COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE-BASED REGIONAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO FOSTER SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MUNA REGENCY

Abstract

Regional investment serves as a strategic instrument for boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and supporting sustainable development. Muna Regency possesses significant potential in the agriculture, fisheries, tourism, mining, and micro-enterprise sectors; however, investment realization remains suboptimal due to weak coordination among Regional Government Agencies (OPD), sectoral ego, infrastructure limitations, ineffective licensing bureaucracy, and a lack of synergy among the government, the business sector, the community, and higher education institutions. This study aims to analyze a regional investment management strategy based on collaborative governance to foster sustainable economic growth in Muna Regency. A qualitative approach with a case study design was employed. Informants were selected purposively, comprising local government officials, investors, the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), academics, MSME players, community leaders, and civil society organizations. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, document analysis, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD), then analyzed using an interactive model involving data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results indicate that investment governance is not optimally integrated, thereby hindering the effectiveness of regional investment policies. The implementation of collaborative governance—through the dimensions of principled engagement, shared motivation, capacity for joint action, and collaborative action—was proven to enhance cross-sector coordination, strengthen trust among stakeholders, accelerate investment services, and produce policies that are more adaptive to regional needs. This study proposes a collaborative governance-based regional investment management model that positions the government as a facilitator, the private sector as a development partner, the community as a social overseer, and higher education institutions as providers of knowledge and innovation. The model contributes to creating a conducive investment climate and driving sustainable regional economic growth.