Does the Village Fund Policy during the COVID-19 Pandemic become Community Conflict Sources?

Abstract

In Indonesia, villages are the spearhead of development implementation, including economic and social governance, as well as assistance tasks. Various forms have been developed to ensure the development implementation. One of them is the village fund program. However, it can cause issues, such as conflict among communities, especially in Aceh, Indonesia. Thus, the present study investigates how the village fund has been a source of conflict in society in the Nagan Raya Regency. The research is conducted using a qualitative method. Primary and secondary data are used to identify the source of conflict from the misused of the village fund. A public policy implementation model developed by Van Meter Van Horn was used to investigate how the fund is implemented in the village in Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh Province. This study identified that the Indonesian government had allocated a fund for developing the village. The society committees in the village manage the fund. However, a lack of skill and knowledge of village administration has led to a social conflict in the community. The study found that lack of public participation has caused mistrust in using the fund.