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Indonesia

Coping with the economic fallout of COVID-19 in upland Java

Some rural villages have escaped the virus so far, but downturns in tourism and market demand for produce may yet exacerbate already challenging economic conditions.

Indonesian disability activism amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Indonesian disability activists are leading action to assess needs and advocate for the inclusivity in the government's COVID-19 response.

COVID-19 mitigation measures compound an economic crisis in Sumba

Infection rates appear low in NTT, but the economic impacts of the pandemic combined with poor harvest yield are potentially devastating.

Indonesia’s agro nationalism in the pandemic

"Can Indonesia have food security without security?" Colum Graham looks at who really benefits from the government’s recent measures to address Indonesia’s food crisis.

Dignified quarantine: indigenous strategies for containing COVID-19 in Indonesia

“For hundreds of years, we’ve been practising so-called self-quarantine. Long before the recent COVID-19 outbreak. We called it besesandingon.”

Have reports of Bali’s death been greatly exaggerated?

With tourism making up a relatively small portion of Indonesia’s GDP, investment and household consumption do the heavy lifting in this trillion-dollar economy.

What’s driving Indonesia’s moral turn?

The intensification of punitive sexual surveillance in Indonesia goes deeper than the rise of conservative Islam.

Post-COVID 19: Deepening deprivation for young people

Young people are at a higher risk of mental health conditions when compared to the rest of the population, leading to poorer health outcomes, human rights violations and local and global economic loss.

Exhibition review: Mythlines and Memories: new batiks by Dias Prabu

The artists' imagery evokes the collective ethical and moral challenges of our times through the lens of epochs past, writes Greg Doyle.

Can Indonesia’s fight against COVID-19 overcome troubled central-regional coordination?

The success of large-scale social restrictions is heavily reliant on effective coordination.

Without social safety nets, Indonesia risks political instability over COVID-19

Economic disasters have a history of bringing down governments in Indonesia; COVID-19 impacts hardest on the disadvantaged in an already fragile system.

From the field: COVID-19 responses in Central Java

While reports of central government mismanagement are widespread, local and regional officials are implementing sound strategies that account for limited resourcing.

Lessons from Brasilia: on the empty modernity of Indonesia’s new capital

Indonesian officials are raising Brasilia as a model for relocating the capital city to East Kalimantan. But Brazil's experience with Brasilia is not a positive lesson from history, but a warning.

Jakarta voters: leaders are key in cuing policy assessments

Research shows most voters use shortcuts to assess public policy. Afrimadona argues that in Jakarta, the leader associated with the policy is key, even if voters might lean elsewhere with different information.

Scientific homophobia: misusing science in Indonesia

Anti-LGBT groups merges scientific jargon with religious conservatism to deliberately obscure the larger terrain of academic debates.

Nationalist rhetoric is impeding climate action in Indonesia

Indonesia's environmental policies are at odds with the rhetoric around palm oil production and Indonesians are not equipped with enough information to understand the risks of a changing climate.

Jokowi’s Macron moment: moving fast or moving together?

Indonesia’s labour unions refer to the new omnibus legislation proposed by the government as RUU Cilaka, which sounds like the Bahasa Indonesia word for “wretched”.

Was Majapahit really an empire?

A critical reflection on the emergence, dominance and legacy of Java’s historic ‘empire’.

Politicising the label radical?

Extremist labels are being utilised to repress criticism, strong-arm opponents and silence challengers of the Indonesian government.

Indonesia’s democratic paradox

The co-existence of Indonesia’s competitive elections with illiberal trends appears contradictory but the two are in fact interrelated.

Why good women lose elections in Indonesia

Penelitian baru menunjuk bahwa sikap patriarkal dan institusi yang kurang ramah menghalangi suksesnya kandidat perempuan dalam pemilihan.

Why Indonesia’s electoral system needs reform

Lawmakers have an opportunity to work with experts in civil society and academia to make politics less dependent on financial sponsors.

Jokowinomics gambles with Indonesia’s democratisation

Jokowi's controversial new cabinet aims to secure buy-in from elites for large-scale economic reform. Will the wager pay off?