Organizational Innovation and Human Capital Development Through Cooperative-Based Empowerment of Kamoro Fishermenin Mimika Regency
Purpose: This study aims to analyze the impact of the Maria Bintang Laut Cooperative (Koperasi Maria Bintang Laut/KMBL) on the economic empowerment, program participation, and income changes of Kamoro fishermen in Nawaripi Village before and after the cooperative’s establishment.
Research Methodology: A mixed-method design was used involving 30 fishermen respondents and six key informants. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, observation, and documentation (Nov 2025–Jan 2026). Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using cross-tabulation, while qualitative data were analyzed using Miles-Huberman thematic analysis, supported by triangulation.
Results: KMBL improved fishermen’s welfare through subsidized fishing transport, guaranteed market contracts, and higher fish prices, increasing daily income from IDR 75,000–100,000 to IDR 100,000–300,000. Participation was high in operational activities but low in decision-making. However, challenges remain, including limited access to cooperative loans and negative market stigma related to perceived environmental contamination.
Conclusions: KMBL has improved fishermen’s economic welfare through better access, market certainty, and higher prices, but it has not fully functioned as a comprehensive empowerment institution due to limited training, low substantive participation, restricted capital access, and dependence on external support.
Limitations: The study is limited to one village with 30 respondents, uses a cross-sectional design, relies on self-reported income data, and covers only a short observation period, which limits seasonal variation analysis.
Contributions: This study provides the first mixed-method analysis of KMBL’s empowerment mechanism, identifying participation imbalance and market stigma issues, and offers policy recommendations for improving cooperative-based empowerment in Papua’s extractive industry context.