Desa lahir sebelum bangsa ini terbentuk dan desa mampu mengatur sendiri dengan nilai-nilai yang dianutnya. Desa di Indonesia begitu banyak dan beragam dengan segala keunikanya. Pengaturan tentang desa di Indonesia sudah berlangsung semenjak zaman kolonial sampai sekarang. Sebelum adanya UU No. 6 Tahun 2014 Tentang Desa, posisi desa sebagai pemerintahan, berada dibawah camat dan kabupaten. Banyak nilai-nilai asli desa redup dan luntur akibat dari penyeragamn pengaturan yang dilakukan oleh negara sehingga keaslian desa tereduksi. Kehadiran UU Desa bertujuan mengembalikan otonomi desa dan nilai-nilai lokal yang ada disetiap desa. Selain itu, diharapkan juga terbentuknya kemandirian dan kesejahteraan desa melalui UU Desa. Studi ini hendak mengkaji sejauh mana dinamika otonomi desa di Indonesia pasca UU Desa, mengangkat kasus di Desa Margasari dan Lebaksiu Lor Kabupaten Tegal. Studi ini dilakukan dengan menjawab dua pertanyaan penelitian berikut: 1) Bagaimana institusi desa merespon UU No. 6 Tahun 2014 tentang Desa terkait agenda membangun otonomi desa. 2) Bagaimana respon institusi desa tersebut mempengaruhi variasi kualitas otonomi desa.
Analisis data dalam penelitian ini digunakan teori historical institutionalism dan governability. Teori historical institutionalism digunakan untuk melihat bagaimana institusi desa merespon UU Desa dan keterkaitanya dengan lintasan sejarah serta hal informal lainya yang mempengaruhi desa. Sedangkan governability digunakan untuk melihat kapasitas desa dalam menjalankan agenda otonomi desa. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus untuk menarasikan serta melihat bagaimana otonomi desa berjalan dan bagaimana dinamikanya yang terjadi di lapangan. Data lapangan diperoleh dengan melakukan observasi lapangan, dilanjutkan dengan proses wawancara, dokumentasi dan juga dengan studi literatur dari tulisan-tulisan terkait sebelumnya.
Hasil penelitian ini dapat diringkas pada dua poin penting. Pertama, Walaupun dikeluarkanya UU Desa tersebut memberikan posisi yang jelas pada desa sebagai pemerintah yang otonom tetapi peraturan dibawahnya masih merangkeng desa dan menjadikan desa kembali sebagai institusi di bawah pemerintah daerah serta desa masih memiliki ketergantungan, walaupun desa tersebut dalam kategori desa mandiri. Kedua, Kapasitas desa dalam mengimplementasikan UU Desa terkait otonomi desa juga masih sangat kurang (low capacity), hal ini terlihat dari interaksi yang dibangun antara entitas politik yang ada dengan karakteristik hirarki yaitu dengan gaya intervensi dari atas ke bawah yang diekspresikan dalam kebijakan, aturan, dan regulasi.

ABSTRACT:
Villages were born before this nation was formed and villages are able to organize themselves with their own values. Villages in Indonesia are numerous and diverse with all their uniqueness. The regulation of villages in Indonesia has been ongoing since the colonial era until now. Prior to Law No. 6/2014 on Villages, the position of the village as a government was under the sub-district and district governments. Many of the village's original values have faded as a result of the uniformity of the state's regulation, which has reduced the authenticity of the village. The Village Law aims to restore village autonomy and local values in each village. In addition, it is also expected that village independence and welfare will be established through the Village Law. This study aims to examine the dynamics of village autonomy in Indonesia after the Village Law, taking the case of Margasari and Lebaksiu Lor villages in Tegal Regency. This study was conducted by answering the following two research questions: 1) How village institutions respond to Law No. 6/2014 on Villages related to the agenda of building village autonomy. 2) How the response of village institutions affects variations in the quality of village autonomy.
Data analysis in this study used historical institutionalism and governability theory. Historical institutionalism theory is used to see how village institutions respond to the Village Law and its relationship with historical trajectories and other informal matters that affect the village. Meanwhile, governability is used to see the capacity of the village in carrying out the village autonomy agenda. This research uses a qualitative method with a case study approach to narrate and see how village autonomy works and how its dynamics occur in the field. Field data was obtained by conducting field observations, followed by an interview process, documentation and also by studying literature from previous related writings.
The results of this research can be summarized in two important points. First, although the issuance of the Village Law gives a clear position to the village as an autonomous government, the regulations underneath still embrace the village and make the village back as an institution under the local government and the village still has dependence, even though the village is in the category of an independent village. Second, the capacity of the village in implementing the Village Law related to village autonomy is also still very low (low capacity), this can be seen from the interactions built between existing political entities with hierarchical characteristics, namely with a top-down intervention style expressed in policies, rules and regulations.