Anti-Corruption Governance through Nurcholish Madjid’s Perspective: Moral, Social, and Digital Reform

Abstract

Corruption poses a persistent challenge to effective governance because it undermines public trust, institutional accountability, and moral integrity. However, anti-corruption efforts that emphasize administrative and technological mechanisms may remain ineffective without support from ethical leadership and participatory social norms. This study examines how Nurcholish Madjid’s humanistic and modernist perspective can inform anti-corruption governance by integrating moral reform, community-based social control, ethical leadership, and digital transparency. Madjid was a prominent Indonesian Muslim intellectual who championed modernist ideas and authored influential works on religion, modernity, morality, and socio-political issues; his thought continues to attract the attention of scholars and activists today. Employing a qualitative research design, the study combines a literature analysis of Madjid’s major works with empirical data from a Focus Group Discussion involving local government representatives, village heads, and Islamic organization representatives, focusing on experiences in Sisir Subdistrict and Bulukerto Village. The findings indicate that digital governance mechanisms can strengthen transparency and accountability, but their effectiveness depends on moral integrity, community participation, and institutional commitment. The experiences of Sisir Subdistrict and Bulukerto Village illustrate different dimensions of this relationship: digital system integration supports administrative transparency, while community involvement strengthens social oversight. The study contributes to anti-corruption scholarship by demonstrating how moral and social dimensions can complement digital governance mechanisms within local institutional contexts. Practically, the findings suggest that sustainable anti-corruption policies should integrate ethical leadership, civic participation, community oversight, and digital accountability rather than relying on technological solutions alone.