The Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought (FUPI) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening academic tradition and scholarly contributions to public issues through a Public Lecture and Book Discussion on the Handbook of Public Policy Analysis and Governance: Nurturing Policy, Strengthening Governance, Realizing Shared Prosperity. The event was held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in the Smart Room on the second floor of FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga. Attended by the deanery, faculty members, and master's students at FUPI, it also marked the launch of the book and the strengthening of institutional cooperation between FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga and the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Universitas Brawijaya (UB).

FUPI Dean Prof. Dr. H. Robby Habiba Abror, M.Hum., in his remarks, expressed appreciation for the publication of the Handbook of Public Policy Analysis and Governance, which was written and developed through the contributions of a number of scholars. In his view, the work is an important part of efforts to enrich the body of knowledge, particularly in public policy studies, which are closely tied to people's lives.

Prof. Robby also stressed the importance of understanding academic work in a more substantive way. He said that luxury in life today is not always about material possessions, but also lies in the willingness to enjoy and commit oneself to the work one does, including writing, producing scholarly work, and developing ideas.

In the context of public policy, he said, such intellectual work must be accompanied by ethical responsibility. He emphasized the importance of justice in the formulation and implementation of policy. Public policy, he said, should not lose its human dimension and social responsibility.

The book launch is particularly relevant because Indonesian-language literature on public policy analysis remains relatively limited. Most available references are English-language literature or translated works. The Handbook of Public Policy Analysis and Governance aims to fill that gap while offering a more comprehensive reference for academics, lecturers, students, and others with an interest in policy analysis.

The 418-page book does not merely invite readers to understand policy in terms of regulations or end results. Instead, it places ways of thinking and strategies for analyzing the policy process at the center. It explains how actors, processes, policy design, governance, and governability interrelate in determining whether a policy succeeds.

Prof. Dr. Purwo Santoso, M.A., a professor at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and one of the speakers, presented on "Manuscript Curation: Sharpening Public Policy Analysis Skills." He explained the intellectual process behind the handbook's preparation. He served as both editor and curator, helping to turn an initial collection of essays in edited volume into a more structured handbook with a strong analytical thread.

According to Prof. Purwo, the curation process involved reorganizing the structure and flow of thought in the manuscript without removing any articles or changing the authors' basic arguments. He also strengthened the use of wording in chapter titles that reflects the dimensions of public policy analysis, so that the book's identity and analytical focus are clearer.

The book's 23 chapters are grouped into three main parts. Part One, Chapters 1–7, covers the actors and processes of public policy. Part Two, Chapters 8–15, offers a range of approaches, tips, concepts, designs, and particular contexts or lenses for analyzing policy. Part Three, Chapters 16–23, takes up the dimensions of governance and governability.

Prof. Purwo emphasized that the ability to categorize, identify, and find the common thread across various problems is an important analytical skill for both authors and students. He also reinforced the book's epistemological foundation as a basis for building public policy analysis.

The next speaker, Dr. M. Fauzi Said, M.Si., Secretary of the FISIP Senate at Universitas Brawijaya, spoke on "Assessment as a Thinking Template for Policy Analysis: Indonesian Higher Education." He highlighted issues in higher education policy, particularly disparities in the application of regulations and accreditation instruments between public and private universities, and between universities in Java and those outside Java.

Drawing on his experience as an assessor, Dr. Fauzi views policy analysis as an important template for reading and auditing university policy. He also pointed to the challenge of graduate employability and the importance of ensuring alignment among curricula, education policy, and the needs of graduate employers.

He proposed that attention be given to the design of distance education policy and face-to-face learning models so that the policies adopted do not create new disparities for universities, especially private universities in the regions. Accreditation and university governance, he added, also require policy attention at the national level.

Meanwhile, Rector of Universitas Wijaya Kusuma Surabaya Prof. Dr. Ir. Rr. Nugrahini Susantinah Wisnujati, M.Si., author of Chapter 7, "Analysis of Cooperative Policy Design Around the World," stressed that the success of public policy is not determined by regulation alone. Actors, implementation processes, governance, and institutional design also determine whether a policy can deliver real benefits to society.

She cited village cooperative policy as one that should be viewed critically, not only by the number of cooperatives formed but by their effectiveness and impact on society. The experience of the Mondragon Corporation in Spain is also a lesson that cooperatives can grow through the integration of science, technology, research, and universities.

In her view, universities play an important role in producing innovations that can address society's problems. Academic activities, research, and student affairs should therefore be directed so that they do not stop at academic achievement but are oriented toward social impact and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From the perspective of studies of religious communities and organizations, Head of the Master's Program in Religious Studies at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Dr. Dian Nur Anna, M.A., addressed the theme "Foregrounding the Role of Agency in Policy Analysis: Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama." Her chapter examines how Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, the two largest civil society organizations in Indonesia, responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Using William N. Dunn's policy analysis framework, the study looks at the process from problem formulation and the formulation of policy alternatives to implementation and policy outcomes. It shows that the two organizations differ in character and implementation patterns.

Muhammadiyah showed a more structured and hierarchical decision-making process, while NU showed stronger dynamics at the grassroots level, where local leaders and community members adapted central decisions. Similar dynamics were also seen in the two organizations' special branches in Malaysia, which had to adjust policies to local government regulations.

The study also broadens the understanding of agency in public policy. Agency in politics and policy is not held only by the state but can also be exercised by civil society and community organizations.

In addition to the book launch and discussion, the event was a strategic occasion for FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga to strengthen institutional networks with other universities. On the same occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga and FISIP Universitas Brawijaya.

The partnership is intended to strengthen collaboration between the two faculties and deepen institutional ties between UIN Sunan Kalijaga and Universitas Brawijaya. Areas of collaboration include collaborative research, book writing and publishing, seminars, academic and intellectual strengthening, and the development of cooperation that supports institutional quality improvement.

The partnership also has a longer track record. Universitas Brawijaya and the Master's Program in Religious Studies at UIN Sunan Kalijaga have worked together since 2021 up to this year. The new MoU between FUPI and FISIP UB is a further step to extend that collaboration to the faculty level and open up broader synergies.

For FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga, the launch of the Handbook of Public Policy Analysis and Governance and the signing of the MoU show that academic tradition does not stop at producing knowledge, but is directed toward building networks, bringing together perspectives across institutions, and generating ideas that can contribute to solving public problems.

Through stronger academic collaboration and the production of relevant knowledge, FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga continues to play a role in bringing together scholarship, values, and real-world societal issues. This effort is in line with UIN Sunan Kalijaga's aim of developing Islamic higher education that is not only academically excellent but also able to make a wider impact on society. (humassk)