EROPA Bulletin Volume 34 Nos. 3-4 | Page 43

Vol. 34 Nos. 3-4 (July-December 2013) Governance (Policy Issues)... EROPA Bulletin 43 into a solid framework for collaboration where citizens share the goal and responsibility with the city government in solving local issues. motivation for district and city governments to provide minor services. Although symmetry is the principle adopted in devolving authorities, conditions of local governments vary. In conclusion, due to fragmented nature of functions, he advocated the consolidated model of functional assignment. In Search of Effective Functional Assignment: The Case of Decentralization in Indonesia Public Perception of the Quality of Government in Japan: A Preliminary Assessment Dr. Agus Pramusinto argued that the concurrent function, embodied in the Indonesian decentralization law, brings about several challenges for the local governments as functional assignments overlap across different government tiers. Thus, he asked the question “how should functional assignment be formulated and implemented?” Before providing his answers, he explained the importance of decentralization in a country like Indonesia. He also presented several conditions that must be met for its effective implementation. Some of these conditions are: capacity, economies of scale, differing local demands, and no spillovers. He likewise explained the role of functional assignment, which consists of the concurrent, obligatory and optional functions. According to him, the problems facing functional assignment include: absence of linkages