This paper examined regulators’ institutional capacity in transforming Java’s forest management through social forestry (SF) policy. Motivated by massive public resistance and lawsuits against the 2022 Forest Area with Special Management (KHDPK) policy, this study employed thematic content analysis of official documents (2014–2023). The research identified three transformative stages: initiation (Nawacita vision), institutionalization (PSKL Directorate establishment), and stabilization (Job Creation Law and KHDPK). Findings revealed that despite systematic legal structuring, transformation remains trapped in a state-centric paradigm, prioritizing internal bureaucratic consolidation over substantive community-based management. Failure to adapt to stakeholder needs has triggered policy stagnation. The study acknowledges the 2024 ministerial restructuring as a critical turning point for future research to evaluate whether the new institutional dichotomy can overcome previous bureaucratic failures.
Adib et al. (Sun,) studied this question.