From ideas to actions: the influence of policies and stakeholder perceptions in the development of sago technopark in Palopo City, Indonesia

Abstract

The development of sago technopark in Palopo City is a manifestation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between four local governments to advance sago in the Luwu region. In the MoU, Palopo is designed to be a thematic park that combines entertainment and education, Luwu is the center of SMEs areas in processing sago, North Luwu is a producer of seedling for sago cultivation, and East Luwu became a center for developing the technology of sago-based rehabilitation for post-mining land. For this reason, the government of Palopo City has formulated the Regional Action Plan (RAP) of Sago Technopark in Palopo (STP). This paper aims at analyzing the influence of this policy in the realization of the STP as well as to analyze stakeholder perceptions towards the development of the STP. The used methodology is the analysis of policy content to understand the substance of the program/activity, and the stakeholder analysis is used for capturing their perceptions about the urgency of STP. It was concluded that the policy affected the availability of infrastructure and detailed operational plans of STP however it was insufficient to realize the ideal type of a functional STP. Although stakeholders’ perceptions generally consider the importance of sago technopark, their contribution is still low. Furthermore, the management unit has not yet been formed to encourage the participation of various stakeholders in the realization of the STP idea.