Abstract

 
 
 The elderly who work in an informal sector tend to bear two layers of vulnerability: both body and mental functions that have been degenerated and the insecurities of the job. Status as an informal worker does have an impact on the uncertain income, also the absence of health benefits, pensions, or workers’ compensation. Even if the state guarantees social protections for the elderly, it still has a formidable challenge when it must to be provided for the elderly informal workers specifically, for example, a contribution-based pension that reaches more to the elderly formal workers. Thus, this study discusses the efforts in preventing the vulnerability of elderly informal workers, especially the elderly farmers who are chosen as a case’s subject in this study. Previous studies in a similar topic often emphasize the role of the state in preventing the vulnerability of elderly informal workers (a vertical scheme). In contrast to those studies, the argument of this study is the collaborative roles between the state and communities that are based on capability approach and social capital is able to prevent the vulnerability of elderly informal workers (vertical and horizontal synergy schemes). This study is written based on a case study research with the qualitative approach on the elderly farmers in Padamukti Village, Sukaresmi Subdistrict, Garut Regency, West Java, Indonesia.
 
 
Highlights
The elderly who have a status of worker in Indonesia, or it is called as “the potential elderly” based on Indonesian Law 13/1998 about the Elderly Welfare, are predominantly lived in rural areas and worked in an informal sector which is agriculture
In 2015, the elderly who worked in rural areas were 53.54% and in urban areas were 39.46%; in 2016, the elderly who worked in rural areas were 55.35% and in urban areas were 39.55%; and in 2017, the elderly who worked in rural areas were 55.34% and in urban areas were 40.93% (Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2015; 2016; 2017)
In 2017, out of a total of 55.34% of the elderly workers in rural areas, 39.41% were classified as vulnerable workers—it means, more of those whose income was less than IDR 1,000,000 per month or tended to not meet standards (Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2017)
Summary
The elderly who have a status of worker in Indonesia, or it is called as “the potential elderly” based on Indonesian Law 13/1998 about the Elderly Welfare, are predominantly lived in rural areas and worked in an informal sector which is agriculture. The argument of this study is the collaborative roles between the state and communities that are based on capability approach and social capital is able to prevent the vulnerability of elderly informal workers (vertical and horizontal synergy schemes). This means that there is a synergy of vertical (from the state to communities) and horizontal schemes (from the communities themselves) in preventing the vulnerability situations of elderly informal workers. That argument is contrasted from the argument tendency of previous studies in a similar topic; which often only emphasize on the role of the state in preventing the vulnerability of elderly informal workers—limited to vertical scheme, such as a decentralized social security model to reach informal workers (see Mudiyono, 2002; Susilawati & Nilakusmawati, 2015), an institutional innovation on social protection scheme (see Laiglesia, 2011), and inclusive policies on informal workers (see Malina, 2013)
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