[ABSTRAKKarya tulis ini berfokus pada isu pemekaran wilayah (khususnya kota dankabupaten) di Indonesia. Teori-teori menyarankan bahwa pemekaran,dikombinasikan dengan desentralisasi dapat membawa manfaat bagi masyarakat.Para pendukung pemekaran menekankan keunggulan pemerintahan yang kecildengan masyarakat yang lebih homogen dapat lebih efektif dalam memberikanpelayanan public. Hal ini didukung dengan adanya transfer fiskal dari pemerintahpusat yang menjamin kelangsungan operasi pemerintah daerah. Tapi, banyakpenelitian menyimpulkan pelayanan public di daerah otonomi baru belum sesuaidengan apa yang diharapkan.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menilai kinerja daerah otonom baru dalammemberikan pelayanan public dan meningkatkan kinerja ekonomi denganmenggunakan metode difference in difference. Kami menemukan bahwa, kotabaru berhasil mengoptimalkan otonomi yang lebih luas untuk menjaga ataubahkan melampaui prestasi pelayan public dari kota yang tidak mengalamipemekaran. Sebaliknya, kabupaten baru mengalami kesulitan untuk memperbaikikondisi mereka setelah pemekaran. Kami menekankan pentingnya perbaikanprosedur evaluasi terhadap pengusulan pembentukan daerah otonomi baru untukmenghasilkan daerah otonomi baru yang lebih berkualitas.

---

ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the separation of municipalities (cities and districts)in Indonesia. Theories suggest that separations, combined with decentralization,bring about benefits to the people. Proponents of separations in the real world alsoemphasize various promises of separations and the creation of new localgovernments. The presence of generous fiscal transfers from the centralgovernment is also likely to allow the newly created municipalities to provide ahigher level of public services. But anecdotes suggest that public services havenot improved in many of the new regions.This research aimed to assess new autonomous region performance indelivering public service and improving economic performance by usingDifference in Difference method. We found that, in following years afterseparation, new cities was managed to optimize the effect of separation to keep upor even surpass unseparated region?s public service achievement. In contrast, newrural districts suffer difficulties to improve their condition following theseparation. We stressed the improvement of screening procedure in order to createmore qualified and self-reliant new autonomous regions in the future.;This paper focuses on the separation of municipalities (cities and districts)in Indonesia. Theories suggest that separations, combined with decentralization,bring about benefits to the people. Proponents of separations in the real world alsoemphasize various promises of separations and the creation of new localgovernments. The presence of generous fiscal transfers from the centralgovernment is also likely to allow the newly created municipalities to provide ahigher level of public services. But anecdotes suggest that public services havenot improved in many of the new regions.This research aimed to assess new autonomous region performance indelivering public service and improving economic performance by usingDifference in Difference method. We found that, in following years afterseparation, new cities was managed to optimize the effect of separation to keep upor even surpass unseparated region?s public service achievement. In contrast, newrural districts suffer difficulties to improve their condition following theseparation. We stressed the improvement of screening procedure in order to createmore qualified and self-reliant new autonomous regions in the future., This paper focuses on the separation of municipalities (cities and districts)in Indonesia. Theories suggest that separations, combined with decentralization,bring about benefits to the people. Proponents of separations in the real world alsoemphasize various promises of separations and the creation of new localgovernments. The presence of generous fiscal transfers from the centralgovernment is also likely to allow the newly created municipalities to provide ahigher level of public services. But anecdotes suggest that public services havenot improved in many of the new regions.This research aimed to assess new autonomous region performance indelivering public service and improving economic performance by usingDifference in Difference method. We found that, in following years afterseparation, new cities was managed to optimize the effect of separation to keep upor even surpass unseparated region’s public service achievement. In contrast, newrural districts suffer difficulties to improve their condition following theseparation. We stressed the improvement of screening procedure in order to createmore qualified and self-reliant new autonomous regions in the future.]