the effects of fishermen’s competence and catch management capability on income improvement among coastal fishing communities in East and West Manokwari, Indonesia. A quantitative survey was conducted with 100 active fishermen selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using validity and reliability tests, multiple linear regression, t-tests, F-tests, and coefficient of determination analysis. The results reveal that both fishermen’s competence and catch management capability have positive and significant effects on income improvement. Catch management capability is the more dominant predictor, highlighting the importance of post-harvest handling, storage, distribution, and marketing in generating higher economic value from fishery products. The model explains 74.1% of the variation in fishermen’s income improvement, indicating strong explanatory power. These findings suggest that improving coastal livelihoods requires an integrated strategy that combines human capital development with operational capability strengthening across the fisheries value chain. The study contributes to small-scale fisheries and coastal development literature by showing that fishermen’s welfare depends not only on catching capacity, but also on the ability to manage, process, and market catches more effectively.

Effectiveness of Records Management in Public Service Delivery: Evidence from a Secondary Data Review

Indah Sri Andini — 2026-07-14

Effective records management is a core administrative capability because public services depend on the timely availability, authenticity, traceability, and security of information generated through government transactions. This study examines how records management contributes to public service effectiveness using secondary data only. An integrative document review was conducted using peer-reviewed studies, international standards, Indonesian legislation, and official archival policy documents. Sixteen substantive sources were purposively retained because they directly addressed records management, public-sector service delivery, accountability, transparency, or electronic records management. The material was coded thematically around service timeliness and retrieval, accuracy and evidentiary reliability, accountability and transparency, digital integration, and organizational capacity. The review shows that records management improves public service delivery primarily by reducing information-search delays, supporting consistent decisions, preserving evidence of administrative actions, strengthening access to information, and enabling continuity across organizational units. However, digitization alone does not guarantee effectiveness. Recurrent constraints include weak classification and retention controls, fragmented paper-digital workflows, limited professional capacity, inadequate infrastructure, weak management support, and incomplete compliance with archival rules. The Indonesian policy context provides a strong formal basis through Law No. 43 of 2009 on Archives, Law No. 25 of 2009 on Public Services, and the SRIKANDI integrated electronic records system, but implementation effectiveness depends on embedding records controls into day-to-day service processes. The study concludes that records management should be treated as service infrastructure rather than a back-office administrative function.

BUMDes Digital Transformation For Sustainable Village Financial Strengthening

Mohamad Arsad Rahawarin — 2026-09-06

This study aims to examine and formulate a Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDes) Digital Transformation model for Sustainable Village Financial Strengthening, against the backdrop of still weak financial governance, transparency, and managerial capacity of BUMDes in many villages. The research method used was a qualitative approach with the research location in Pulau Banda Neira District, Central Maluku Regency. Data collection techniques included interviews, observation, and documentation, with data analysis using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The results of this study indicate that the digital transformation of BUMDes in Merdeka Village shows potential for sustainable village financial strengthening through improved financial governance, institutional strengthening, the formation of a digital organizational culture, and the development of technology-based socio-economic relations. The use of digital technology has the potential to improve operational efficiency, transparency and accountability in management, expand business marketing, increase community participation, and strengthen the contribution of Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) to Village Original Income (PADes). However, the implementation of digital transformation still faces various obstacles, such as limited internet infrastructure, uneven digital competency among managers, and suboptimal utilization of integrated digital systems. Therefore, strengthening human resource capacity, developing digital infrastructure, improving governance, and expanding strategic partnerships are necessary to ensure that BUMDes digital transformation can support village economic independence and achieve sustainable village financial empowerment.

Institutionalizing Justice in Ancient Babylon: Legal Institutions, Royal Authority, and the Code of Hammurabi

Roberth Kurniawan Ruslak Hammar — 2026-06-27

This article examines the institutionalization of justice in Ancient Babylon through the legal institutions and forms of authority reflected in the Code of Hammurabi. As one of the earliest written legal collections in human history, the Code provides important evidence of how law was used to organize social relations, regulate economic activity, and legitimize political power. Using normative legal research with historical and conceptual approaches, this study analyzes the legal norms contained in the Code and situates them within the broader social and political structure of Babylonian society. The findings show that Babylonian law was supported by a relatively complex institutional order involving the king, judges, administrative officials, local assemblies, written records, and procedures of proof. Royal authority occupied a central position in this system, deriving legitimacy from divine mandate, especially through the association between Hammurabi and the god Shamash. The institutionalization of justice was reflected in the codification of rules on bodily injury, professional responsibility, economic transactions, family relations, and social hierarchy. Although the legal system was not egalitarian, it provided a formal framework for dispute resolution, social control, and the protection of vulnerable groups. The article argues that the Code of Hammurabi should be understood not merely as a legal text, but as an institutional instrument for consolidating justice, order, and royal legitimacy in Ancient Babylon.

Evaluating Minimum Service Standards in Maritime Education and Training Delivery Units: A Secondary Data Analysis

Claudy Ananda Ginola — 2026-07-17

Minimum Service Standards (Standar Pelayanan Minimal, SPM) provide an administrative and operational benchmark for ensuring that public service organizations deliver services with defined levels of quality, timeliness, accessibility, accountability, and user orientation. In maritime education and training, these standards have additional significance because service quality is directly connected to seafarer competence and maritime safety. This study evaluates the SPM framework applied to maritime education and training delivery units in Indonesia using secondary data and documentary analysis. The analysis draws on national public service legislation, Ministry of Transportation regulations, institutional service-standard documents, and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). The documents were coded into six evaluation dimensions: service accessibility, learning-process reliability, instructor competence, facilities and training infrastructure, assessment and certification, and accountability and user satisfaction. The findings indicate that the Indonesian regulatory framework provides a relatively comprehensive normative foundation, particularly through service standards covering admission, instructional processes, facilities, competency assessment, service time, costs, and complaint handling. However, the framework is stronger in specifying procedural and input requirements than in demonstrating outcome-based performance. The study therefore identifies the need for measurable service targets, periodic disclosure of performance results, stronger user-feedback mechanisms, and closer integration between public-service standards and STCW-based competency assurance. SPM effectiveness should be assessed not only by formal compliance but also by whether service standards consistently produce competent graduates, timely certification, transparent costs, and reliable user experiences.

Constructing Clean Living Behavior through Local Culture: Evidence from Penglipuran Traditional Village, Bali

Muhammad Ilyas — 2026-06-24

Clean living behavior is often understood as an outcome of individual awareness or public health intervention. However, in culturally rooted communities, such behavior may also be shaped by collective values, customary rules, and everyday social practices. This study examines how local culture constructs and sustains clean living behavior in Penglipuran Traditional Village, Bali, a village widely recognized for its clean and orderly environment. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation involving traditional leaders, village stakeholders, and community members. The data were analyzed using an interactive model consisting of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing, with source and method triangulation used to strengthen validity. The findings show that clean living behavior in Penglipuran is constructed through the internalization of cultural values, the enforcement of customary rules known as awig-awig, collective participation through gotong royong, and informal social control. Cleanliness is not merely practiced as an individual habit, but is understood as a form of social responsibility, cultural identity, and harmony between humans and their environment. This study highlights the importance of local wisdom as a socio-cultural foundation for sustainable environmental behavior and community-based cleanliness governance.

Good Governance and Public Service Performance in Indonesia: A Secondary Data Analysis of Accountability, Digital Government, and Service Quality

Shelina Amalia — 2026-07-15

Good governance is widely presented as a normative foundation for improving public-sector performance, yet its practical relationship with public service quality is not always straightforward. This study examines the implementation of good governance in Indonesian public service delivery using secondary data only. A descriptive-integrative secondary data design was employed by synthesizing official government statistics, regulatory documents, Ombudsman reports, international governance frameworks, and peer-reviewed literature. The principal empirical sources include the national Public Service Index (Indeks Pelayanan Publik/IPP), the Electronic-Based Government System Index (Sistem Pemerintahan Berbasis Elektronik/SPBE), the 2024 public service compliance assessment of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia, and national regulations governing public services and digital government. The results show measurable progress in several governance-related indicators. The national IPP increased from 3.93 in 2023 to 4.02 in 2024, while the national SPBE Index rose from 2.26 in 2020 to 3.12 in 2024. Ombudsman data also indicate that the number of assessed entities classified in the green zone increased from 179 in 2021 to 494 in 2024, representing approximately 84.16% of the 587 entities assessed in 2024. Nevertheless, more than 10,000 public reports were resolved and approximately 112,000 consultations were received by the Ombudsman during 2024, with local governments remaining the most frequently reported institutions. These findings suggest that Indonesia has strengthened formal compliance, service standards, and digital administrative capacity, but persistent complaints and maladministration risks reveal an implementation gap between institutional reform and citizens’ service experiences.

Effectiveness of Employee Performance at the Population and Civil Registration Office of Bulukumba Regency

Mochtar Luthfi M — 2026-07-07

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of employee performance at the Population and Civil Registration Office of Bulukumba Regency and to identify the factors that support and hinder performance effectiveness in the delivery of population administration services. The study employed a qualitative descriptive approach, with data collected through interviews, observation, and documentation. The findings indicate that employees are generally able to handle a high volume of services each day, even when the number of service users exceeds the available staffing capacity. Service quality is considered relatively good and generally conforms to standard operating procedures, as reflected in employees' friendly, professional, and careful conduct. Performance effectiveness is supported by adequate facilities and infrastructure, including computers, an electronic queuing system, a comfortable waiting area, and online service applications, as well as by employee competence and work discipline. The main inhibiting factors are limited human resources, technical problems involving networks and equipment, and the limited readiness of some service users in preparing the required documents. Overall, employee performance at the Population and Civil Registration Office of Bulukumba Regency can be considered fairly effective, although several constraints still need to be addressed to optimize population administration services.