<![CDATA[Bureaucratic downsizing is widely promoted as a strategy for improving public-sector efficiency by reducing hierarchical layers and accelerating decision-making. However, whether structural simplification actually improves local-government performance remains contested, particularly in decentralized administrative systems. This study examines how bureaucratic downsizing affects local-government performance in Indonesia and identifies the organizational mechanisms underlying its consequences. Using a qualitative comparative case-study design, the study analyzes documentary evidence and semi-structured interviews with officials involved in bureaucratic reform and organizational management. The findings indicate that downsizing can improve performance when reducing hierarchical layers genuinely simplifies administrative processes, strengthens decision-making flexibility, and redistributes authority to competent officials. However, structural reduction can also generate coordination problems, increased managerial workloads, role ambiguity, and weakened supervision when responsibilities remain unchanged. The study concludes that downsizing does not automatically produce a more effective bureaucracy. Its effectiveness depends on functional simplification, organizational capacity, appropriate authority redistribution, and redesigned coordination and accountability mechanisms.]]>
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