AN ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENCES IN THE PERFORMANCE OF REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS BASED ON ENTREPRENEURIAL AND NON-ENTREPRENEURIAL BACKGROUNDS

Abstract

The performance of the government has always been in the public spotlight. The community always demands the government to have a good, transparent, and accountable performance irrespective of the backgrounder of the leader. This study aimed to examine the performance differences among regional governments, focusing on the leaders with entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial backgrounds. Various economic and social growth indicators such as Regional Original Income and Gross Regional Domestic Product, Human Development Index, as well as poverty and unemployment rates were used. The sample was collected from regional heads on the island of Java who took part in the first and second rounds of simultaneous regional elections in 2015 and 2017 using purposive sampling. This is because they were considered to be prospective leaders with business backgrounds. The data obtained was retrieved using archival data collection techniques and analyzed through descriptive and different tests. The results showed that 23 and 36 elected regional heads with entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial backgrounds, respectively. Almost all regions experienced a fluctuation of RDI and unemployment rates, meanwhile there is an increase in GRDP and the human development index every year followed by a decrease in poverty rates. Therefore, the regional growth achievements showed no difference among regional heads based on their entrepreneurship background.