The link between the local government and civic groups in budget planning: A case study of Malang City, Indonesia

Abstract

This research aims to study the connection between local government and civic groups in the budget planning process of the government of Malang, Indonesia. A democratic system has not been successfully applied, including budget planning affairs at the local level, as underlined by different scholars. In particular, local government has manipulated civic groups in the budgetary process. Hence, there remains the gap to investigate the link between these parties in the budget planning process. In addition, a qualitative research methodology has been applied in the process of data collection and data analysis. Results indicate that there is a link between local government and civic groups. However, there may be constraints of the findings of the relationship of those variables studied that may not be able to represent the principles of democracy (equality, participation, and justice) in the overall budget planning process