Measuring the Performance of an Anticorruption Agency: The Case of the KPK in Indonesia

Abstract

When corruption is entrenched and endemic in a country, the establishment of an anticorruption agency (ACA) is one of the most recommended anticorruption strategies. While creating an ACA is regarded as a stepping stone in the fight against corruption, how to make an ACA effective by institutionalizing its law enforcement functions is more critical. This is particularly the case in the early years of a newly created ACA. This paper examines the effectiveness of anticorruption law enforcement functions of the KPK, Indonesia’s ACA that was created in 2003, and identifies key challenges that lie ahead of the KPK. By adopting key performance indicators, this paper finds that the KPK has been successful in carrying out three-pronged anticorruption strategies— repression, prevention, and public relations, which is congruent with strong public support of and trust in the KPK. However, the KPK faces several challenges posed by inherent structural limitations and external political forces that may threaten the efficacy of the Commission’s anticorruption functions. While the public has to show continuous strong support of the KPK, the Commission must effectively perform legally mandated and socially expected anticorruption functions with high integrity and discipline in order to become a de facto ACA.