Power dynamics in collaborative rural planning: The case of Pematang Tengah, Indonesia

Starting from the notion that collaborative rural planning focuses on policymaking through authentic dialogue, this article discusses the power dynamics that influence the planning process and product. It was motivated by the presumption that the understanding of collaborative policymaking is not adequate if it only concerns formal deliberation without considering other power dynamics. Booher and Innes’s model of network power in collaborative policymaking (DIAD–Diversity, Interdependence, Authentic Dialogue) and the power cube model of Gaventa were used to analyze the power mechanisms in the formal as well as in the informal arenas. They were applied to the process of village planning in Pematang Tengah, Indonesia, where the agrarian village community, deliberative bureaucrats, and other stakeholders are involved in formulating development rural planning projects. From the analysis a new model was derived, revealing three power mechanisms that are active in three different phases of the collaborative planning process: (I) Figuring out in openness, (II) Herding of public desire, and (III) Forcing of direction. The findings show that power mechanism (II) in the informal arena plays an important role by steering the course of policymaking in the formal arena (I). Power mechanism (III) is active when invisible actors illegitimately change the planning product that the formal deliberation has produced, acting out of self-interest. The analysis of power mechanisms that are active in the whole planning process can help planners in dealing with formal and informal power when developing appropriate planning strategies through a deliberative process.