The role of psychology in enhancing public policy: Studies on political apathy and attachment to the city in Indonesia

Shafira Anindya,Juneman Abraham,Vemmy Leolita

doi:10.5861/ijrsp.2014.922

Shafira Anindya, Juneman Abraham + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsp.2014.922

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Abstract

The author conducted two studies with predictive correlational designs aiming to contribute understanding on socio-psychological dynamics related to public participation in public activities. This study applied purposive sampling and multiple linear regression data analyses. The first study with participants of 214 University of Indonesia students found that the sense of citizenship as well as indecision dimension of decision fatigue in taking political decision played a role in predicting public political participation in students. The second study with participants of 230 participants from urban music communities in Jakarta and its surroundings as well as in Bali, Indonesia, found that trust in municipal government has a negative correlation with attachment towards city and that participation in urban music communities does not contribute to such attachment. These results provided insights that we need to study the society psychosocial reality further, as one of the fields of the battle ground of interpretations of public policy, in order to increase the efficacy of public policy.

Highlights

Public policy is “all those individuals who see their interests and purposes as being related to and affected by ... that in some form is intended to be the basis for legislation or administrative actions ... in terms of conceptions of how life should be lived and organized in the society” (Sarason, 1984, p. 199). Abidin (2012) stated that an object of government intervention or public policy can only be understood and comprehended by society in a specific time and environment; and that policy can be reviewed with one or more scientific approach, including psychological approach
Psychology is successful in showing that human behavior is not always able to be mapped out using rationalistic model; or in other word, human behavior can be emotional
One of the implications is, “When people are not rational, it is not rational to assume they are when designing policy” (Gittins, 2012, p. 380). This reality shows that psychology is needed in order for the design and implementation of public policy can truly be efficient, effective, adequate, fair, and appropriate

Summary

Introduction

Public policy is “all those individuals who see their interests and purposes as being related to and affected by (positively or negatively) ... that in some form is intended to be the basis for legislation or administrative actions ... in terms of conceptions of how life should be lived and organized in the society” (Sarason, 1984, p. 199). Abidin (2012) stated that an object of government intervention or public policy can only be understood and comprehended by society in a specific time and environment; and that policy can be reviewed with one or more scientific approach, including psychological approach. Gittins (2012) highlighted the sub-discipline of public policy psychology, and stated that psychology provides a robust framework regarding decision making in the context of forecasting or policy-testing. This reality shows that psychology is needed in order for the design and implementation of public policy can truly be efficient, effective, adequate, fair, and appropriate. This is so because the understanding of the dimensions of human behavior which are mostly obtained from psychology will be very useful in formulating public policy—which has many dimensions in connection with humanity (Sirgy, 2008)

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