Indonesia: Two Decades of Decentralization

A hybrid event organised as part of the Current Dynamics in Southeast Asia seminar.

Venue: Maison de la recherche, 2 rue de Lille. Salle LO 04 (rez de chaussée)

Abstract: Ever since Alexis de Tocqueville’s comparative observations about American local government and French centralization, scholars have touted the benefits of "bringing government closer to the people". The argument, at its core, is simple: if the excessive concentration of power at the national level undermines democracy and economic growth, then the remedy is the decentralization of governance. This idea is now axiomatic in political science and has become a mantra among international development agencies. The assumption that decentralization is a panacea for the ills afflicting local democracy and local economies is often extended to administrative unit proliferation.
This presentation will explore the often-optimistic assumptions about the benefits of creating new administrative units in two resource rich regions of Indonesia – Kalimantan and Sulawesi – over a twenty-year period.

Scientific coordination: Elsa Lafaye de Micheaux (CASE, Inalco), Astrid Norén-Nilsson (ACE, Lund), David Camroux (CERI-Sciences Po / CNRS), Delphine Allès (CASE, Inalco)

En partenariat avec :