Brokered Collaborative Governance and the Conversion Bottleneck in Coastal Empowerment: Evidence from Pangkep, Indonesia

Abstract

Coastal economic empowerment increasingly depends on collaboration among public institutions, community organisations, and local intermediaries, yet the mechanisms through which collaborative capacity becomes durable economic autonomy remain insufficiently understood. This study examines how collaborative governance operates in coastal Pangkep, Indonesia, and why relational gains do not always translate into stronger economic control. A qualitative single-case study used semi-structured interviews with three purposively selected key informants representing the district fisheries authority, fisheries extension service, and fisher-group leadership. Interviews were conducted on 8–10 July 2026 and triangulated with field observations and relevant policy, planning, programme, statistical, and community documents. Data were analysed through deductive–inductive thematic coding and cross-informant comparison. Findings show that collaboration functions primarily through a brokered network linking government, extension services, and community organisations. This arrangement strengthens information exchange, trust, technical learning, financial awareness, and livelihood adaptation. However, limited access to untied finance, appropriate technology, storage, logistics, and diversified markets constrains the conversion of these capacities into economic autonomy; patron–client relations simultaneously provide livelihood protection and reproduce dependence. The study conceptualises this gap as a conversion bottleneck. Policy should therefore combine institutionalised collaborative brokerage with participatory procurement, flexible financing, value-chain infrastructure, and market diversification. The findings are analytically transferable rather than statistically generalisable and remain bounded by the three-informant case design.