Decentralisation

Why residents in Ngada district are exceptionally eager to take part in village meetings 

Faulty administrative procedures led to the misuse of village development funds in Papua

The Village Law provides recognition for traditional village institutions, but villagers in Bali and Mentawai are not interested

York University professor Abidin Kusno shares reflections on Ahok's leadership

Indonesia’s political parties have lost control over the national budgeting process, as members of parliament prioritise their constituencies – and themselves.

When visitors take pictures of Indonesia, they tend to photograph Indonesia’s cultural heritage.  These pictures share certain qualities. They seem harmonious and to be of activities or places that have remained the same for generations or centuries. They also often exclude people or represent them as bound by history and relics of a past era

The end of the boom has not meant an end to the perilous impact of coal mining in East Kalimantan

Bandung’s civic improvement program continues after its patron is imprisoned 

The new Village Law pumps money directly into subsistence villages: a crazy idea, or new development paradigm?

Jokowi’s fresh approach to social welfare and development will not be without its challenges

More action is needed if Indonesia is to slow its current world record rate of forest loss

Herb Feith Annual Memorial Lecture 2014

A story of mass starvation tells us much about media coverage and local government in Papua

The second round of direct elections for governors and district heads shows that democratisation is allowing powerful families to entrench themselves in local politics

Papua’s rural lowlands are being transformed by an encroaching global economy, but what happens to the people there is an open question

As infectious diseases spread, strategic governance becomes ever more important

Regional governments around Indonesia are devising new and ambitious free healthcare schemes for their electorates, but to what end?

Healthcare in Indonesia suffers from many chronic problems that only healthier politics can cure

Bandung’s government opts for a religious program that matches the city’s character