Bureaucratic Reform and Public Trust: A Case Study of Indonesia's 'Zona Integritas' Program in Immigration Services

Abstract

This quantitative study investigates the effectiveness of the Indonesian government's 'Zona Integritas' (Integrity Zone) program (WBK/WBBM) as a core bureaucratic reform initiative within Immigration Services, focusing on its influence on public service quality and subsequent public trust. While the Integrity Zone program mandates structural changes to combat corruption, its ultimate success depends on how these changes are perceived by the citizens it serves. Utilizing a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach based on data from 285 service users, the study yielded three critical findings.
First, the implementation of the Integrity Zone components significantly and positively influences perceived Public Service Quality (H1 supported, β=0.650). Second, Public Service Quality is confirmed as the strongest determinant of Public Trust (H2 supported, β=0.780). Most notably, the analysis confirmed full mediation: the Integrity Zone implementation does not directly foster public trust (H3 rejected, p=0.058), but rather builds trust indirectly by producing tangible improvements in service quality (H4 supported). This means structural reforms only gain public confidence when their positive effects are directly felt at the frontline. Further analysis revealed that components promoting procedural clarity and strengthening supervision were the most effective levers for improvement, while efforts toward cultural change showed the weakest impact. In conclusion, the ZI program is a vital input strategy, but its sustained success hinges on prioritizing measurable Service Quality, which is the proven pathway to Public Trust.