Articles
DOI DOI: 10.62441/actainnovations.v63i.1364

WHEN COORDINATION FAILS: RELATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND PERSISTENT HOUSEHOLD WASTE-MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

Teguh Yuwono1, Retna Hanani 2, Muhammad Maulana Akbar 3, S.Rouli Manalu 4, Ika Riswanti Putranti 5
  1. 1 Professor, Department of Political and Government Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro.
  2. 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro.
  3. 3 Department of Political and Government Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro.
  4. 4 Associate Professor, Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro.
  5. 5 Professor, Department of International Relation, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro.

Abstract

Household waste management continues to face persistent challenges in many urban settings despite the implementation of government programmes and the involvement of multiple actors. This article argues that such persistence cannot be explained adequately by deficiencies in infrastructure, budgets, enforcement, or community awareness alone. It also reflects the non-relational character of governance through which government agencies, neighbourhood organisations, waste-bank managers, and households interact. The study examines West Semarang District in Semarang City using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. A survey of 60 residents in Gisikdrono and Kalibanteng Kulon was followed by interviews with government and community actors, field observation, and document analysis. The survey identified a contrast between relatively high awareness of socialisation and waste banks and weaker assessments of infrastructure, monitoring, and service responsiveness. Qualitative evidence explains this contrast. Government interventions have generated useful improvements in awareness and service provision, but governance remains predominantly programme-oriented and administrative. Communication is often one-way, coordination is fragmented, opportunities for joint problem-solving are limited, and governmental engagement is frequently episodic or tied to programmes and environmental competitions. These conditions weaken reciprocity, trust, and the continuity of collective action. Consequently, source separation remains inconsistent, community participation is uneven, waste-bank activities depend heavily on local volunteers, and gaps persist between government programmes and household practices. Persistent household waste-management challenges are therefore not simply implementation deficits; they are partly reproduced by governance relationships that fail to connect interdependent actors into sustained collective capacity.

How to Cite

Yuwono, T., Hanani , R., Akbar , M. M., Manalu , S., & Putranti , I. R. (2026). WHEN COORDINATION FAILS: RELATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND PERSISTENT HOUSEHOLD WASTE-MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. ACTA INNOVATIONS, 63, 1148–1160. https://doi.org/10.62441/actainnovations.v63i.1364
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