Policies Lost in the Field: A Critical Study of Communication, Resources, and Bureaucratic Structure in the Stunting Program

Stunting remains a serious global health problem. Of the 162 million children recorded as stunted worldwide, 56% are in Asia and 36% in Africa. The WHO recommends reducing stunting rates by 3.9% annually to achieve the target of a 40% reduction by 2025. In Indonesia, stunting reduction programs have been a national priority for the past two decades. However, in reality, real efforts to address stunting remain challenging. This article analyzes the case of stunting management at the Puskesmas (Community Health Center) Karang Rejo in Balikpapan City. The George Edward III theoretical framework of policy implementation is used to highlight how bureaucratic constraints and social interactions shape the complexity of policy implementation. Data were collected from interviews with 25 informants, observations, and secondary data. The results show that the implementation of the stunting program here is hampered by communication problems, limited competent human resources, and the absence of standard operating procedures (SOPs). The public perception of stunting as a "hereditary problem" demonstrates an epistemic gap between policy logic and local understanding. The failure of health policy implementation is not only caused by technical factors, but also by social relations and bureaucratic structures that interpret policies differently at the grassroots level.