<![CDATA[The debureaucratization policy in higher education governance represents the government's effort to simplify administrative processes and enhance the effectiveness of academic responsibilities. The issuance of Ministerial Decree of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Number 39/M/KEP/2026 reflects a policy shift that affects the roles, workloads, and professional autonomy of lecturers in carrying out teaching, research, and community service activities. This study aims to analyze the legal politics underlying the debureaucratization policy and to examine its implications for lecturers’ professionalism and welfare. The research employs a normative legal method using statutory and conceptual approaches. Data were collected through library research involving regulations, policy documents, and relevant academic literature. The findings indicate that the debureaucratization policy was designed as an instrument of higher education governance reform aimed at promoting efficiency, flexibility, and the improvement of academic services. At the same time, its implementation has generated various implications for lecturers, including opportunities to strengthen professionalism through the reduction of administrative burdens, as well as challenges related to policy certainty and the fulfillment of welfare aspects. This study highlights the importance of harmonizing bureaucratic simplification objectives with the protection of lecturers’ rights and interests to ensure that policy reforms are implemented in a sustainable and equitable manner.]]>
