DINAMIKA KONTRADIKTIF KEBIJAKAN PEMERINTAH DALAM PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH YANG MENGHASILKAN POLA REKURSIF KEMISKINAN BERKELANJUTAN

Abstract

Poverty remains a major challenge in development, particularly when policies place greater emphasis on infrastructure than on equitable welfare. This paradoxical situation creates a systemic vicious cycle of poverty, as seen in Gorontalo. Poverty patterns primarily occur in coastal and rural areas, reinforced by limited access to education and health care, which ultimately perpetuates poverty across generations. This research employed a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and documentation, then analyzed using an interactive model. The results show that development policies remain partial, overlapping, and lack community participation. Aid programs are predominantly consumptive, while infrastructure development is not accompanied by improvements in the quality of human resources. This actually reinforces the cycle of poverty. In conclusion, a reorientation of development policies is needed from growth-oriented to people-oriented development, with an emphasis on education, health, and community empowerment as the main strategy to break the chain of systemic poverty in a sustainable manner..