Local Political Competition and Bureaucratic Ethics: An Analysis of the Local Government Integrity Index in South Sulawesi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46507/jclp.v5i1.761Keywords:
Local politics, bureaucratic ethics, government integrity, civil service neutrality, bureaucratic meritocracyAbstract
This article presents an exploratory comparative analysis of the relationship between local political competition and bureaucratic ethics in regency and municipal governments in South Sulawesi. It integrates the Corruption Eradication Commission’s Integrity Assessment Survey, the 2024 simultaneous local election results, and evidence concerning civil servant neutrality. The study addresses the urgent concern that electoral competition may improve accountability while simultaneously intensifying patronage, bureaucratic politicisation, and corruption risks in weak institutional settings. Its novelty lies in comparing variations in electoral competition, ranging from single-candidate elections to four-candidate contests, with subnational bureaucratic integrity outcomes. The findings demonstrate that electoral competition is not linearly associated with bureaucratic integrity. Although Soppeng and Bulukumba recorded relatively stronger integrity performance, Makassar, Palopo, and Maros remained institutionally vulnerable despite differing levels of political contestation. Bureaucratic ethics are more strongly shaped by merit-based personnel management, safeguards against politically motivated appointments and transfers, internal oversight capacity, service digitalisation, and protection of civil servant neutrality. The study contributes a conditional institutional framework, arguing that political competition strengthens bureaucratic integrity only when supported by institutions capable of enforcing neutrality, accountability, meritocracy, and organisational integrity.
References
Abidin AS, Z., Nurdin, N., Rusfiana, Y., & Teguh, P. (2025). Politisasi Birokrasi Pada Pemilihan Kepala Daerah di Kabupaten Bandung Tahun 2020. Sospol, 11(1), 130–145. https://doi.org/10.22219/jurnalsospol.v11i1.39660
Afridi, F., Bhattacharya, S., Dhillon, A., & Solan, E. (2024). Electoral competition, electoral uncertainty and corruption: Theory and evidence from India. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 227, 106640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2024.06.018
Bertelli, A. M., & Falletti, V. (2025). Bureaucracy under pressure: Structural integrity and the ethics of democratic administration. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 00208523251406200. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208523251406200
Bertelli, A. M., & Falletti, V. (2026). Bureaucracy under pressure: Structural integrity and the ethics of democratic administration. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 92(3), 350–368. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208523251406200
Boucher-Robinson, S., Mahula, S., & Crompvoets, J. (2025). Virtual Visions: An Exploratory Comparative Analysis of EU and US Metaverse Governance Approaches. Conference on Digital Government Research, 1.
Buta, O., & Farcas, R. (2025). Clientelism and digitalisation of Roma parties’ electoral campaigns: a case study. Swiss Political Science Review, 31(1), 34–52. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12636
Charron, N., Dahlström, C., Fazekas, M., & Lapuente, V. (2017). Careers, connections, and corruption risks: Investigating the impact of bureaucratic meritocracy on public procurement processes. Journal of Politics, 79(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1086/687209
Chiru, M. (2025). Clientelism, Party Organization and Intra-party Democracy. Comparative Political Studies, 58(4), 680–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140241252082
Dahlström, C., Lapuente, V., & Teorell, J. (2012). The Merit of Meritocratization. Political Research Quarterly, 65(3), 656–668. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912911408109
Dawson, S. (2022). Electoral fraud and the paradox of political competition. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 32(4), 793–812. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2020.1740716
Eryanto, D., van Eeden Jones, I., & Lasthuizen, K. (2022). The troubling impact of political interference in Indonesian public sector institutions on ethical leadership credibility. International Journal of Public Leadership, 18(4), 319–336. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-10-2021-0056
Fatahurrazak, F., Hadi Lidya Rikayana, H. L. R., Nurul Yusyawiru, & Fatahuddin. (2025). The Analysis of the Internal Control System in the Government of Tanjungpinang City: A Case Study of the 2024 Integrity Assessment Survey by the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Jurnal Ilmiah Akuntansi Dan Finansial Indonesia, 9(1), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.31629/xayka778
Ferraz, C., & Finan, F. (2025). Malfunctioning Democracies: Understanding Accountability Failures in Developing Countries. In SSRN Electronic Journal. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5455838
Geng, S., Chau, H.-W., Jamei, E., & Vrcelj, Z. (2023). Understanding place identity in urban scale Smart Heritage using a cross-case analysis method. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 9(3), 729–750. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-10-2022-0244
Hamzah, B., Liliweri, A., Sayrani, L. P., & Rohi, R. (2025). When Bureaucracy Fails Democracy: Explaining the Institutional Barriers to Electoral Inclusion in Remote Island Regions. JKAP (Jurnal Kebijakan Dan Administrasi Publik), 29(2), 75. https://doi.org/10.22146/jkap.107939
HARVEY, C. J. (2022). Can Courts in Nondemocracies Deter Election Fraud? De Jure Judicial Independence, Political Competition, and Election Integrity. American Political Science Review, 116(4), 1325–1339. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055422000090
Hashimov, A. (2025). Max Weber’s Bureaucratic Theory: Its Strengths and Weaknesses, and Adaptation to the Modern Era – A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis. Acta Globalis Humanitatis et Linguarum, 2(4), 128–166. https://doi.org/10.69760/aghel.0250040006
Henderson, J. V., & Kuncoro, A. (2011). Corruption and local democratization in Indonesia: The role of Islamic parties. Journal of Development Economics, 94(2), 164–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2010.01.007
Khamzina, Z., Buribayev, Y., & Tileubergenov, Y. (2025). Institutionalizing integrity: rethinking ethical and cultural standards in Kazakhstan’s civil service. Frontiers in Political Science, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1573608
Kirmikiroglou, D., Tomprou, D., & Boufounou, P. (2026). From Rhetoric to Implementation: Embedding the Rule of Law in EU Public Administration and Governance. Administrative Sciences, 16(2), 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci16020078
Kleinman, G., Lin, B. B., & Palmon, D. (2014). Audit quality: A cross-national comparison of audit regulatory regimes. Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, 29(1), 61–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0148558X13516127
Kurniawati, W. O. I., & Saprudin, S. (2025). Ethics in Indonesian Government Bureaucracy: Theoretical Foundations, Historical Evolution, and Contemporary Case Studies. Journal of Asian Multicultural Research for Social Sciences Study, 6(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.47616/jamrsss.v6i1.588
Luijken, K., Dekkers, O. M., Rosendaal, F. R., & Groenwold, R. H. H. (2022). Exploratory analyses in aetiologic research and considerations for assessment of credibility: mini-review of literature. BMJ, e070113. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-070113
Mendy, O. (2023). Ethics and Accountability in Government Bureaucracy. Pancasila and Law Review, 4(2), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.25041/plr.v4i2.3064
Modise, J. M., & Modise, P. S. (2023). Improved Public Trust, Integrity, and Good Governance with Respect to Corruption. Recent Research Advances in Arts and Social Studies Vol. 1, 8(3), 126–146. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rraass/v1/6412e
Munyai, A. (2024). Corruption through bribery: A norm in South Africa’s public sector? Journal for Juridical Science, 49(2), 40–68. https://doi.org/10.38140/jjs.v49i2.7258
Onyango, G. (2022). Bureaucratic Corruption and Maladministration in Kenya: A Bureaucratic Analysis. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies - Multi-, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity, 17(1), 171–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/18186874.2022.2084696
Onyango, G. (2024). How Mafia-Like Bureaucratic Cartels or Thieves in Suits Run Corruption Inside the Bureaucracy, or How Government Officials Swindle Citizens in Kenya! Deviant Behavior, 45(5), 689–707. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2023.2263136
Palos-Sanchez, P. R., Saura, J. R., Rios Martin, M. Á., & Aguayo-Camacho, M. (2021). Toward a Better Understanding of the Intention to Use mHealth Apps: Exploratory Study. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 9(9), e27021. https://doi.org/10.2196/27021
Park, S. (2021). Politics or Bureaucratic Failures? Understanding the Dynamics of Policy Failures in Democratic Governance. Korean Journal of Policy Studies, 36(3), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.52372/kjps36303
Purwaningsih, T., & Cahya Widodo, B. E. (2021). Democracy without Contestation: The Victory of the Empty Box in the Local Election of Makassar City, South Sulawesi Indonesia in 2018. Sociología y Tecnociencia, 11(2), 48–71. https://doi.org/10.24197/st.2.2021.48-71
Ramasamy, R., Ihjas, M. M., & Dickwella, R. (2026). Public administration under competitive authoritarianism: impact of democratic backsliding on public administration in Sri Lanka. Policy Studies, 47(5), 1119–1143. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2025.2595935
Roberts, R. (2025). The New Public Integrity Management and the Protection of the Impartiality of Bureaucratic Decision-Making. Public Integrity, 27(3), 316–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2023.2297118
Rykkja, A., & Agustí, L. B. (2023). Government matching of cultural crowdfunding: an exploratory comparative analysis of the Spanish and Swedish cases. Debats, 137(1), 116–141. https://doi.org/10.28939/iam.debats-137-1.7
Siboy, A., & Sholahuddin Al-Fatih. (2025). Indonesian Presidential Election on Presidential Threshold Policy: Evidence from Various Countries. Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 5(3), 949–981. https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v5i3.639
Soares, E. M. P. (2026). BEYOND GOOD GOVERNANCE: Reconstructing Conflict Bureaucracy in Timor-Leste through Institutional Healing. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11014137/v1
Syamsir, S., Saputra, N., & Mulia, R. A. (2026). Organizational Citizenship Behavior Model in Improving Public Service Management Mediated by Integrity. Public Integrity, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2026.2638672
Tanujaya, J. (2025). Optimalisasi E-Government Dalam Pencegahan Korupsi Di Pemerintahan Daerah: Tinjauan Yuridis Dan Implementatif. Jurnal Kepastian Hukum Dan Keadilan, 7(1), 101–115.
Yagci, A. H., Yılmaz, C., & Çetin, U. (2026). Rival or Villain? The Evolution of Language Depicting the Opposition under Authoritarianisation. Government and Opposition, 61, e24. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2026.10049
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Abdi Abdi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Journal of Contemporary Local Politics agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
