Rizanna Rosemary, Elisabeth Kramer, Lisa Adhrianti, Fizzy Andriani, Irwa Zarkasi
In Indonesia, the 2012 national mandate for provinces to establish smoke-free areas (SFA) created a natural experiment in policy diffusion, with implementation timelines varying dramatically across the country’s 34 provinces. This article examines the development of SFA regulations in the province of Aceh, from the 2012 mandate through to the eventual enactment of SFA regulations in February 2021. Viewed as a health communication process, this study uses an issue frames analysis to examine three research questions: What supported or undermined the creation of SFA regulation in Aceh and, using our identified issue frames, how can we explain the trajectory of SFA policy development in Aceh? With this information, we reflected on a third question: what does this case reveal about the mechanisms of policy diffusion in a decentralized Indonesia? Drawing on media articles, government documents and semi-structured interviews, we identified diagnostic and motivational frames classified as: facilitating factors, delays to action, professional responsibility, health and safety, and economic concerns. Our analysis reveals that policy stasis was a result of ineffective frame communication, as pro-SFA policy frames existed for years without policy action until new conditions emerged. 2019 represented a turning point in SFA policy development, with the emergence of a policy champion with legislative authority. This was supported by additional context in 2020, with pressure from the national government and, later, the incorporation of religious justification in the SFA regulation draft that reframed the regulation as an Islamic responsibility. Once these elements aligned, communication and process were swift, and the required regulation passed within 8 months. These findings advance frame theory by demonstrating that frame effectiveness depends on institutional positioning and temporal alignment, not merely discursive persuasiveness. For policy implementation, the case study shows that national mandates require complementary local mechanisms, including monitoring, champion cultivation, and context-specific justification. © The Author(s) 2026.
Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Research Center for Social and Cultural Studies (PRISB), Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; University of Bengkulu, Bengkulu, Indonesia; Universitas Prof Dr. Moestopo (Beragama), Jakarta, Indonesia; Universitas of Al-Azhar, Jakarta, Indonesia
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