Traditional policy-making approaches are often technocratic (top-down). The government assumes what is best for the community, designs programs, and then implements them. Often, this approach leads to development programs that are stalled or unused because they do not align with the real needs of citizens on the ground.
A new paradigm requires the government to shift toward a Citizen-Centric or Human-Centered Design approach. In this process, the government must put itself in the position of the citizens (empathy) and map their experience journey (citizen journey map) when interacting with public services.
Policy evaluation is no longer measured solely by budget absorption (output), but by how much positive impact is felt by the community (outcome and impact). For example, the success of a stunting alleviation program is not measured by how many toddler biscuits are distributed, but by the growth curves of children in target villages.
The use of digital instruments such as real-time Community Satisfaction Index (IKM), social media sentiment analysis, and complaint platforms (LAPOR!) provides valuable indicators for leaders to perform course corrections on ongoing policies to ensure they remain relevant.
