PUBLIC SERVICE ACCOUNTABILITY IN BUILDING PERMIT SERVICES: A CASE STUDY OF ONE-STOP INTEGRATED INVESTMENT AND SERVICES

Abstract

This study investigates public service accountability in building permit services through an in-depth case study of a One-Stop Integrated Investment and Services Agency in a major Indonesian city. Despite widespread digitalization initiatives aimed at improving transparency and efficiency in permit processing, significant accountability gaps persist in developing country contexts. Employing a qualitative case study approach, this research collected data through semi-structured interviews with eight purposively selected informants representing multiple stakeholder perspectives, direct observation of service delivery processes, and comprehensive document analysis of regulatory frameworks, standard operating procedures, and performance reports. The study examines accountability across five critical dimensions: financial, performance, procedural, political, and social accountability. Findings reveal uneven accountability implementation, with financial accountability demonstrating the strongest performance through automated fee calculation systems and multi-layered audit mechanisms, effectively eliminating financial manipulation opportunities despite citizen comprehension gaps. Performance accountability exhibits concerning deficits, with only 65-68% of applications achieving on-time completion within statutory timeframes, primarily due to inter-agency coordination failures, technological infrastructure limitations, and human resource constraints. Procedural accountability shows substantial formalization through comprehensive standard operating procedures, yet encounters implementation challenges stemming from applicant unfamiliarity, regulatory adaptation lags, and cross-agency inconsistencies. Political accountability operates through extensive formal reporting mechanisms but demonstrates limited substantive citizen participation in policy formulation. Social accountability emerges as a relative strength, with staff exhibiting genuine service orientation and responsiveness, though structural constraints impede comprehensive problem resolution. The research contributes practical recommendations for strengthening accountability through interactive transparency tools, formalized inter-agency agreements, simplified procedural guides, participatory policy development processes, and systematic citizen feedback integration, highlighting that technological solutions alone cannot guarantee meaningful accountability without corresponding organizational culture transformation and institutional capacity development.