Implementation of The Licensing Policy for Early Childhood Education (PAUD) Institutions in Bogor City: An Analysis Using Matland’s Ambiguity-Variability Model

Abstract

This study analyzes the implementation of the licensing policy for Early Childhood Education (PAUD) institutions in Bogor City, focusing on implementation conditions, supporting and inhibiting factors, and stakeholder roles. A descriptive-analytical qualitative approach was employed within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm, using Matland’s Ambiguity-Conflict Model (1995) as the primary framework, complemented by Edward III, Van Meter and Van Horn, Mazmanian and Sabatier, Grindle, and Lipsky. Data were obtained from Dapodik 2025.1, documents of the PAUD Licensing Acceleration Program, SIPERI records, licensing Focus Group Discussion materials, relevant regulations, Statistics Indonesia data, and interviews with six stakeholder informants. The findings indicate that Bogor City has 397 PAUD institutions distributed unevenly across six districts, ranging from 36 institutions in Bogor Timur to 104 in Tanah Sareal. Only 16 institutions (4.0%) were confirmed to have operational licenses, 47 (11.8%) were identified as unlicensed, while 334 (84.1%) remained unverified, a status methodologically distinct from being unlicensed. Policy implementation is categorized as Administrative Implementation because regulatory ambiguity is relatively low, while implementation variation mainly reflects differences in territorial workload. Supporting factors include a comprehensive regulatory framework, SIPERI and OSS digital systems, and the licensing acceleration program. Major constraints involve building-use conformity requirements and limited verification capacity. The study recommends accelerated verification, database integration, clearer licensing information, stronger institutional assistance, and continuous monitoring.