Description

What is a BIG BANG in governance? How could two countries as different as Canada and Indonesia start and maintain a twenty-year partnership to improve public services in Indonesia? Inside Indonesia’s Big Bang by Mark Gilbert, PhD, is a first-hand account as he reflects back to 1994 when he became part of a Canadian team representing the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) that made their first appearance at the main office of the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs. Initially, it was all about timing. Indonesia wanted to grow its economy by speeding up its government regulation approvals and Canada wanted to share knowledge and build relationships with nations aspiring to improve the lives of their citizenry. They began with a focus on administrative decentralization but quickly evolved into major governance reforms. The catalyst was the 1998 fallout from the Asian financial crisis. Though there were frequent changes in leadership and natural disasters to contend with, the momentum created by the Big Bang was unstoppable as was the Canadian team’s commitment to provide support and share expertise.