Responsive Public Service Delivery and Policy Conflict in Indonesia^s Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) Program
Yusup Lintang Cahyo Andrian Putro

Universitas Terbuka

Abstract

The Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) is one of the largest public service initiatives in Indonesia, designed to improve the nutritional quality of the population, particularly schoolchildren, while strengthening the national human resource development agenda. As part of the expansion of the welfare state, this policy reflects the government^s growing role in providing basic social services. However, the implementation of the MBG Program has given rise to various policy conflicts that reveal a mismatch between policy design, bureaucratic capacity, and the quality of public services on the ground. Various cases of food poisoning, weak distribution oversight, procurement controversies, and social resistance rooted in religious values indicate that public services have not yet fully become responsive, adaptive, and risk-mitigation-oriented.
This article aims to analyze the implementation of the MBG Program through the perspectives of responsive public service delivery and policy conflicts in contemporary public administration. The research employs a qualitative approach using library research based on secondary data obtained from books, scientific journals, policy documents, institutional reports, as well as national and international media coverage regarding the implementation of the MBG Program. The analysis is conducted using a descriptive-analytical approach, incorporating the concepts of policy design fit, street-level bureaucracy, risk governance, public trust, and the governance of policy conflict.
The research findings indicate that conflicts arising from the implementation of the MBG Program cannot be understood merely as technical or administrative failures, but rather as a consequence of the complexity of modern public service governance. The gap between policy design and implementation capacity (design-implementation gap), weak food risk management, poor coordination among actors, and a lack of sensitivity to the social legitimacy of the community are the main factors that exacerbate policy conflicts. Furthermore, the bureaucracy^s limited responsiveness in addressing public complaints demonstrates that public service mechanisms have not yet fully succeeded in building adaptive and dialogic relationships with the community.
This article emphasizes that the success of the MBG Program is determined not only by the size of the budget or the scope of services, but also by the state^s ability to build a public service system that is responsive, accountable, adaptive, and based on public trust. Therefore, strengthening implementation capacity, integrating risk management, developing citizen feedback mechanisms, and enhancing social legitimacy are key prerequisites for strengthening the effectiveness of public service policies in Indonesia.

Keywords: Responsive Public Service Delivery, Policy Conflict, Public Administration, Policy, Governance, Makan Bergizi Gratis.

Topic: Building Adaptive and Digitally-Enabled Public Administrations for Responsive Governance (Adaptive Governance- Digital Public Administration- Responsive Public Service Delivery)