Effectiveness of Stimulus Program Fund Management in North Bontang District, Bontang City

Abstract

The stimulus program is a priority program of the Bontang City. The objective of the stimulus program is to improve welfare towards entrepreneurial independence and community empowerment in each sub-district. This study aims to determine the causes and efforts to improve the effectiveness of stimulus program fund management in one sub-district, such as North Bontang Sub-district. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach for data collection techniques through semi-structured interviews and documentation. Key informants have direct experience with the stimulus program, including village officials, the head of the neighbourhood association, community groups, and integrated health service posts. Results show that the overall effectiveness of stimulus program fund management can be categorized as medium effective. However, there are significant variations in the effectiveness of management between activities and between subdistricts. The highest effectiveness was achieved in the provision of supplementary food, while empowerment activities such as urban farming still faced obstacles in achieving the expected performance. Factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of program management included timeliness, budgetary inconsistencies, and a lack of alignment between activities and the characteristics of community needs. Nevertheless, the program has performed well in terms of accountability, transparency, and accuracy of targets. It can be concluded that the management of stimulus programs in one of the subdistricts still needs to be improved in terms of effectiveness by adjusting the program to the needs of the beneficiary community