National

A Central Java village has been revitalised by sustainable, socially responsible design

A link to Australia’s support of the Indonesian revolution

Can the descendants of both sides of 1965 come together to help the nation achieve reconciliation?

Can the industry’s political and financial resources continue to stall important regulatory change?

Indonesia needs political reform, not just legal prosecution, to eradicate corruption in palm oil plantations

Indonesia’s unions are engaging in electoral politics in unprecedented ways in an attempt to balance the influence of business

Democratic institutions are increasingly burdened by the illicit transactions and collusive practices of politico-business elites

Indonesia's economic and political transformation has been remarkable, now the challenge is to deliver rapid, broad-based improvements in living standards

   Eve Warburton The worlds of private business and public office are deeply enmeshed in contemporary Indonesia. At the national level and down into the districts, democratic institutions are brimming with opportunities to extort money. From elections, to party leadership ballots, to budget processes in the parliament, it can seem like Indonesia’s entire democratic system works on a foundation of business transactions. These same transactions lubricate the world of business, providing companies with access to government contracts, licenses and sometimes even regulatory reprieve. A patronage system of incessant backscratching between state officials and business elites appears to undergird Indonesia’s political economy.

Riverbank settlers love Jokowi, but they don’t want him to become president

In Jakarta, 7-Eleven found a loophole that allowed it to break into small-format retailing, transforming itself and contributing to a revolution in Indonesian retail in the process

While material inducements to voters have been prevalent in 2014, candidates also employ innovative campaign strategies to attract support

The distribution of money, goods and other benefits is an integral part of electioneering in Indonesia

Jokowi’s path to the presidency might not be as smooth as it once seemed, but he is still the front runner

Edward Aspinall Indonesia’s legislative elections offer a window into the deep forces shaping the country, and a glimpse of its political future Indonesia is part way through its election year, having held its legislative elections on 9 April, and with the country now gearing up for the first round of the presidential polls in July. With more than 235,000 candidates running for seats in national, provincial and district legislatures around the country, the April poll was a massive logistical affair. It was also the culmination of years of effort, expense and stress for a huge number of people. Yet in some ways, the actual results of the election were an anti-climax.

A marriage of convenience lies behind a campaign to defend Kopassus soldiers on trial for murder in Yogyakarta

Cosmopolitanism is a magnificent ideal for a world torn by divisions and it exists in Indonesia in some surprising places. But how deep does and can it go? Gerry van Klinken

Indonesia at the Venice Biennale, 2013

Leila S. Chudori’s novel Pulang is an important addition to a growing literature examining the events of 1965-66 and its aftermath