Provincial Government Policy Research Articles

Macroeconomy of Riau Province and Government Policies Overcoming the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic

This article aims to analyze the impact of Covid 19 on the macroeconomy of Riau Province, including economic growth, investment, public consumption, and inflation in Riau Province and Riau Province government policies to overcome them. This study takes data related to macroeconomics in Riau, uses secondary data. Covid 19 caused a decrease in economic growth compared to the period before Covid 19. Covid 19 did not have a too significant impact on investment in Riau Province. The condition even shows an increase in investment compared to the previous year. Covid 19 caused a significant decrease in public consumption in Riau Province. Covid 19 causes inflationary instability in Riau. The Riau Provincial government's policy in controlling the impact of Covid 19 on the macroeconomic sector is through refocusing as the Covid recovery budget in Riau and supporting the realization of the National Economic Recovery fund budgeted by the Central Government. The government's policy is to ensure the implementation of infrastructure development (toll roads and provincial roads) to support distribution, agricultural incentives, labor-intensive projects, SME assistance, Pre-Employment Cards, and other policies aimed at ensuring economic stability in Riau Province.

The Implementation of East Java Provincial Government Policy In The Development of Madrasah Diniyah

In decentralization era, local government has been always aiming to serve an effective and efficient public policy. Effectiveness and efficiency of a public policy is considered by not solely by its policy formulation, but mainly by its implementation. An effective and efficient public policy is a course that can be implemented well and right, thus the expected purpose can be achieved at its maximum potency. Provincial government of East Java has been widely-known after their public policies related to development of Madrasah Diniyah, therefore this research focused on matters as followed: (1) What is the form of East Java provincial government policy on Madrasah Diniyah development? (2) How is the implementation of East Java provincial government policy on Madrasah Diniyah development? (3) What is the implementation model of East Java provincial government policy on Madrasah Diniyah development? Like most qualitative research, this research applies the methods of interview, observation and documentation in collecting research data. Then the analysis is carried out through data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. This study obtained several findings such as: (1) The form of East Java provincial government policy on Madrasah Diniyah development, including: (a) Madrasah Diniyah teachers quality enhancement programme, and (b) Implementation Funding Programme for Diniyah Education and Private Teachers; (2) The implementation of East Java provincial government policy on Madrasah Diniyah development involved policy stakeholders of both bureau and non-bureau, and (3) The implementation model of East Java provincial government policy on Madrasah Diniyah development was Hybrid Society Endorsement.

STUDY OF PUBLIC SERVICE IMPLEMENTATION IN SOME LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS OF CENTRAL JAVA PROVINCE IN 2021

Public service is an activity or series of activities in the context of fulfilling basic needs in accordance with the civil rights of every citizen and resident of goods, services, and or administrative services provided by public service providers. The government as a public service provider is required to carry out the best service / excellent service so that the public as service users feel satisfied. The Central Java Provincial Government as a public service provider in the Central Java Province has tried to comply with the provisions of Law Number 25 of 2009 concerning Public Services, as well as in the Regulation of the Minister of Empowerment of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform Number 15 of 2014 concerning Guidelines for Service Standards. Service standards at least contain: legal basis, requirements, service procedures, completion time, service costs, service products, facilities and infrastructure, competence of service providers, internal control, complaint handling, suggestions and inputs and service guarantees. However, efforts to improve public services still face several obstacles. These constraints include human resources for implementing services, inadequate service facilities and budget refocusing, causing delays in the completion of public service facilities. However, the regional apparatus organizations or technical implementing units for public service providers have been trying to come up with solutions. However, Central Java Provincial Government policies are still needed to improve the quality of services gradually

THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SAKIP IN THE JAMBI PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

Performance Measurement System (PMS) including Performance Accountability is the obligation of every institution to be implemented accurately and measurably. Government AgencAy Performance Accountability System (SAKIP) which has been regulated in PP no. 29 of 2014 contains regulations of the President of the Republic of Indonesia regarding general regulations for the implementation of SAKIP. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the PMS factors on the implementation of SAKIP in the Jambi provincial government by connecting the 5 factors of the PMS and the implementation of SAKIP that influenced them. Specifically, the objects or parts of local government organizations that can explain this problem are the existing agencies, agencies and bureaus or regional apparatus organizations that are under the auspices of the provincial government. The research method used is descriptive quantitative. The warp Partial Least Square (warpPLS) program is a variance-based data processing program created to solve the problems caused by covariance-based SEM. This study hypothesizes the influence of the PMS factors on the implementation of SAKIP. The activities carried out began with submitting proposals to the Jambi provincial government, which then sought data directly or through third parties. Students as enumerators are used to search for data in the field. Primary data used comes from provincial government officials, while secondary data is obtained using the services of parties who are not directly involved with Jambi provincial government policies. The research was conducted by directly observing the Jambi governor's office and was also carried out using only information technology via the internet network. So that the information obtained does come from data sources that are truly valid, reliable and trustworthy.

Provincial Government Policies in Implementing the Legal Policy of Labor Supervision in Indonesia

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia has established the legal policy of labor supervision and it has been stated in the regulations. If we look closely, the legal policy of labor supervision in Indonesia has experienced movements. This legal policy is the direction set in the field of labor supervision. To implement legal policy, policies at the central and regional levels are needed. This research article discusses provincial government policies in implementing labor supervision of legal policy in Indonesia. This research is normative legal research. The approach method used is the statutory approach. The objects research were the policies of the West Java Provincial Government, the Central Java Provincial Government, and the East Java Provincial Government. The legal materials used include primary and secondary legal materials. The two legal materials were collected through literature study and then analyzed using qualitative analysis methods. The results show that in implementing the legal policy of labour supervision, local government policies in the three provinces refer to the labor supervision system established by the central government. The Regional Governments did not issue specific policies related to the labor supervision system, but the three provinces issued policies related to the structuring of institutions that carry out labor supervision activities. There is no uniformity in an institutional arrangement. This non-uniformity is based on the sociological conditions in each province which still adheres to the principles and norms of the applicable law.

The Development of Government Policy in Tour Ship Route Tourism Management in Karimunjawa Island, Indonesia

Abstract Introduction Tourism has a major role in economic and social interests. Karimunjawa is one of Indonesia’s tourist destinations, making the Karimunjawa Island a national park area for tourist destinations. Indonesia must have policies to support tourism, transportation, and infrastructure. This research aimed to identify the role of the community, tourists, NGOs, and district governments in implementing the Karimunjawa National Park management policy. Material and methods The descriptive quantitative method (questionnaire and path analysis) was used in this research. Results The test results showed that there was a direct relationship between the role of the community and the Central Java provincial government with a Path Coefficients value of 0.515; the role of tourists in government policies was −0.230, the role of NGOs in Central Java Provincial Government policies with a Path Coefficients value was 0.292 and the role of district governments against the Provincial Government policy was −0.332. Conclusions The value of Path Coefficients showed that there was still a lack of policy implementation from the provincial government to the community and NGOs. Collaboration between the district and provincial governments in managing was an effective way of monitoring tourism sustainably.

The Role of Bye-Bye Plastic Bags in Realizing Bali Provincial Government Policy Regarding the Restriction of Plastic Bags in 2013-2018

Abstract:Bye Bye Plastic Bags is an environmental movement that emerged due to the unrest of two young people named Isabel Wijsen and Melati Wijsen regarding the problem of using plastic on the island of Bali because plastic waste on the island of Bali turned out to be found in rice fields and beaches which caused clogged gutters and filled the river. This is a problem in the reality of the environment in Bali should be a concern for local governments and communities. Therefore in this study an analysis will be made on the role of Bye Bye Plastic Bags in realizing the policy of the Provincial Government of Bali in limiting plastic bags in 2013-2018. Theories used in this study are environmental political actors, new social movements and environmental movements and non-government organizations. The method used in this research is a qualitative descriptive approach to explain the journey of Bye Bye Plastic Bags in carrying out its programs and activities so as to realize the policies of the Bali government. The results of the analysis show that the successful activities carried out by Bye Bye Plastic Bags in 2013-2018 in realizing the policy of the Provincial Government of Bali regarding the limitation of plastic bags, namely Spreading Awareness and Education, Creating Policy and Regulation with Government, Showing Solution, and Growing the Movement.Keywords: new social movement, environmental movement, environmental politics. AbstrakBye Bye Plastic Bags merupakan gerakan lingkungan yang muncul akibat keresahan dua anak muda bernama Isabel Wijsen dan Melati Wijsen terkait masalah penggunaan plastik di pulau Bali karena sampah plastik di pulau Bali ternyata terdapat pada beras. sawah dan pantai yang menyebabkan selokan tersumbat dan memenuhi sungai. Hal ini menjadi masalah dalam realitas lingkungan hidup di Bali yang harus menjadi perhatian pemerintah daerah dan masyarakat. Oleh karena itu dalam penelitian ini akan dilakukan analisis tentang peran Kantong Plastik Bye Bye dalam mewujudkan kebijakan Pemerintah Provinsi Bali dalam pembatasan kantong plastik tahun 2013-2018. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah para aktor politik lingkungan, gerakan sosial baru dan gerakan lingkungan serta lembaga swadaya masyarakat. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif untuk menjelaskan perjalanan Kantong Plastik Bye Bye dalam menjalankan program dan kegiatannya guna mewujudkan kebijakan Pemerintah Bali. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa keberhasilan kegiatan yang dilakukan Kantong Plastik Bye Bye tahun 2013-2018 dalam mewujudkan kebijakan Pemerintah Provinsi Bali mengenai pembatasan kantong plastik yaitu Penyebaran Kesadaran dan Edukasi, Membuat Kebijakan dan Regulasi dengan Pemerintah, Menunjukkan Solusi, dan Menumbuhkan Gerakan.Keywords: gerakan sosial baru, gerakan lingkungan, politik lingkungan.

Provincial Government Policies in Improving the Quality of Madrasah Diniyah Teachers in East Java

This article aims to determine the background and objectives of provincial government policies in improving the quality of Madrasah Diniyah teachers in East Java, Indonesia. The management of Islamic Education institutions is the authority and responsibility of the Ministry of Religion, however, the East Java provincial government has a moral responsibility to participate in developing Islamic education institutions, namely Madrasah Diniyah through policies to improve the quality of Madrasah diniyah teachers. This research method uses qualitative research with a case study approach and research design using descriptive-analytic. The research findings are: 1) The reality of Diniyah Madrasah teachers in East Java, there are still many who have not met the qualifications as mandated in the Teacher and Lecturer Law. 2) The Provincial Government of East Java made a policy to improve the quality of madrasah diniyah teachers due to social and political factors.

Household Waste Management towards a New Normal Era (Study at Suzuki Residents, Watutumou III Village, Kalawat District)

This research was conducted to (1) analyze the household waste management system, and (2) develop a strategy for household waste management in Suzuki Resident, Watutumou III Village, Kalawat District, getting in the era of "New Normal". This research uses quantitative methods with SWOT and AHP ((Analytical Hierarchy Process) techniques. The results show that the Waste Management system has Strength, such as the efforts to apply the 3R concept (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle), waste management fees, and improvement, facilities and infrastructure, strengthening public understanding, support from local government and APBD (Local Government Budget) of North Minahasa Regency. The waste management system has several weaknesses, such as (1) lack of facilities and infrastructure for trash bins, the absence of 3R Landfill in residential areas, and limited human resource capacity toward waste management Opportunities which is faced by the waste management system including support for provincial government policies, facilitating the marketing of waste management products that are economically valuable. Threats which are faced are the increasing volume of waste, not optimal waste management and sorting, people behavior of littering. Based on these conditions, the priority of the Household Waste Management Strategy is to improve facilities and infrastructure to support waste management. The current strategy for developing a household waste management system is in quadrant IV that is diversifying the use of force and creating more opportunities. Strategic steps in managing household waste in Suzuki Resident, Watutumou III Village, Kalawat District, getting in the era of "New Normal, are improving existing facilities and infrastructure and adding to those that do not exist, optimizing waste retribution to support waste management costs, gathering support from stakeholders who related, strengthening public understanding of household waste management, and promoting efforts to apply the 3R concept in household waste management.

Provincial Government Policies in Implementing the Legal Policy of Labor Supervision in Indonesia

Provincial Government Policies in Implementing the Legal Policy of Labor Supervision in Indonesia

Akuntabilitas Publik Anggota DPD RI dalam Menindaklanjuti Aspirasi Daerah (Studi Kasus Layanan Kesehatan Gratis Masyarakat Banten)

In the constitutional arrangement of Indonesia, the House of Regional Representative of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI) becomes a representative institution that has the task to accommodate regional interests in political decisions. One form of public accountability for members of the DPD RI is to follow up regional aspirations. The problem of the free health service program in Banten Province, which is considered to be in conflict with Law Number 24 of 2011 concerning the Social Security Organizing Agency, examines the quality of the representative functions of DPD RI members as people's representatives in the regional context with the orientation of regional interests. This study aims to explain the roles and obligations of DPD RI members in following up on their regional aspirations. This research was conducted using qualitative methods with a case study approach. The results of this study indicate that the success of DPD RI members' accountability depends on their ability to establish good relationships with executive institutions and local governments. The accountability of DPD RI members is proven in this case because the Ministry of Health is now supporting the Banten Provincial Government's policy to fill a vacancy before all Banten people are registered as National Health Insurance participants.

Implementation of Jakarta Pintar Card (KJP) (An Analysis of Education Policy)

Education is one of the determining factors for the progress of the nation in the future. To create education that can support its progress, all components of the nation must be integrated and support education programs and policies. Jakarta Smart Card as a new breakthrough in the world of education in DKI Jakarta Province, comes as a support to invest in education. The purpose of writing this journal is to analyze the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government's policy in the form of providing Education assistance through the Jakarta Smart Card, both in terms of understanding, the amount of costs obtained and other benefits that can be enjoyed by the recipient of these funds. This research is a descriptive qualitative research in the form of literature study where the data collected will be analyzed which is supported by comprehensive observations regarding the existence of KJP, its essence and substance in improving the quality of education in DKI Jakarta to date. This study concludes that the involvement of the government in financing education is the right step in an investment towards a developed nation, with a record of being well managed and on target.

Health through human settlements: Investigating policymakers’ perceptions of human settlement action for population health improvement in urban South Africa

Informal settlements, characterised by inadequate living conditions and high disease burdens, continue to grow in response to rapid urban development in the Global South, and international health agendas call for intersectoral action to address the social determinants of health. However, little is known in these contexts about policymakers’ knowledge of social determinants of health. Exploring policymaker perceptions can provide insight into possible barriers and facilitators for intersectoral action.Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 local and provincial government officials, experts and policy implementers in Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Perceptions of interactions between health and its determinants were investigated within the context of informal settlement living environments. Building on an existing conceptual framework, categories of health determinants (hard and soft, direct and indirect) were used to explore perceived interactions at varying geographic scales.Findings highlighted a greater emphasis on hard characteristics of informal settlements that directly impact health. Respondents also alluded to varying scales of place, as proximal factors of the built environment were most often emphasised by respondents as key determinants of health. The importance of terminology around concepts of health and informality was elucidated, particularly highlighting the need for changing perceptions and shifting discourses on informality, human settlements, and definitions of health in the Global South. Furthermore, there was dissonance identified between existing reactive, siloed approaches and the understood (and in policy documents, expressed) need for proactive, intersectoral interventions to be imagined and implemented for improving urban health and wellbeing sustainably.A greater awareness of soft, indirect and proactive aspects of health interventions among policymakers is needed. In addition, the disconnect between the proactive approach rhetoric and governance structures which remain sectoral, highlights the importance of development of intersectoral governance structures and accompanying performance measures aligned for proactive intersectoral action for health.

Talent Management Based-Education: Indonesian Case

This study aims to determine the effect variables on the implementation of talent management of based education (TMBE). The paper is part of the results study in 3 (three) cities in DKI Jakarta, Banten, West Java Province, Republic of Indonesia with a sample of three senior high schools each taken by purposive technique, especially good criteria and have teacher guidance and counseling status. From each school 20 high school teachers were randomly drawn to answer the questionnaire distributed to them. The questionnaire was previously validated and reliable using the product moment test criteria from Pearson and Cronbach Alpha with the help of the SPSS program version 24.0. Data is processed and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach using the Lisrel 8.70 program. The study resulted that the provincial government policy variables (PDS), school conditions (SC), teaching activities (LT), teacher guidance and counseling (GC) functions, and parent participation (PP) had a direct positive effect on the TMBE, Cultural Values (CV), and National Education (NE) variables. The indirect effect of PDS, SC, LT, GC, PP on TMBE is greater through CV and NE, then TMBE has a positive effect on Student Outcome (SO). It is recommended that TMBE implementation requires a holistic approach taking into account the variables and all the indicators studied. Ignoring one or more variables and trend indicators will influence the success or failure of talent-based education management and in turn will have an impact on student achievement (SO).

The Models of North Sumatra Provincial Government Policy in Resolving the Ex-Hgu Land Conflicts of PTPN II Plantations in Deli Serdang Regency

This study is to find an alternative model of North Sumatra provincial government policy in resolving the ex-hgu land conflicts of PTPN II plantations in Deli Serdang Regency. This study is based on the fact that regional autonomy as regulated in Law Number 23 of 2014 gives the authority to the regional government in autonomy to resolve disputes over arable land in their territories. One of them relates to ex-HGU PTPN II land disputes starting in 2002 with the Central BPN Decree number 42, 43 and 44 / HGU / BPN / 2002 and Decree Number 10/2004 regarding the granting of an extension of the term of the Right to Cultivate (HGU) covering an area of 5,873 , 068 Ha from PTPN II HGU. However, the problem arises because of legal uncertainty over the distribution of land that had expired during the PTPNII HGU, so that horizontal or vertical conflicts (community cultivators, PTPN II, government and developers) occurred. From the results of the study, it was concluded that first, the ineffective model of handling policies that are appropriate, fast, and comprehensive is carried out by the government. This relates to the problem of land conversion where there is a lack of orderly administration and past land data. So that each party has its own claim on land ownership and ownership. Both the boundary and location of land parcels. Second, legal uncertainty, that there are legislation that overlaps both horizontally and vertically as well as regulated substance

Peering into the black box of government policy work: The challenge of governance and policy capacity

There have been calls for more diffused policy advisory systems where a plurality of actors, particularly actors from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), engage with government in deliberating policy interventions to address collective problems. Previous research has found that government-based policy workers tend to have low levels of interaction with outside actors. However, very little is understood about the nature of these interactions. To shed light on this important relationship, a multi-regression structural equation model examines the nature of government-based policy work across three Canadian provinces. From an online survey of 603 Canadian provincial government policy workers, we develop six hypotheses that focus on the drivers of policy capacity and their degree of interaction with non-governmental organizations. The results revealed that increased interaction by the respondents with stakeholders was an important determinant for inviting stakeholders to policy discussions and led to increased perceptions of policy capacity. However, the ongoing trend of politicization in policy work had a dampening impact on overall policy capacity. More importantly, it appears that undertaking more evidence-based policy work did not lead to a greater policy capacity perception or interaction with stakeholder groups. The survey design and model development have the potential to be replicated in other jurisdictions.

Conflict of Interest: Evidence from The Implementation of The Provincial Government Policy, Jakarta

This paper tries to disentangle the causes of conflicts of interests between the proponent and the opposition factions on the implementation policy of the provincial government. We also explain the impact of the provincial government policy to close the business operation of the Alexis Hotel after the period of conflicts of interest. In this research, we use Pfetsch’s theory on public policy, as well as Steinberger’s and Sartori’s theory on conflict to explore the sources and forms of conflict of interest between the executive government, the parliament, and the interest groups. Through qualitative method with a typical case study, we find that the emergence of the provincial government policy to shut down the operation of Alexis Hotel can occur in the form of the campaign promises, the moral preferences, the supports from the element of society, and the applicable regulations. Such policy gives a substantial impact on law and order, popularity, and the management of other cases.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE VEHICLE OWNERSHIP TRANSFER FEES (BBNKB) INCREMENT POLICY IN BANDAR LAMPUNG

<p><em>The aim of the study is to estimate the number of vehicles with </em><em>Lampung outside p</em><em>olice numbers</em><em> </em><em>operating in Lampung and to find</em><em> </em><em>out the public perceptions</em><em> </em><em>of</em><em> </em><em>the Lampung</em><em> </em><em>Provincial</em><em> </em><em>Government's policy through </em><em>Local Regulations</em><em> </em><em>Number</em><em> 2 of 2011</em><em>, </em><em>regarding the increase in v</em><em>ehicle ownership transfer fees</em><em> (BBNKB) from 10 percent to 12.5 percent, along with willingness to pay from the policy. This research applies survey method in Bandar Lampung</em><em> </em><em>city with the population of the people who are the owner of new motor</em><em> </em><em>vehicles including the four-wheeled and two-</em><em>w</em><em>heeled which were</em><em> </em><em>purchased starting</em><em> </em><em>in</em><em> </em><em>20</em><em>1</em><em>2 outside</em><em> </em><em>the province</em><em> o</em><em>f Lampung</em><em>. </em><em>The sampling method used is cluster sampling, meaning that the population is divided into several clusters. As the population of vehicles which have no BE police number operating in Lampung is unknown, then the number of the sample is set to 100 respondents.</em><strong><em></em></strong></p><p><em>Based on the result of the survey, it is unravelled that there are 18 percent of cars which have non-BE plate number operating in Lampung, and for motorcycles, there are only 4 percent. Another finding shows the fact that respondents buy vehicles outside the province of Lampung because the price difference is quite significant and they do not do second BNKB in Lampung Province in accordance with its operational area. From the willingnes to pay, all respondents approve that if the rate of BBNKB decreases back to 10 percent, most of them will return to buy a new vehicle in Lampung due to the fact that there will be smaller price difference between the price of a new car purchased in Lampung Province and new car purchased outside Lampung Province. BBNKB tariff reduction will provide opportunities for trade of vehicles in Lampung Province to be more competitive, thus, they can develop better. Moreover, there will be more exciting investments and more job fields in the automotive sector.</em><em></em></p><p><strong><em>JEL Classification: </em></strong><em>H20,<strong> </strong>H21, H24</em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords: </em></strong><em>BBNKB Tariff, Public Perception, Willingness to Pay</em></p>

Mainstreaming community-based forest management in West Sumatra: Social forestry arguments, support, and implementation

Although social forestry in Indonesia is envisioned as a policy for recognizing local practices to forest management, research is still limited. This research describes conditions of social forestry policy in West Sumatra Province as a form of mainstreaming community-based forest management. This paper provides the context of social forestry arguments, its support, and subsequent implementation. The research approach is qualitative, using a case study method. Data collection was conducted through unstructured interviews, field observations, and document studies. The analysis used categorization and coding, historical analysis, document analysis, and descriptive policy analysis. The findings revealed that the arguments for social forestry schemes were based on the persistence of state forest conflicts, forest degradation and deforestation threats, as well as human resource limitations of forestry officers. The Provincial government then initiated stakeholder support, mainly from non-governmental organizations. Social forestry implementation at the site in West Sumatra thus focused on providing development assistance programs after granting management rights to local people, as well as initiating similar schemes in other villages. Our discussions considered challenges that should be addressed, including the approach to granting management rights to secure a management area, the process of developing participatory institutions, synchronizing provincial government policies to overcome forest degradation and deforestation, and initiating activities for strengthening community solidarity and agency.

The Spatial–Temporal Hierarchy of Inequality in Urban China: A Prefectural City–Level Study

Inequality has been the subject of intense debates in China, but inequality across cities remains less studied. This article investigates economic inequality based on prefectural-level cities during the period from 1990 to 2010. Statistical analyses indicate that interregional inequality among cities has increased, which is mostly attributable to widening intraregional inequality, especially within the western region. The high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita clusters emerged in the Pearl River Delta in the 1990s, spread to the Yangtze River Delta in the 2000s, and then reached north China in the 2010s. In contrast, the number of low GDP per capita clusters significantly increased in the central and western regions in the 2010s. In addition, the significance of national development zones and foreign direct investment indicates the greatest effect of globalization on the increasing intercity inequality. Decentralization also contributes to the intercity inequality of China. We suggest that in addition to national programs aimed at reducing the inequality between the eastern region and the rest of China, efforts are needed to reduce inequality within each region through provincial and local government policies, especially in western China. Key Words: China, cluster, decentralization, globalization, regional inequality, urban inequality.