By any indicator, Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation on earth, is a development success story. Yet 20 years after a deep economic and political crisis, it is still in some respects an economy in transition. The country recovered from the 1997–98 crisis and navigated the path from authoritarian to democratic rule surprisingly quickly and smoothly. It survived the 2008–09 global financial crisis and the end of the China-driven commodity super boom in 2014 with little difficulty. It is now embarking on its fifth round of credible national elections in the democratic era. It is in the process of graduating to the upper middle-income ranks. But, as the 25 contributors to this comprehensive and compelling volume document, Indonesia also faces many daunting challenges — how to achieve faster economic growth along with more attention to environment sustainability, how to achieve more equitable development outcomes, how to develop and nurture stronger institutional foundations, and much else. “This is a timely and much-needed book. There are very few recent books on Indonesia with such a comprehensive analysis of not just mainstream economic policies, but also most importantly the key issues of human capital, inequality, social welfare, labour, food security and natural resource management. This book will not only be crucial for policy discourse but for all stakeholders who care about Indonesia making the transition not only to a high-income economy, but an inclusive one.” — Mari Pangestu, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia “The Indonesian Economy in Transition: Policy Challenges in the Jokowi Era and Beyond is one of the most important books that discusses the Indonesian economy post–Asian Financial Crisis. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand contemporary Indonesian economy.” — M. Chatib Basri, former Minister of Finance of Indonesia

Analytical work on Indonesian macroeconomic and financial issues, with an overarching theme on building institutions and policies for prosperity and inclusive growth. The book begins with a 20-year economic overview by former Finance Minister Chatib Basri, with subsequent chapters covering diverse sectors of the economy as well as Indonesia’s place in the global economy.

This book gives insight on the dynamics and route of economic policies that have been taken and implemented since the point of institutional reforms in 1998 that were triggered from the context of the financial crisis in 1997/1998. The condition brought a different paradigm on the landscape of economic and development policies, especially in the case of the monetary and financial structure, the international trade sector, the manufacturing sector, the taxes administration policy and the evolved context of decentralization and development of public sector policies in general. Given state of current economic development, this book offers suggestions to address economic issues that require improvements. This book is unique as: 1) it is about Indonesia, a country mostly affected by 1997/1998 financial crisis, which also lead to a change in regime; 2) it covers a broad range of thematic topics on sectors development and institutional changes from major policies that have been taken; and 3) it posits both existing and future challenges on monetary and financial sectors, trade, manufacturing and competitiveness, as well as on development of decentralization policies.

‘Diagnosing the Indonesian Economy: Toward Inclusive and Green Growth’ discusses the critical constrains to inclusive economic growth in Indonesia. The volume includes a broad overview of Indonesia’s development since the 1960s, and features an analytic framework for the study that aims to identify the most binding constraints. The chapters analyze macroeconomic management since the Asian financial crisis; the status of Indonesia’s industrial transformation; the challenges pertaining to Indonesia’s infrastructure; the situation of human capital and employment; the record on poverty reduction; the impact and status of the decentralization effort; and the challenges attendant to the country’s environment and natural resources.

This book gives insight on the dynamics and route of economic policies that have been taken and implemented since the point of institutional reforms in 1998 that were triggered from the context of the financial crisis in 1997/1998. The condition brought a different paradigm on the landscape of economic and development policies, especially in the case of the monetary and financial structure, the international trade sector, the manufacturing sector, the taxes administration policy and the evolved context of decentralization and development of public sector policies in general. Given state of current economic development, this book offers suggestions to address economic issues that require improvements. This book is unique as: 1) it is about Indonesia, a country mostly affected by 1997/1998 financial crisis, which also lead to a change in regime; 2) it covers a broad range of thematic topics on sectors development and institutional changes from major policies that have been taken; and 3) it posits both existing and future challenges on monetary and financial sectors, trade, manufacturing and competitiveness, as well as on development of decentralization policies.

Few countries have experienced such sharply fluctuating fortunes as Indonesia. This book offers a balanced analysis, evaluation and explanation of Indonesia's economic performance, from 1967. Hal Hill highlights Indonesia's successes during this period - rapid industrialisation, major achievements in the food crop sector and the adoption, from the mid-1980s, of outward-looking policies. He also draws attention to the challenges facing the country, including the rocky path towards economic reform, the large external debt, regional and ethnic disparities, and the need for a transparent and predictable policy environment. In this second edition, an extended postscript takes the story through the dramatic turnaround and political and economic crises since 1997, including the downfall of Soeharto.

Living Standards Measurement Studies Paper 104. The impact of children's health on their schooling success has been the focus of much research. While studies have concluded that there is a correlation between the health of the children and their performance at school, there is an increasing argument surrounding the limitations of the research. Many such studies measure schooling achievement through school attendance rates. This paper analyzes the failure of research to control for the fact that schooling and health are determined simultaneously. Such failure would lead to biased estimates. The study explores the possible biases and provides new evidence on the interrelationship between child health and schooling.

This volume is a collection of chapters on the Indonesian economy under Abdurrahman Wahid (popularly known as Gus Dur). Contributions come from many leading Indonesian commentators and practitioners of the past and present, and there are also chapters from representatives of international assistance agencies. The authors provide a mid-term assessment of the challenges facing Indonesia's economic development and suggestions for future directions. The themes covered are, inter alia, overall political and macroeconomic stability, bank and corporate restructuring, decentralization, corruption, and socio-economic trends. This book will be of interest to those wishing to assess the varying perspectives held by Indonesian officials and commentators, officials from multilateral agencies, and academics, in a single volume.

It is well known that Taiwan and South Korea, both former Japanese colonies, achieved rapid growth and industrialization after 1960. The performance of former European and American colonies (Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines) has been less impressive. Some scholars have attributed the difference to better infrastructure and greater access to education in Japan’s colonies. Anne Booth examines and critiques such arguments in this ambitious comparative study of economic development in East and Southeast Asia from the beginning of the twentieth century until the 1960s. Booth takes an in-depth look at the nature and consequences of colonial policies for a wide range of factors, including the growth of export-oriented agriculture and the development of manufacturing industry. She evaluates the impact of colonial policies on the growth and diversification of the market economy and on the welfare of indigenous populations. Indicators such as educational enrollments, infant mortality rates, and crude death rates are used to compare living standards across East and Southeast Asia in the 1930s. Her analysis of the impact that Japan’s Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere and later invasion and conquest had on the region and the living standards of its people leads to a discussion of the painful and protracted transition to independence following Japan’s defeat. Throughout Booth emphasizes the great variety of economic and social policies pursued by the various colonial governments and the diversity of outcomes. Lucidly and accessibly written, Colonial Legacies offers a balanced and elegantly nuanced exploration of a complex historical reality. It will be a lasting contribution to scholarship on the modern economic history of East and Southeast Asia and of special interest to those concerned with the dynamics of development and the history of colonial regimes.

Indonesia's gross domestic product growth rate declined significantly after the Asian financial crisis (AFC) of 1997–1998. The country's potential and balance-of-payments growth rates are only about 5.5% and 3%, respectively. One important reason is that the country's industrialization pace declined after the AFC. Today, Indonesia is still exporting many unprocessed natural resources and simple manufactures (not complex products) with a low income elasticity of demand. This report analyzes how Indonesia's manufacturing sector could diversify and upgrade during 2020–2024 and beyond. This is essential if Indonesia is to attain upper middle-income status as soon as possible. Policy makers and the private sector need to collaborate to identify the coordination failures that hamper the discovery of those products that Indonesia could successfully produce and export. These must be complex products with a high income elasticity of demand. The report proposes a number of policies to expedite this process.