Article
LEARNING HOT SPOTS AND SMART VILLAGE GOVERNANCE: Innovation Pathways for Sustainable Rural Development
Journal Publicuho, Vol. 8 No. 4 (2025), hlm. 3067–3078
Abstrak
Sustainable rural development requires governance approaches that are inclusive, adaptive, and capable of mobilising local knowledge. While inclusive village planning has been widely promoted to address rural poverty and inequality, existing studies often overlook how planning can be systematically linked to collective learning and social innovation. This study examines how inclusive village planning contributes to sustainable rural development and how Learning Hot Spots support this process through learning-oriented governance mechanisms. Using a qualitative case study approach, the analysis draws on empirical data collected in 2021 from 30 villages in Muna Regency, Indonesia, through semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis. The findings show that inclusive village planning enhances sustainable development mainly through more equitable access to basic services, strengthened local economic capacity, and improved social well-being, although outcomes depend on participation depth and assessment quality. The study further demonstrates that Learning Hot Spots emerge when planning is treated as a collective learning process, enabling knowledge exchange, peer learning, and locally grounded innovation, while elite-dominated planning limits learning and development outcomes. The study contributes by reconceptualising Learning Hot Spots as institutional learning environments embedded within inclusive planning and underscores the importance of integrating inclusive planning, collective learning, and governance innovation to foster resilient rural development.