From Stagnation to Reform: Administrative Law as a Key to uphold the rule of law in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia’s performance in the Fundamental Rights dimension of the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index shows persistent gaps between constitutional guarantees and administrative implementation. This study aims to assess how administrative law functions in protecting fundamental rights and to identify priority reform areas to improve Indonesia’s rule of law standing. Using a normative–empirical comparative design, the research examines constitutional and statutory guarantees, primarily the 1945 Constitution, the Human Rights Act, and the Government Administration Act, and compares Indonesia’s WJP scores with selected East Asia Pacific countries. The findings show asymmetrical progress: strong achievements in freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, and workers’ rights contrast with low scores in due process of law, privacy protection, and non-discrimination. The gap has widened in the post-2021 period, especially at the local government level as the primary administrator of public services. By linking global indicators to concrete administrative mechanisms such as reason-giving obligations, time-bound objections, audit trails, and anti-discrimination measures, the study proposes practical reform directions. Strengthening procedural fairness, privacy safeguards, and equality of public services is essential to align administrative practice with human rights obligations and enhance Indonesia’s rule of law performance.