Major social and technological innovation is expected to be required if countries are to meet development challenges into the future. But government initiatives have typically had limited success in driving the transformative change required. Recent years have seen increasing instances of the private sector financing startups to meet societal challenges, while also generating business profits. 

What spurs private sector companies to innovate in ways that cater to lower-income customers, what forms do these innovations take, and how have governments responded to such innovation?

In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae chats with Professor Michiko Iizuka from the National Graduate Research Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). Professor Iizuka recently co-authored a three-country study (with Gerald Hane) on disruptive and inclusive innovation, which included Indonesia as one of its case studies. 

Today’s episode is the latest in the “Policy in Focus” series of Talking Indonesia episodes, supported by the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI), a partnership between the Australian and Indonesian governments that aims to improve the use of evidence in development policymaking. This series will appear periodically in alternate weeks to the regular Talking Indonesia episodes. The views expressed in this podcast episode do not represent the views of the Australian or Indonesian governments. 

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT.

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight.  

Photo credit: Sigid Kurniawan for Antara Foto

Professor Michiko Iizuka - Private Sector Innovation - Policy in Focus

Indonesia is an important global hub for minerals and resource extraction. The value of its metallic minerals and coal industry in 2020 was the ninth-largest in the world. Indonesia’s extractive sector accounts for 25 percent of exports and it is also an important source of economic growth, government revenue, employment and technology transfer. But, at the same time, scholarship has documented how extractive industries have generated social conflict, from armed separatism to political protest and high-profile legal disputes. From Aceh to West Papua’s notorious Grasberg mine, extractive industries have been called out for environmental destruction, land dispossession and human rights abuses.

Much has been written about the extractive industries, but today'sguest, Dr Lian Sinclair from the School of Geosciences at the University Sydney, takes a unique angle. Lian focuses on how corporations, governments, community groups and non-governmental organisations contest the uneven costs and benefits of extractive industries. Today she chats with Dr Jacqui Baker about how groups embrace, adapt to or resist mining projects. Her book, Undermining Resistance: Extractive Accumulation, Participation and Governance in Global Capitalism is contracted with Manchester University Press and an Indonesian version will be released simultaneously by Insist Press. Her latest research project examines the political economy of the new critical minerals required for the global transition away from carbon.

You can find more of Lian’s work on her profile or on Twitter. Also keep an eye out for announcements about the publication of her book later this year.

In 2023, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Tito Ambyo from RMIT, and Dr Jemma Purdey from Deakin University.

Photo by Richard Erari.

Dr Lian Sinclair - Undermining Resistance

Indonesia is the largest Muslim majority country in the world, but it is not an Islamic state. The place of Islam within the state has been contested over the years, with proponents for and against a larger role for Islam in government and in the lives of citizens. The groups who advocate for a more prominent role for Islam occupy a wide spectrum of ideologies, approaches, and tactics. In the post-Soeharto era, terrorist acts have drawn attention through a handful of small, but committed, jihadist organisations mounting bombings at a variety of sites including churches, hotels, and, perhaps most famously, Balinese bars.

In this episode we talk about pathways to extremism. Why do some people gravitate towards, and join, religious extremist organisations? How can we understand the difference between extremist and terrorist groups? And what important role do social relationships play in facilitating memberships and networks in this context?

In this week's episode, Elisabeth Kramer chats with guest Dr Julie Chernov Hwang, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Goucher College in Maryland. She’s especially interested in how social networks facilitate entry into and exit from jihadist groups in Southeast Asia.  She’s the author of a number of books including Why Terrorists Quit, published by Cornell University Press in 2018 and her most recent book is Becoming Jihadis: Radicalization and Commitment in Southeast Asia, published this year by Oxford University Press.

In 2023, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Tito Ambyo from RMIT, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University and Dr Elisabeth Kramer from UNSW.

Image by Masjid Pogung Dalangan from Unsplash.
Caption: Close-up of hands held up in Islamic prayer.

Dr Julie Chernov-Hwang - Pathways To Extremism

Corruption in Indonesia is widely acknowledged as a complex issue, with some even suggesting it as something that is deeply entrenched in Indonesian culture. However, this perspective overlooks the generally accepted notion among historians of colonialism that corruption in Indonesia and other post-colonial nations is, at least partially, rooted in colonialism and the abuses of power and wealth during the colonial era.

In this episode of Talking Indonesia, we examine the sugar scandal of 1926—a case involving wealthy industrialists and a powerful political party in the Dutch East Indies. We explore how a political donation, which was almost certainly considered a case of political corruption even by the standards of that era, somehow became accepted. Among various contributing factors, the fear of communism played a significant role in this acceptance.

Our guest, Uji Nugroho Winardi, is a historian involved in the Colonial Normativity research project. This initiative aims to systematically investigate and narrate the role of corruption in Dutch and Indonesian histories of state formation, as well as its enduring impact on contemporary Indonesia.

Through our discussion, we will address what insights we can glean from the 1926 sugar scandal corruption case in the Dutch East Indies, and how these historical lessons can inform our approach to tackling present-day corruption.

In 2024, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Tito Ambyo from RMIT,  Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University and Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University.

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen via your favourite podcasting app.

Photo: Sugar plantation worker in Java. Nationaal Archieve, Den Haag.

Uji Nugroho Winardi - The History of Corruption in Indonesia

In the Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae presents an extended interview each fortnight with experts on Indonesian politics, foreign policy, culture, language and more. 

Dr Philips Vermonte - Political Parties and Generational Change

Royal Family @HHI 2015

Indonesia has seen steady economic growth over the last two decades, but the manufacturing sector has continuously underperformed. The decline of the sector is particularly evident in low employment figures and a lack of productivity. Regionally, most industries remain concentrated in just a few provinces, despite efforts by the Jokowi administration to address this disparity through improvements in infrastructure. 
   
What explains the decline in manufacturing in Indonesia? Is the country in the midst of a process of premature deindustrialization, as some observers have claimed? And what can be done to strengthen the manufacturing sector in the future and transform Indonesia into an industrialized economy? 
  
In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dirk Tomsa discusses these and other questions with Dr Mohammad Zulfan Tadjoeddin, a Senior Lecturer in Development Studies at the University of Western Sydney.    

In 2018, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Charlotte Setijadi from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University.

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen via your favourite podcasting app.

Image Credit: ANTARA FOTO/Risky Andrianto/aww/18.

Dr Zulfan Tadjoeddin - Employment and Manufacturing

On 27 June 2018, Indonesia held elections for mayors and governors in 154 districts and 17 provinces - referred to as pilkada - the third and final such round of regional elections in this five year electoral cycle. This year's round of elections was particularly significant, though, for several reasons. It included gubernatorial elections in five big provinces that between them account for more than half of Indonesia's population: West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra and South Sulawesi. It was our first chance to observe how the divisive dynamics of the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections might affect other future elections. And with the national legislative and presidential elections now less than a year away in April 2019, these local elections have been closely watched for any clues as to how next year's political contests might play out.

In this week's Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae discusses this round of local elections, their results and their broader implications with a panel of leading political observers:  Dr Charlotte Setijadi  (ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute),  Dr Philips Vermonte  (Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies) and Dr Eve Warburton  (ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute).

Photo credit: Darwin Fatir for Antara Foto

In 2018, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Charlotte Setijadi from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University.

Indonesia's 2018 Regional Elections

Young politicians
 
Indonesia is undoubtedly a young nation. The median age of the population is just 28 years. In the 2019 elections, 45% of eligible voters will be between 17 and 36 years of age. More than ever, Indonesia’s youth play a key role in the country’s politics. In Talking Indonesia this week, Dr Jemma Purdey talks to Rian Ernest, a senior member of the Indonesia's new 'youth' party, Indonesia Solidarity Party (Partai Solidaritas Indonesia, PSI).  Ernest (31 years) is a first time candidate for the party in the 2019 legislative elections. He is a lawyer and former adviser to then Governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

What motivated Rian to join to enter a career in politics at this moment in Indonesian history? As a young Indonesian, what are the most pressing issues for the future? What role will Indonesia's youth play in that future? Will it be a politically active one

Rian Ernest - Young Politicians

Some of the most pressing environmental problems in Indonesia today are plastic pollution and the consequences of large-scale land reclamation projects. In recent years, protests against these problems have increased in size and impact, especially on Bali, where the ubiquity of plastic garbage and a controversial reclamation project in Benoa Bay have galvanised a large and diverse protest movement. What are the strategies and goals of the movement? Who is involved? And what role do music and visual art play in the movement’s engagement with residents and other activists beyond Bali?    
In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dirk Tomsa discusses these and other questions with Dr Edwin Jurriens, Senior Lecturer and Convenor of the Indonesian Studies program at the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute.    
In 2019, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Charlotte Setijadi from Singapore Management University and Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University.

Photo credit: Edwin Jurriens

Dr Edwin Jurriens - Environmental activism and art

Dr Ines Atmosukarto - COVID-19 and the vaccine

Over the past few months, the Covid-19 crisis in Indonesia has escalated, with daily case numbers and deaths from the virus hitting record levels week after week. Without strict lockdowns, government efforts to encourage the public to comply with social distancing and masking advice has not been effective in controlling the spread of the disease.  

On 13 January, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo received the first dose of the CoronaVac vaccine, manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac, after interim data from phase III trials in late 2020 found that the vaccine is 65.3% effective. The vaccine trials and rollout across the world has been shrouded in some controversy, and the vaccine's reception in Indonesia has been mixed. As the government embarks on one of the largest vaccination programs in its history, what are the challenges? Is it taking the right approach, and will the vaccine do its job and arrest the pandemic in Indonesia?  

To explore these questions and more, Dr Jemma Purdey chats to Dr Ines Atmosukarto, a molecular biologist from the John Curtin School of Media Research at the ANU’s College of Health and Medicine. Ines is CEO of Lipotek Pty Ltd which develops vaccines and cancer treatments, and was previously project leader at the Research Centre for Biotechnology at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI). 
To shed light on these questions and more I am joined by Dr Ines Atmosukarto a molecular biologist from the John Curtin School of Media Research at the ANU’s College of Health and Medicine. Ines is CEO of Lipotek Pty Ltd which develops vaccines and cancer treatments and she was previously Project Leader at the Research Centre for Biotechnology at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI).

PHOTO: ANTARA FOTO

Dr Ines Atmosukarto - COVID-19 and the Vaccine

In the Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Jemma Purdey, Dr Jacqui Baker, Tito Ambyo and Dr Elisabeth Kramer present an extended interview each fortnight with experts on Indonesian politics, foreign policy, culture, language and more. Find all the Talking Indonesia podcasts and more at the Indonesia at Melbourne blog.