Integration of Tacit and Explicit Strategies in Sustainable Livelihood Recovery: A Case Study on Project-Affected Communities of a Hydropower Plant in West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Since the 1970s, large-scale dam construction has become a trend in developing countries. During the 1960–2020 period, 235 large-scale dams were built in Indonesia. However, all of them left a negative socio-economic impact. Explicit strategies to recover project-affected communities’ (PAC’) livelihoods have been implemented but need to be sustained. In 2011, the pumped storage innovation was adopted, and Upper Cisokan, West Java, became the pilot. The recovery of PAC livelihoods is also designed to be sustainable by integrating a “tacit and explicit strategy”. This paper aimed to determine the implementation and impact of this strategic innovation. The research was designed through a survey of 325 PAC families (975 persons) and in-depth interviews with 32 informants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and dialectics. The result revealed that strategy integration could speed up the post-resettlement livelihood recovery time and collaborate with various local institutions in the academics, businessmen, community, government, media (ABCGM) scheme. In addition, increasing the number of PAC livelihoods by 155 percent and expanding the diversity of livelihoods from agricultural domination to MSMEs and the non-agricultural sector. The involvement of women and youth in livelihood recovery has also increased by 85 percent, especially in micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the non-agricultural sector.