Enforcement Deterrence In Tackling Haze Pollution: Insight From In-Depth Interview

Reaching a better understanding of the enforcement of current regulatory approaches will provide a baseline for enhancing future policy choices for deterring and controlling the devastating effects of haze pollution. Using in-depth interviews with prominent actors who have direct and indirect involvement on the law enforcement process, this paper investigates how insufficient power and law enforcement capacity could hamper and deter policies for tackling haze pollution. The paper shows that an inadequate probability of detection for environmental offenses, especially in South Sumatra, causes economic agents to incorrectly receive signals to not engage in unsustainable and illegal activities. More specifically, the paper finds that the absence of a special arrangement for the recovery of environmental costs and direct financial mechanisms for how fines would be utilized has been hampering law enforcement. The establishment of a policy regime that is inclusive of fiscal provisions in mixed environmental management cannot be overlooked as a reference point for effective future solutions.