Liberalization In Indonesia Research Articles

Liberalisme dan Identitas Nasional sebagai Pulchrum Bangsa Indonesia; Terang Filsafat Keindahan Aquinas

This paper delves into the impact of liberalism on Indonesia and national identity through a literature review and qualitative research. The author identifies the complexities of liberalism in Indonesia and its effects on the diverse societal structure. The literature review focuses on understanding national identity, exploring key aspects, and analyzing relevant literature in the context of a diverse society. Qualitative methods are used to evaluate social reality, integrating insights from the literature review into Indonesia's specific context. The primary analysis centers on the intricate relationship between liberal ideologies and national identity, navigating the dynamics of social and political spheres. Introducing Pulchrum, a mediating concept based on Thomas Aquinas's philosophy, the paper depicts a harmonious balance between liberalism and national identity. The philosophical analysis suggests that harmony between freedom and traditional values can create beauty in Indonesian society. The research yields profound insights into the complex relationship between liberalism and national identity in Indonesia, emphasizing the potential for achieving harmonious solutions. The implications of this study provide a basis for holistic thinking, balancing freedom with local and national values to foster a strong, united, and diverse society.

Liberalism in Indonesia: Between Authoritarian Statism and Islamism

ABSTRACT It is hardly surprising that liberalism has been neglected in studies of Indonesian political thought, with most scholars focusing on nationalism, communism, conservatism, populism, and Islamism. The term ‘liberal’ has long been a byword for the kind of naked individualism and dog-eat-dog capitalism against which mainstream Indonesian nationalism has contrasted itself. This article argues that liberalism has, nevertheless, been present as a counter-narrative throughout Indonesia’s modern history and should be considered as a distinct political tradition. Liberal ideas inform Indonesia’s legal, economic, and political structures and have thrived in sections of the media, the professions, academia, and civil society organisations, reaching their apogee in the unique circumstances of the immediate post-Soeharto period. Repeated efforts to establish overtly liberal political vehicles, though, have gained little traction in a political environment dominated by nationalist and Islamist parties. This article argues that despite the rapid growth of the economy, Indonesia’s middle classes are still relatively weak and dependent, and have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to ally with authoritarian statism when their interests are threatened by populist movements from the left or the right.

Konflik Kepentingan dalam Liberalisasi Perdagangan Garam Tahun 2009-2014

The trade liberalization of domestic salt sector in Indonesia indicated by tarriff reduction faced pros and contras. By using the concept of two-level games and governmental process, the authors found that there was a political upheaval of actors both from bureaucrats and interest groups adorning the political process in salt liberalization in Indonesia. Political upheaval occurred due to the tug of war between the pro and the cons. The pros, represented by Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Trade, importers and mafias supported imports of salt to meet domestic needs that cannot be fulfilled by domestic salt productions, both in quality and quantity. On the other hand, the cons represented by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and salt farmers both from associations and from non-associations demanded salt import reduction to support the domestic salt production program and the sustainability of the domestic salt industries. KeyWords: Liberalization of Domestic Salt, Two Level Games, Governmental Process, Political Upheaval, Tug of War.

Konflik Kepentingan dalam Liberalisasi Perdagangan Garam Tahun 2009-2014

The trade liberalization of the domestic salt sector in Indonesia indicated by tariff reduction faced pros and cons. By using the concept of two-level games and governmental process, the authors found that there was a political upheaval of actors both from bureaucrats and interest groups adorning the political process in salt liberalization in Indonesia. Political upheaval occurred due to the tug of war between the two opposing parties. The pros, represented by the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Trade, importers, and mafias supported imports of salt to meet domestic needs that cannot be fulfilled by domestic salt productions, both in quality and quantity. While the cons represented by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and salt farmers - both from associations and from non-associations - demanded salt import reduction to support the domestic salt production program and the sustainability of the domestic salt industries. Keywords: liberalization, salt, two level games, political upheaval, tug of war

Analysis of financial liberalization in Indonesia: SVAR approach

Analysis of financial liberalization in Indonesia: SVAR approach

The Impact of Service Liberalization on Manufacturing Productivity in Indonesia

This study examined the impact of service liberalization on manufacturing productivity firms in Indonesia through mode three (commercial presence) during 2006–2014. It used firm-level data sourced from the manufacturing census published by the Indonesian Bureau of Statistic (BPS). To address the problem of endogeneity in service reform, this research uses an Instrumental Variables (IV) estimation of the fixed-effect model variety and utilized two types of data (FDI and STRI OECD) to compare the result. The findings show that service liberalization in Indonesia has a positive impact on manufacturing productivity at the firm level. Furthermore, this study estimates each service sector (e.g., electricity, gas, and water; construction; transportation, warehouse, and telecommunication), the results indicated that each service had a significant impact on improving firm performance. This research suggests that reducing restrictions on the service market will improve manufacturing productivity.

A CGE Analysis of Indonesia's Free Trade Agreements

Using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) CGE model of the global economy, this essay analyses how much trade agreements between Indonesia and its top three trading partners – China, Japan, and the USA – could benefit Indonesia and those trading partners. In addition, an analysis of unilateral trade liberalization in Indonesia is included to provide a comparison of alternative trade liberalization policy strategies. The study conducts experiments by simulating the potential effect of the removal tariffs on imported merchandise under each liberalization scenario. The result suggests that the impact of trade liberalization is variable between strategies, but the greatest economic benefit is from the unilateral scenario. However, the restrictiveness of preferential RoO and other regulations in bilateral agreements would limit the scope for achieving the full benefit projected for the bilateral liberalization scenarios – discount rates of around 25 percent have been suggested.

YOUTH MOVEMENT AND ISLAMIC LIBERALISM IN INDONESIA

This article examines dynamics of Islamic discourses in Post-New Order Indonesia, focusing on the birth of Jaringan Islam Liberal/JIL (Islamic Liberalism Network). The network which emerged in 2001 was a result of informal meeting and group discussions of young intellectuals at Jl. Utan Kayu 68 H, East Jakarta who later agreed to establish the JIL. Since its earliest foundation, the networks has been at the forefront to attack Islamic extremist and fundamentalist groups while calling for Islamic liberalism. This article tries to portray the emergence of the JIL and its liberalism agenda and offers the contestation on Islamic liberalism in Indonesia. As for the latter, it not only encapsulates responses of fundamentalist groups, but also important Muslim organisation, like the traditionalist Nahdlatul Ulama/NU and the Modernist Muhammadiyah, and important Indonesian Muslim thinkers. This article further argues that Islamic liberalism that takes its root to Muslim activism during the New Order Indonesia has shaken the basic foundation of a religion as introducing liberalism in Islamic discourses. It has invited contestation and responses for a significant Muslim group, including the two-most important Indonesian Muslim organisations, the NU and the Muhammadiyah. As this article further demonstrates, the contestation is mainly because of different opinions among Muslims on the limit of reason to understand religion.

Globalization and Social Change: Gender-Specific Effects of Trade Liberalization in Indonesia

We analyze the gender-specific effects of trade liberalization on participation in market work, domestic duties, and marriage rates in Indonesia. We show that female work participation increased and participation in domestic duties declined in regions that were more exposed to input tariff reductions. The effects of output tariff reductions were much less pronounced, and we find little impacts on men. Among the potential channels, we find that reductions in input tariffs led to a relative expansion of more female-intensive sectors as well as a decrease in sectoral gender segregation, especially among the low skilled. Liberalization also led to delayed marriage among both sexes and reduced fertility among less educated women.

Komparasi Munculnya Liberalisme Ekonomi di Indonesia dan Burma

This paper explores the genealogy of the birth of the economic growth system in Indonesia and Burma. First, it is a major transformation that occurs in both countries in the form of commodification of land, labor and money. And the formation of pluralism in the colonial society. Second, the transformation of capitalism in Burma that enters through the system of bureaucratic governance, education and social order in rural communities. Third, the study of comparative application of economic liberalism in Indonesia and Burma and its social effects. And the emergence of middle class society who came from outside of original community. The author uses Karl Polanyi’s approach for looking at the social effects of economic liberalism, based on the transformation of three things: the privatization of the land, the commodification of labor and the emergence of the system of money and debt. This comparison primarily uses extensive data from J.S Furnivall in view of the application of an economic liberalism system which is then enriched with studies from other economic historians, such as Thomas Lindblad, Anne Booth and the study of political economics, Richard Robison.

Globalization and Social Change: Gender-Specific Effects of Trade Liberalization in Indonesia

We analyse the gender-specific effects of trade liberalization on work participation and hours of work and primary participation in domestic duties in Indonesia. We show that female work participation increased in relative terms in regions that were more exposed to input tariff reductions, whereas the effects of output tariff changes were much less pronounced. When looking at the potential channels for these effects, we find that in Indonesia the structure of initial protection was considerably more female-biased than skill-biased and hence reductions in input tariffs have especially benefited sectors with a larger initial concentration of female workers. This has led to a relative expansion of more female intensive sectors as well as to a decrease in gender segregation of occupation, especially among the low skilled. We also find that labour markets are a key channel through which trade liberalization affects marriage decisions. Delayed marriage among both sexes is related to input tariff liberalization, especially in the younger cohorts, as the improved labour opportunities for women reduce the returns to marriage.

Kontestasi Pemikiran Islam Indonesia Kontemporer

Carool Kersten. 2015. Islam in Indonesia: The Contest for Society, Ideas and Values, London: Hurst & Company, pp. 373+xx.Comprehensive studies of contemporary Indonesian Islam are still scarce. Most of the studies on this subject deal with certain aspects of current developments in Indonesian Islam. Kersten’s book is an attempt to present an intellectual history of contemporary Indonesian Islam in six chapters: first, secularism, pluralism and liberalism in Indonesia; second, Islam in Indonesia today: discourses and interlocutors; third, the weight of predecessors: adaptations, critique, and transformation; fourth, debating secularism: Islam, statehood and democracy; fifth, the letter or the spirit of Islamic law?: legal formalists versus substantivitst; sixth, contentious triangulation: religious pluralism, human rights and freedom of thought. This book can be considered as a sequel to the Indonesian part of the book written by the same author, Cosmopolitans and Heretics: New Muslim Intellectuals and the Study of Islam (2011).DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v23i1.2905

Poverty, labor markets and trade liberalization in Indonesia

We measure the effects of trade liberalization over the period of 1993–2002 on regional poverty levels in 259 Indonesian districts, and investigate the labor market mechanisms behind these effects. The identification strategy relies on combining information on initial regional labor and product market structure with the exogenous tariff reduction schedule over four three-year periods. We add to the literature on local labor market effects of trade policies by distinguishing between tariffs for output markets and for intermediate inputs, and finding that poverty reduced especially in districts with a greater sector exposure to input tariff liberalization. Among the potential channels behind this effect, we show that low-skilled work participation and middle-skilled wages were more responsive to reductions in import tariffs on intermediate goods than to reductions in import tariffs on final outputs. These results point towards increasing firm competitiveness as a driving factor behind the beneficial poverty effects.

The Free Press in Indonesia as Human Security?: A Preliminary Analysis

This paper discusses human security in the context of media threat towards the society in Indonesia. Specifically this paper seeks to explain the development of media liberalization in Indonesia and the impact on civil rights in obtaining the truth information and the quest for true and reliable information. The increasing number of top businessmen owning media companies, following political and economic liberalization has been one of the most important phenomena over the past few years. The acquisition of media companies by businessman and politicians will influence indirectly the content of news reports. Finally, some radical groups have taken advantage of the free press policy to infiltrate Indonesian moderate Muslim society. Overall, media have failed to show their responsibility and seem to be far from the ethics because they are owned by businessmen, politicians and interest groups.

Agricultural liberalization, poverty and inequality: Indonesia and Thailand

The effects of agricultural and general trade liberalization in Indonesia and Thailand are analyzed and compared using a multi-household, multi-sector integrated general equilibrium framework. In both countries agricultural protection contributes a relatively small part of the total cost of protection because when the protection is removed the gain in welfare is much smaller in the case of agricultural liberalization than across the board liberalization. In both countries the poor, urban and rural, have a strong interest in across the board liberalization of trade policy. The urban poor also have an interest in agricultural trade liberalization, but not the rural poor.

Poverty, Labour Markets and Trade Liberalization in Indonesia

We measure the effects of trade liberalization over the period of 1993-2002 on regional poverty levels in 259 Indonesian regions, and investigate the labour market mechanisms behind these effects. The identification strategy relies on combining information on initial regional labour and product market structure with the exogenous tariff reduction schedule over four three-year periods. We find that poverty reduced more in regions that were more strongly exposed to import tariff liberalization. Among the potential channels behind this effect, we highlight the formalization of the unskilled labour force and structural reallocation of labour. We also show that job formation and increases in unskilled wages were related to reductions in import tariffs on intermediate goods and not to reductions in import tariffs on final outputs. These results point towards increasing firm competitiveness as a driving factor behind the beneficial poverty effects.

Child Labor and Trade Liberalization in Indonesia

We examine the effects of trade liberalization on child work in Indonesia. Our estimation strategy identifies geographical differences in the effects of trade policy through district level exposure to reduction in import tariff barriers. We use a balanced panel of 261 districts, based on four rounds (1993 to 2002) of the Indonesian annual national household survey (Susenas), and relate workforce participation of children aged 10-15 to geographic variation in relative tariff exposure. Our main findings show that increased exposure to trade liberalization is associated with a decrease in child work among the 10 to 15 year olds. The effects of tariff reductions are strongest for children from low skill backgrounds and in rural areas. Favorable income effects for the poor, induced by trade liberalization, are likely to be the dominating effects underlying these results.

Child Labor and Trade Liberalization in Indonesia

We examine the effects of trade liberalization on child work in Indonesia. Our estimation strategy identifies geographical differences in the effects of trade policy through district level exposure to reduction in import tariff barriers. We use a balanced panel of 261 districts, based on four rounds (1993 to 2002) of the Indonesian annual national household survey (Susenas), and relate workforce participation of children aged 10-15 to geographic variation in relative tariff exposure. Our main findings show that increased exposure to trade liberalization is associated with a decrease in child work among the 10 to 15 year olds. The effects of tariff reductions are strongest for children from low skill backgrounds and in rural areas. Favorable income effects for the poor, induced by trade liberalization, are likely to be the dominating effects underlying these results.

ISLAM AND (POLITICAL) LIBERALISM: A Note on An Evolving Debate in Indonesia

This paper is divided into three parts. The first part will provide a general overview of some major approaches in the discussion on the relationship between Islam and liberalism. Following this, the next section will briefly elaborate Talal Asads notion of Islam as a discursive tradition and John Rawls distinction between liberalism and political liberalism and how they might contribute to the discussion on the relationship between Islam and liberalism. In the final part, the paper will then present a general observation on the evolving encounter between Islam and liberalism in Indonesia and the accompanying debate over this encounter among major Islamic groups in the country. In doing so, it will be argued that while liberalism as a comprehensive doctrine has been, and will remain, contested among Indonesan Muslims, there has been a growing support among them for political liberalism, although not in a purely Ralwsian sense.

Child Labor and Trade Liberalization in Indonesia

We examine the effects of trade liberalization on child work in Indonesia. Our estimation strategy identifies geographical differences in the effects of trade policy through district level exposure to reduction in import tariff barriers. We use a balanced panel of 261 districts, based on four rounds (1993 to 2002) of the Indonesian annual national household survey (Susenas), and relate workforce participation of children aged 10-15 to geographic variation in relative tariff exposure. Our main findings show that increased exposure to trade liberalization is associated with a decrease in child work among the 10 to 15 year olds. The effects of tariff reductions are strongest for children from low skill backgrounds and in rural areas. Favorable income effects for the poor, induced by trade liberalization, are likely to be the dominating effects underlying these results.