The Effectiveness of Social Assistance in Handling Covid-19

Arif Setyawan

Satyagama University, Jakarta, Indonesia

Keywords		ABSTRACT
Effectiveness, Social Assistance, Covid-19		The background for conducting this research is that there are problems with effectiveness, obstacles and efforts in optimizing the distribution of social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the Administrative City of North Jakarta. The purpose of this research is to find out and analyze the effectiveness, obstacles and efforts in optimizing the distribution of social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the Administrative City of North Jakarta. This research method is included in the type of post-positivism research that uses a qualitative approach with a total of 10 informants. Data analysis techniques in this study are data reduction, data presentation and conclusion and verification. The results of this study prove that: (1) The process of distributing social assistance in the form of groceries and BLT in handling Covid-19 in the Administrative City of North Jakarta, is still not effective. Many people who should have received assistance were not even recorded because data manipulation in the field was carried out by appointed implementing officers. (2) Obstacles encountered in the process of distributing social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the Administrative City of North Jakarta, include the lack of outreach to the public about the procedures and requirements for receiving social assistance, the lack of precise targets in the provision of social assistance, and recorded data on recipients of social assistance in DTKS (Integrated Social Welfare Data) is less valid. (3) Efforts made to optimize the effectiveness of the distribution of social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the Administrative City of North Jakarta, by increasing the budget for the procurement of social assistance so that the number of beneficiaries can be greater, strengthens the synergy between the Central Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Social Affairs in making population database on the basis of a Population Identification Number, as well as the formation of an integrated team and socialization of the timing of assistance in the implementation of social assistance distribution so that it becomes an example for other regions.

INTRODUCTION

2019 is the beginning of the emergence of a new type of virus outbreak, namely Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) and its disease called Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19). Since then, the outbreak has spread and spread throughout the country including Indonesia. In Indonesia, the first case of the corona virus occurred in early March 2020 and its spread continues to expand. Referring to information from the Covid-19 Handling Task Force, it was confirmed that the number of positive patients affected by Covid-19 as of March 29, 2021, was 743,198 patients. A total of 82.25% or 611,097 patients were declared cured and 22,138 patients or 2.97% were confirmed dead.

The spread of the Covid-19 outbreak has caused a domino effect for all sectors ranging from health problems to social, economic, and political problems. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded a decrease in Indonesia's economic growth in the second quarter of 2020 to negative by -5.32%. Previously, Indonesia's economic growth rate in the first quarter of 2020 was 2.97% or began to indicate a slowdown in the pace of economic activity. The results of observations by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to 1,548 respondents spread across 32 provinces, revealed that more than 50 percent of respondents faced financial difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy implemented by the government in an effort to accelerate the handling of Covid-19 is one of the factors slowing down the economic pace during the pandemic. The narrowed space for people to carry out their daily activities has an impact on meeting the needs of life. However, physical distancing implemented by the government is not without reason. With more people staying at home, it will reduce the transmission of the Covid-19 outbreak massively (Lestary et al, 2020).

The Indonesian government is implementing various efforts to deal with the pandemic. Various policies were formulated to protect vulnerable people also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. One of them is by issuing Law Number 2 of 2020 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulations in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 1 of 2020 concerning State Financial Policy and Financial System Stability for handling the Covid-19 pandemic and/or in order to deal with threats that endanger the national economy and/or financial system stability into law.

The purpose of establishing Perppu Number 1 of 2020 according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (2020), is to provide a legal basis for the government in determining extraordinary policies and steps due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures are applied in the state finance and financial sector in efforts to deal with health, humanitarian, economic, and financial crises. Furthermore, there are four things simultaneously in Perppu Number 1 of 2020 that will be implemented by the government. These four things are handling Covid-19, anticipating the financial system, economic stimulus for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives, and social assistance.

North Jakarta Administration City as one of the five administrative city areas in DKI Jakarta Province has also felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many residents lost their jobs and income due to restrictions on activities from the government, causing the need for emergency action from the local government in dealing with this problem through the provision of social assistance to affected communities.

The distribution of social assistance provided by the government to the people of Indonesia is not new. Various social assistance schemes and subsidies have been implemented by the government to fulfill basic rights, relieve dependents, and improve the living standards of underprivileged citizens. This is in line with the welfare state theory, referring to Alfitri (2012), the concept of welfare state in Encyclopedia Britannica is related to the responsibility of the state as the front line in protecting and prospering the economic and social welfare of its people.

During the current pandemic, the Social Safety Net (JPS) program in the form of basic food social assistance, cash social assistance, pre-employment cards, family hope programs, and electricity subsidies is one form of government intervention in an effort to overcome the influence of Covid-19 on people who have the potential to be affected socially and economically. However, JPS programs often cause their own problems. In a crisis situation and limited sources of funds, the implementation of the JPS program will encounter many obstacles. Not only that, managing funds to quickly and precisely hit the target is another problem that arises when funds are available in sufficient quantities. Teja (2020), also revealed that the inaccuracy of the target of social assistance recipients is a problem that always arises when social assistance is disbursed by the government. In addition, there is an overlap in the Covid-19 social assistance program initiated by the government, causing chaos in its implementation (Mufidah, 2020). The process of distributing social assistance is also considered not optimal to reach the community, due to the vague provisional support system and also the government's unpreparedness.

On the other hand, Purnia et al, (2019), revealed that the provision of social assistance donations from the central government is often misused by local governments. Various irregularities are carried out by various methods such as creating fictitious Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), to the interests of regional election campaigns. In line with that, the results of research by the State and Nuswardani (2014), show that there are problems with the distribution of social assistance funds by the provincial government which begins with the absence of monitoring and evaluation to aid recipients. Not only at the local government level, this is further exacerbated by the discovery of cases of misappropriation of Covid-19 social assistance funds that occurred against state officials in the central government related to the use of social assistance budgets in handling the Covid-19 pandemic (CNN Indonesia, 2020).

Based on several sources and previous research, a common thread can be drawn that there are often problems in the distribution of government social assistance both before and during the pandemic. This problem makes the distribution of social assistance ineffective to the community. Based on this thinking, the author wants to study, analyze and raise this theme into a thesis research with the title: "The Effectiveness of Social Assistance in Handling Covid-19 (Case Study of Social Assistance Program Realization in North Jakarta Administration City)".

METHODS

This study used qualitative descriptive research method. This study uses the post-positivism research paradigm. The considerations and reasons for choosing the post-positivism paradigm are: 1) the problems and objectives of this study see social phenomena that occur as systematic symptoms; 2) To obtain data in research, researchers conduct direct observations and interviews with informants within the framework of the scientific process as required by the post-positivism paradigm, namely there is a relationship between researchers and research subjects, so that researchers are able to understand and interpret how social actors reproduce their social world that researchers observe; 3) In reality, the relationship of individuals with their social environment is also related to other documentation materials as document materials stored by society. This material is also reviewed by researchers to gain a complete understanding of the activities of social actors in their social environment as a whole; 4) In analyzing data, from the beginning, researchers collect a variety of data and information and other sources of knowledge, researchers try to build an induction frame of mind, which then compares with public policy theories and other theories used in this study.

RESULTS

Starting from the formulation of the problem and the purpose of the study, the results of this study try to answer the questions in the formulation of the problem and the purpose of the research in accordance with the title of the study, namely "The Effectiveness of Social Assistance in Handling Covid-19 (Case Study of the Realization of Social Assistance Programs in the Administration City of North Jakarta)."

The Effectiveness of Social Aid Distribution in Handling Covid-19 in North Jakarta Administration City

Social assistance (bansos) is the provision of compensation in the form of donations or goods both from the government and an institution to individuals, families, communities, and the general public which is not always and selective in nature with the aim of saving from possible social threats. Social assistance distributed by the government to underprivileged communities is temporary or non-continuous. The assistance provided aims to enable the underprivileged community to be able to meet their lives in a balanced manner.

In line with this, Minister of Finance Regulation Number 254/PMK.05/2015 concerning Social Assistance Expenditure at State Ministries/Institutions, explained that social assistance is expenditure in the form of money transfers, goods or services provided by the government to the poor or unable to protect the community from possible social risks, improve the economy and/or public welfare. Furthermore, social assistance policy is one of the tangible forms of government responsibility, both central and regional, towards the condition of its people who are poor and neglected at the lowest level.

Based on the Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 32 of 2011, the provision of social assistance has a fixed standard. Local governments are allowed to provide social assistance to residents or community groups equivalent to the financial capacity of the region. Such populations or community groups include: (a) individuals, families, and/or communities experiencing situations that are not solid as a result of social, economic, political, disaster, or natural phenomena in order to be able to meet the minimum living needs, (b) non-governmental organizations in the educational, religious, and other sectors that act to protect individuals, groups, and/or communities from opportunities for social threats.

The distribution of social assistance as described in Article 22 paragraph (1) meets the minimum standards, namely selective and includes the qualifications of beneficiaries. The barometer of beneficiary qualifications includes (1) having proof of identity, (2) residing in the administrative area of the surrounding local government, (3) being irregular and only temporary, but under certain conditions can be sustainable, and (4) according to the target of application.

Based on the answers of the informants, it can be concluded that social assistance is assistance in the form of goods, money or services to individuals, families, groups or communities that are underprivileged, unable or vulnerable to social risks.

Various forms of social assistance program policies have been launched by the central government to improve the ability of the community to face their economic problems. The social assistance program to the community is carried out with the aim of distributing benefits to people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and difficulties in food needs. Here are some of the aids distributed:

Family Hope Program (PKH), which is a program that provides social support in the form of social protection to poor families and families called KPM or Favorite Family. PKH social assistance is one of the Social Safety Net (JPS) programs for underprivileged families. The purpose of PKH is to improve nutrition, as well as increase purchasing power and strengthen the immune system of children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with severe disabilities. In addition, increasing public consumption, maintaining family income and expenditure, and avoiding social risks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) is social food assistance provided by the government in the form of in-kind or basic necessities to Beneficiary Families (KPM) that are not supported by the Family Hope Program (PKH). This support is provided every month through an electronic account mechanism that is only used for purchasing basic necessities from e-Warong KUBEPKH/cooperating grocery stores.

Social Cash Transfer (BST), BST beneficiaries are those who do not receive PKH support and the community is considered eligible for support.

Village Fund Assistance or Direct Cash Transfer (BLT), this program is assistance sourced from part of the village fund to be given to some communities who have not received some of the above assistance handed over to the community.

The purpose of this assistance program is to maintain people's purchasing power during the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, regulations regarding social assistance programs are regulated in the Decree of the Minister of Social Affairs Number 54/HUK/2020 concerning the Implementation of Basic Food Social Assistance and Cash Social Assistance in Handling the Impact of Covid-19. The following are the objectives of providing social assistance for the community:

Social Rehabilitation, aims to restore and develop the ability of someone who experiences social dysfunction in order to carry out their social functions reasonably.

Social Protection, is to prevent and deal with risks from shocks and social vulnerabilities of a person, family community group so that their survival is met according to a minimum basis.

Social Empowerment, social assistance also aims as social empowerment, namely to make a person or community group who experiences social problems have the power, so as to be able to meet their basic needs.

Social Security, social assistance as social security is an institutionalized scheme to ensure recipients of basic assistance a decent life.

Poverty Alleviation, the purpose of social assistance as poverty alleviation means that social assistance is a policy, program, activity, and sub-activity carried out on people, families or community groups that do not have a source of livelihood and cannot meet the needs that are worthy of humanity.

Disaster Management, the provision of social assistance aimed at disaster management is a series of efforts aimed at rehabilitation.

Regarding the forms of social assistance that have been provided to the community, below are excerpts of interviews with informants as follows.

Heru Utama, as Head of Administration at the North Jakarta City Administration Social Service Tribe, revealed:

There are quite a lot of forms of social assistance provided by the government, for example:

· Social assistance in the form of money or cash social assistance. This assistance is given directly to recipients in the form of scholarships, donations to foundations or to poor or elderly communities.

· Social assistance in the form of goods. The assistance provided is in the form of goods, such as: food or clothing assistance to orphans and homeless people.

Based on the answers of the informants, it can be concluded that the legal basis for providing social assistance for the community, especially related to handling Covid-19, includes Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2020 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulations in Lieu of Law Number 1 of 2020 concerning State Financial Policy and Financial System Stability for Handling the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic and/or in Dealing with Dangerous Threats National Economy and/or Financial System Stability Become Law; Decree of the Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 54/Huk/2020 concerning the Implementation of Basic Food Social Assistance and Cash Social Assistance in Handling the Impact of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19); and Regulation of the Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta Number 35 of 2021 concerning Procedures for Granting Grants and Social Assistance.

Quoting the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (2020), so far, the obstacle that often occurs in social assistance schemes is the inaccuracy of the target of aid recipients. In line with this, inaccuracy in target recipients is often encountered when distributing aid to the field. The various types of social assistance held by the central government and the dizzying administrative flow of social assistance distribution produce chaos such as confusion of information on access to social assistance receipts circulating in the community. Not only that, classifications that are not in accordance with the target and the period of distribution of social assistance that is not simultaneous become a problem that never ends.

Social assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic has also not embraced community groups that before the pandemic included the people who could afford it, but when a pandemic occurred they had to lose their income and lose their jobs. The Ministry of Finance emphasized that there are four sectors most shaken by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, namely households, freelance employees, MSMEs, and companies or business entities. Of these sectors, employees are the most sensitive to losing their income.

The government has several policies to protect the people's economy through the National Economic Recovery (PEN) program to handle the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only focusing on providing basic necessities, together with the Ministry of Finance, the Central Government created a number of Social Safety Net schemes. Sourced from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Central Government has deployed various forms and types of social assistance policies in an effort to save the community's economic resilience in facing the current pandemic conditions including: (1) Family Hope Program (PKH), (2) Social Cash Assistance (BST), (3) Village Fund Cash Direct Assistance (BLT Dana Desa), (4) Basic Food Social Assistance (BSS) for the Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek) area, (5) Pre-employment Card, (6) Basic Food Card, and (7) Electricity subsidy.

Family Hope Program

Family Hope Program (PKH) social assistance is one of the JPS for underprivileged families. The purpose of PKH is to strengthen purchasing power, improve nutrition and nutrition, as well as the immune system of children, pregnant women, severe disabilities, and the elderly. In addition, it is also to increase public consumption and maintain the income and expenditure of underprivileged families to avoid social risks during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, PKH distribution increased by 25% from 9.2 million beneficiary families (KPM) to 10 million KPM.

The nominal PKH assistance distributed is 250 thousand rupiah per month for the category of pregnant women and children aged 0-6 years, 75 thousand rupiah per month for the category of elementary school (SD) students, 125 thousand rupiah for the category of junior high school (SMP) students, and 166 thousand rupiah per month for the category of high school students (SMA). Meanwhile, for the category of people with severe disabilities and PKH participants aged more than 70 years and over receive assistance of 200 thousand rupiah per month. PKH social assistance is given to a maximum of four people in one family.

There is a frequency modification in PKH distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, PKH assistance is distributed quarterly in January, April, July, and October, but during the pandemic the distribution of aid was given every month from April to December 2020. The aid will be transferred to the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) such as Bank Mandiri, BNI, BRI, and BTN. As for participants who do not have a Himbara Bank account, assistance can be taken at e-warong or bank agents.

The distribution of PKH social assistance during this pandemic is not without problems. Some problems that occur in the field such as PKH beneficiaries who have passed away, moving residence, marrying at a young age, divorce, dropping out of school, and changes in status that are not in accordance with the provisions of the beneficiaries. The inaccuracy of the PKH recipient target is caused by an inaccurate data base because it is not updated regularly. In addition, a new problem was found, namely falsification of PKH recipient criteria data by companions, authorized officials, and aid distribution bank officers in the PKH recipient environment which resulted in aid funds being received by individuals who were not beneficiaries.

The increase in PKH social assistance in fact does not reflect the principle of justice for KPM, especially for KPM whose nominal assistance is small. For KPM who only has one component of elementary school children, the assistance obtained does not increase significantly, from 180 thousand rupiah to 225 thousand rupiah per quarter, or 75 thousand rupiah per month. The nominal obtained is much smaller when compared to other Covid-19 pandemic social assistance. Furthermore, there is an ineffectiveness in the frequency of PKH disbursement which was originally every three months to every month. This is because there is a cut in admin fees when withdrawing and transportation costs to take assistance at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

From the above problems, it can be concluded that the distribution of PKH funds by the government has not run effectively, because data manipulation and misappropriation of aid are still found. This condition triggered the discovery of many fictitious PKH beneficiaries, thus impacting people who should receive aid benefits to be neglected from government policies.

Social Cash Transfer

Social Cash Transfer (BST) has been distributed by the government since the initial detection of the spread of Covid-19 in Indonesia. BST has differences with other policies, namely by targeting 9 million underprivileged people in 33 provinces other than the Greater Jakarta area, both those who have or have not registered the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS). BST recipients are people who do not receive PKH assistance and are considered worthy of assistance. In addition, people who receive BST are individuals who are directly affected by the economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic have also been recorded through name by address (BNBA), Identity Number (NIK) and active mobile phone numbers.

BST distribution is divided into two waves starting from April to December 2020. The first batch was from April to June 2020, BST recipients received assistance of 600 thousand rupiah per family per month. Furthermore, the second wave of BST distribution took place from July to December 2020 with the nominal amount of assistance that has been equalized to 300 thousand rupiah per family per month. Similar to PKH policy, BST distribution to the community also uses the transfer method to the Himbara Bank account of each beneficiary. As for BST recipients who do not have an account at Bank Himbara, assistance will be distributed through PT Pos Indonesia.

In fact, access to distribute BST to the public is not as easy as government regulations. Many cases of double-recipient data result in unfair and uneven distribution of BST. Not only that, the problem also increased due to the length of the distribution process, making the aid that arrived often late when compared to other cities in Indonesia. Data that has not been well integrated between the central and local governments has resulted in the distribution of BST to the community becoming chaotic.

The social assistance data currently used by the central government is not the most up-to-date data. DTKS was last verified in 2015 so the data is no longer relevant. This data misalignment has an impact on the rejection of BST distribution in several regions in DKI Jakarta Province because the data on BST recipients is invalid and overlaps with community data recorded as PKH beneficiaries.

Village Fund Cash Transfer (BLT Dana Desa)

Village Fund Direct Cash Assistance (BLT Dana Desa) is provided by the government through the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT) amounting to 22.4 trillion rupiah addressed to 12,487,646 underprivileged family groups. This policy is a revision of PDTT Village Minister Regulation Number 11 of 2009 to PDTT Village Minister Regulation Number 6 of 2020 concerning Accentuation of Village Fund Implementation in 2020.

The main target recipients of BLT are underprivileged families who are not registered as PKH recipients and also Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT), who are not registered in the Pre-Employment Card, lose income, have not been recorded (exclusion error), and have family members who are chronically and / or chronically ill. Village Fund BLT is distributed by the village government with a cashless system every month. The period for granting Village Fund BLT is carried out for nine months, starting from April to December 2020. As for the nominal Village Fund BLT distributed per April to June 2020 of 600 thousand rupiah per family and from July to December 2020 the nominal is adjusted to 300 thousand rupiah per family.

Problems occurred almost three months after the government established the Village Fund BLT program. Various cases of Covid-19 Village Fund BLT cuts are found in various regions. The deduction was caused by the administrative rules for creating a bank account as well as the provisions that require account owners to leave a minimum balance. Of course, this reduces the effectiveness of the benefits provided by the government. Data problems also occur no exception in this type of social assistance. There is transparency, social inequality and there is a lack of clarity in aid recipients and standard criteria that are not commonly given by local governments to village officials.

Basic Food Social Assistance for Jabodetabek Area

Social assistance in the form of basic necessities has been provided since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. This type of social assistance is specifically only for residents who live in DKI Jakarta and surrounding areas such as Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang, as well as Bekasi who are affected by the spread of Covid-19 whether they have been registered or not in the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS).

However, there are still obstacles in the distribution of basic food social assistance both from the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government and the Central Government to residents affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in the capital. Based on data from the Jakarta Social Aid Monitoring Coalition survey (Wijaya, 2020), 70.16% of respondents stated that basic food social assistance ran out in less than one week. Even though the food social assistance should be distributed to meet the needs for two weeks to one month. There are several reasons that cause social assistance for food packages to run out easily. First, the contents of the aid package amount to a small amount. The two recipients of basic food package social assistance consist of many family members so it is not proportional to the amount of social assistance.

In addition, the basic food packages provided by the government do not cover the needs of the community in maintaining cleanliness and improving immunity. This is reflected in the contents of the social assistance package which only provides one bath soap and there is no vitamin intake in the basic food package. Furthermore, the problem of basic food social assistance in Jabodetabek is exacerbated by the misappropriation of food package assistance funds by Ministry of Social Affairs officials, who should be the government's main guard in implementing social aid distribution policies.

Pre-employment Card

The pre-employment card is a capability improvement program intended for job seekers or workers who stumble upon termination of employment (PHK), and/or workers or laborers who need to improve their skills. To be able to join the Pre-Employment Card program, one must pass through an online registration process, interest and aptitude tests, and batch selection based on residence. After completing the training, participants receive incentives that are distributed using e-wallets or bank accounts that have been previously registered.

Each pre-employment participant received a total assistance of Rp 3,550,000.00. The nominal is for learning vouchers worth IDR 1,000,000.00, learning completion of IDR 600,000.00 per month for four months, and employment surveys totaling IDR 150,000.00. During the Covid-19 pandemic, participants are only allowed to take online training on platforms such as Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Skill Academy by Ruang Guru, Mau Belajar Apa, Haruka Edu, Pijar Mahir, Sekolah.mu, and Sisnaker.

The Pre-Employment Card Program may not be expected to be an effective element of assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic, because the incentives provided by the government only cover a small part of total public expenditure. Referring to data from the Central Statistics Agency in March 2019, people who fall into the pre-prosperous category have an average expenditure of Rp 425,250.00 per month. While their food expenditure averages Rp 313,323.00 per month or equivalent to 73% of total expenditure. Meanwhile, online training requires electricity and internet, meaning spending on these components swells.

Although the government has tried to relax the requirements by requiring training to be online, potential participants are not necessarily familiar with the platform. Types of hard-skill training such as sewing, weaving, cooking, and others are a challenge to do because of the need to buy tools and materials. The problem did not stop there, on the other hand, some Pre-Employment Card participants complained about the promised incentives because they did not go liquid even though the participants had completed the training. Complaints also arise from a technical point of view related to licenses that are still not attached to the participant account dashboard page.

Basic Food Card

The Basic Food Card is a government policy through the Ministry of Social Affairs with its previous name, namely Non-Cash Food Assistance or abbreviated as BPNT. Basic Food Cards are given to underprivileged families who are vulnerable to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and are registered in the Integrated Social Welfare Data. The basic food program is implemented in all regions in Indonesia including areas that have weaknesses in terms of infrastructure, telecommunication constraints, and geographical access. Of course, special treatment is needed to distribute basic necessities in areas with these access constraints.

The Social Service Center explained that the distribution of funds for the basic food program uses an electronic money mechanism with payment aids in the form of Family Welfare Cards (KKS). Funds on the basic food card cannot be withdrawn in cash and can only be used to buy consumer commodities that have been stipulated in the basic food program at Electronic Warung Gotong Royong (e-Warong).

Currently, there are various variants of food commodities that can be spent by the community. If previously people could only shop for basic necessities in the form of rice or eggs, now people have many choices to spend on other foods such as carbohydrates (cassava, corn, sweet potatoes, sago, and other tubers), animal protein (chicken, red meat, fish), vegetable protein (tofu, tempeh, also nuts), and mineral vitamins such as vegetables and fruits. Social assistance policies in the form of cash and basic necessities are programs that are currently needed by the people. Unfortunately, there are still problems in its application in the field, due to data clutter caused by overlapping data on social assistance recipients.

Electricity Subsidy

The government provides electricity bill exemption for 24 million 450 VA customers and a 50% discount for seven million 900 VA power customers, as the government focuses on protecting the lower layers of society amid the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. The subsidy was distributed over a period of nine months, starting from April to December 2020.

The National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) revealed that 50% of electricity subsidy beneficiaries are household customers who belong to the wealthy group. Even more sad is the fact that the poor and vulnerable who are included in the bottom 40% of the economy only 26% of them receive electricity subsidies.

In addition, another problem that occurs in the type of electricity subsidy social assistance is that many people are unable to use this subsidy due to an error when entering the Customer ID format listed on the meter. The lack of socialization regarding how to register and use has an impact on the ineffectiveness of electricity subsidy assistance. Based on previous information, it can be concluded that there are still many customers in the lower middle class who have not received the benefits of the policy even though they have also been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Policy implementation will always be related to planning, timing, and supervision. Events and activities that occur after the process of ratifying the policy, both involving administrative efforts and businesses that have a particular impact on society. This not only affects the behavior of the institutions responsible for the target but takes into account the various political, economic, social forces that influence the implementation of state policy.

The implementation of social assistance distribution in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, if related to the policy implementation theory of George Edward III (2008), consists of factors of communication, resources, disposition, and bureaucratic structure. The four factors can be described as follows:

Communication

There are three important things discussed in the policy communication process, namely transmission, consistency, and clarity. The first factor supporting the implementation of the policy is transmission. An official implementing a decision must be aware that a decision has been made and an order for its implementation has been issued. The second factor that supports policy implementation is clarity, namely that policy implementation guidelines must not only be received by policy implementers, but the communication must be clear. The third factor that supports policy implementation is consistency, that is, if policy implementation is to be effective, then implementation orders must be consistent and clear.

Resources

Important resources that support policy implementation include: adequate staff and good skills to carry out their duties, authorities and facilities that can support the implementation of public services.

Disposition

The tendency of the attitude of implementers has important consequences for effective policy implementation. If implementers are kind to a particular policy which in this case means support, they are more likely to implement the policy as the initial decision makers intended.

Bureaucratic structure

The bureaucracy is one of the most frequent and even overall policy-implementing bodies, both government structures and private organizations.

Based on the answers of the informants, it can be concluded that the implementation of social assistance distribution in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City was carried out by considering aspects of communication, sources, tendencies or behaviors, and bureaucratic structure. In terms of implementation, social assistance programs have been running in accordance with applicable regulations. However, coordination between stakeholders needs to be improved so that this social assistance program can be more targeted.

Effectiveness is the ability to carry out tasks, functions (operations, activities, programs or missions) of an organization or the like, for which there is no pressure or tension in their implementation. Effectiveness is also a correlation of the degree of success of an operation in a public area. An activity can be said to be effective if the activity has a major impact on the ability to provide community services that are the main target.

The Social Safety Net Program (JPS) is a government policy to overcome the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the community. This policy is an urgent short-term agenda implemented by the government to minimize the long-term consequences of the spread of Covid-19. It can also be known the facts that occur in the field that the distribution of social assistance in the JPS program still has several obstacles that cause tension in its implementation so that it is not in line with the concept of effectiveness theory.

In the field, inaccuracy of targets is still identified as the main problem that often arises in almost every social assistance program provided by the government. Inaccuracy of targets is caused by data that is not updated regularly both at the regional and central government levels. In line with this, referring to the results of Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC) research conducted from 5 to 6 May 2020, it is known that 49% of respondents consider social assistance is still not on target. Meanwhile, only 37% of respondents think the government's social assistance has reached the target.

The data shows that the social assistance distributed by the government for handling Covid-19 in Indonesia has not run optimally. The distribution of social assistance is considered not right on target because 60% of respondents stated that there are still residents who have not received social assistance even though these residents should be entitled and 29% of respondents think the social assistance provided is wrong target. In addition, 4% of respondents think the amount of assistance provided is too small, which is the reason why government social assistance is not on target.

In line with the SMRC survey, the monitoring results of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) starting from June 2 to August 31, 2020 detected several obstacles and presumptions of embezzlement of Covid-19 social assistance issued by the government, such as cuts or fees of 19.25%, inclusion errors of 17.99%, assistance not obtained by citizens 9.62%, overlapping assistance of 8.79%, and distribution of aid hampered by 4.60%. Furthermore, ICW found several other obstacles such as politicization 3.77%, unqualified staple food 0.84%, other abuse obstacles 16.32%, and non-abuse 18.82%.

If the analysis of literature and data from SMRC and ICW surveys is associated with the theory of effectiveness, it is found that the relationship has not been maximally achieved in the distribution of government social assistance in controlling Covid-19 to vulnerable and affected communities. There are still problems found in every type of social assistance provided, which is the cause of the mismatch of output with the objectives set. This situation is exacerbated by the Covid-19 basic food social assistance corruption case involving Ministry of Social Affairs officials which is evidence that social assistance programs are prone to misappropriation.

Based on the answers of the informants, it can be concluded that the process of distributing social assistance, both in the form of basic necessities and BLT, in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, is still ineffective. Many communities who should have received assistance were not recorded because of data manipulation in the field carried out by appointed implementing officers.

Obstacles to the Process of Social Aid Distribution in Handling Covid-19 in the Administration City of North Jakarta

The limitation of social assistance programs carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic is in terms of determining beneficiary data. Of the various kinds of Covid-19 social assistance programs and problems that occur, there are still problems that arise, one of which is the many regulations and regulations issued by the government that are not synchronized and in line with the community, causing new problems in the midst of people who are panicked by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The community is obliged and must obey the policies issued by the government, but the policies or rules issued by the government are not in sync between the Central Government and the Regional Government, thus making the community confused about having to act. The policies issued between the Central Government and Regional Governments should be one-stop and in sync with each other, so that the community is not confused and does not reap many protests.

Chaos in the provision of social assistance can be resolved if it is one door and one time. As long as it is not one door and not one time, it results in different and unequal perspectives. Because we are currently experiencing an emergency case where not everyone is patient. Many people vent their emotional anger, eventually causing chaos in society.

Several inhibiting factors in the distribution of social assistance to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic include:

Knowledge about the distribution of social assistance to the community, especially aid recipients, is very necessary. However, in its implementation, there is a lack of socialization about it, resulting in a lack of education in the distribution of social assistance. This is one of the things that hinders the implementation of the distribution.

The problem that always arises in the distribution of assistance provided by the government is that it is not right on target in its implementation. In the implementation of social assistance programs in the North Jakarta Administration City, there are still people who should be entitled to assistance but do not get it. On the contrary, people with good housing conditions actually get this assistance.

Data on social assistance recipients is recorded in DTKS (Integrated Social Welfare Data), which determines who is the recipient of assistance directly from the center by looking at the level of family welfare. So that right on target this assistance is also influenced by data validation. The DKI Jakarta Provincial Social Office is in charge of running programs that have been made by the government, related to data on beneficiaries of social service assistance only forwarding data obtained from each sub-district which will then be submitted to the center in this case the Ministry of Social Affairs through the Social Welfare Information System (SIKS) and the center will determine the recipients of the assistance.

Based on the answers of the informants, it can be concluded that the obstacles encountered in the process of distributing social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, including lack of socialization to the public about the procedures and requirements of social assistance recipients, lack of precise targets in providing social assistance, and data on social assistance recipients recorded in DTKS (Integrated Social Welfare Data) are invalid.

Efforts to Increase the Effectiveness of Social Aid Distribution in Handling Covid-19 in North Jakarta Administration City

There are several efforts that the government can make to improve the implementation of Covid-19 social assistance distribution. First, the government should consider self-reporting mechanisms for those affected and in need of assistance. The government can also work with other institutions or private parties, especially start-ups that empower vulnerable groups. Second, the supply side such as domestic food production must be considered, both in terms of quantity and quality. Third, the requirements for obtaining social assistance need to be relaxed in accordance with current conditions. Even when necessary, social assistance is changed to be unconditional. Fourth, clear and regular public communication is needed so that the public understands the assistance to be provided and the mechanism. Fifth, as the implementation of social assistance programs is under the Ministry of Social Affairs, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, to Regional Governments, synergy between Ministries and Institutions (K/L) is needed.

Based on the answers of the informants, it can be concluded that efforts need to be made to optimize the effectiveness of social assistance distribution in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, by increasing the social assistance procurement budget so that the number of beneficiaries can be even more, implementing officers assisting the distribution of social assistance need to be increased so that supervision can be more controlled, and there needs to be accurate data validation at the RT / RW level So that recipients of social assistance can be more targeted.

Discussion

The distribution of social assistance provided by the government to the people of Indonesia is not new. Various social assistance schemes and subsidies have been implemented by the government to fulfill basic rights, relieve dependents, and improve the living standards of underprivileged citizens. During the current pandemic, the Social Safety Net (JPS) program in the form of basic food social assistance, cash social assistance, pre-employment cards, family hope programs, and electricity subsidies is one form of government intervention in an effort to overcome the influence of Covid-19 on people who have the potential to be affected socially and economically.

Based on the results of the analysis of the effectiveness of social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City along with the obstacles and efforts made to improve the effectiveness of social assistance for people affected by Covid-19, it can be concluded that social assistance is assistance in the form of goods, money or services to individuals, families, groups or communities that are underprivileged, unable or vulnerable to social risks. The forms of social assistance that have been given to the community include the Family Hope Program (PKH), Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) in the form of basic necessities, Social Cash Assistance (BST) from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Social Safety Net (JPS), Healthy Indonesia Card (KIS), electricity subsidy assistance, Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) assistance, and other assistance for the poor.

Furthermore, the legal basis for providing social assistance for the community, especially related to handling Covid-19, includes Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 2 of 2020 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulations in Lieu of Law Number 1 of 2020 concerning State Financial Policy and Financial System Stability for Handling the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic and/or in order to Face Threats that Endanger the National Economy and/or System Stability finance becomes law; Decree of the Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 54/Huk/2020 concerning the Implementation of Basic Food Social Assistance and Cash Social Assistance in Handling the Impact of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19); and Regulation of the Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta Number 35 of 2021 concerning Procedures for Granting Grants and Social Assistance.

Meanwhile, the implementation of social assistance distribution in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City is carried out by considering aspects of communication, sources, tendencies or behaviors, and bureaucratic structure. In terms of implementation, social assistance programs have been running in accordance with applicable regulations. However, coordination between stakeholders needs to be improved so that this social assistance program can be more targeted.

In terms of effectiveness, the process of distributing social assistance, both in the form of basic necessities and BLT, in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, is still ineffective. Many communities who should have received assistance were not recorded because of data manipulation in the field carried out by appointed implementing officers.

The obstacles encountered in the process of distributing social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City include lack of socialization to the public about the procedures and requirements of social assistance recipients, lack of precise targets in providing social assistance, and data on social assistance recipients recorded in DTKS (Integrated Social Welfare Data) is invalid.

Efforts need to be made to optimize the effectiveness of social assistance distribution in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, by increasing the social assistance procurement budget so that the number of aid recipients can be even more, social assistance assistance implementation officers need to be increased so that supervision can be more controlled, and there needs to be accurate data validation at the RT / RW level so that social assistance recipients can be more targeted.

The results of this study are in line with previous research conducted by Noerraja (2021), which in his research found that social assistance distributed by the government to date is still ineffective. This is because there are still inaccurate targets for aid receipts, uneven distribution of aid, long distribution, misappropriation of funds, illegal levies, reductions in nominal amounts and resources received, inclusion and exclusion errors, to the politicization of social assistance.

Then another previous study that has the same theme is a study conducted by Fitria, et al (2021), where the research found that the effectiveness of Ponorogo Regency on Social Cash Transfer (BST) has been well realized. It can be called that because the assistance (BST) distributed in 9 stages has been received by the people who are entitled to receive it, but in the last 3 stages cash social assistance was distributed 3 times at the same time. And the problem with the distribution of Covid-19 aid is the lack or even absence of socialization from the Ponorogo Regency Government on the assistance, so many people do not understand for sure about the assistance provided during the pandemic. In the aspect of target accuracy, there are still many people who overlap the data that is a reference for providing assistance, so the effectiveness of target accuracy raises many pros and cons. In the aspect of program objectives, both the community and the implementing party have created so that the effectiveness of the distribution of social assistance runs smoothly, but in reality only the implementing party understands about the BST assistance, while the people who receive it do not understand much about the assistance during the Covid-19 outbreak. Another inhibiting factor after the implementation of this social assistance program is data validation that is less effective because there are different NIKs at the time of disbursement.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions were obtained:

1. The process of distributing social assistance, both in the form of basic necessities and BLT, in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, is still ineffective. Many people who should get help don't recorded due to data manipulation in the field carried out by appointed implementing officers.

2. Obstacles encountered in the process of distributing social assistance in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City include lack of socialization to the public about the procedures and requirements of social assistance recipients, lack of precise targets in providing social assistance, and data on social assistance recipients recorded in DTKS (Integrated Social Welfare Data) is less valid.

3. Efforts are made to optimize the effectiveness of social assistance distribution in handling Covid-19 in the North Jakarta Administration City, by increasing the social assistance procurement budget so that the number of beneficiaries can be even more, strengthening synergy between the Central Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Social Affairs in making population databases based on Population Identification Numbers, as well as the formation of integrated teams and socialization of the timing of providing assistance in the implementation of social assistance distribution so that it becomes an example for other regions.

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