This course will focus on political, social and economic aspects of Indonesia’s decentralisation program after 1999. Emphasising the importance of studying Indonesia’s regions in order to understand the nature of the post-Suharto state as a whole, the course will explain the declining power of the central government vis-à-vis the provinces, districts and municipalities. Based on several case studies, the course demonstrates the implications of Indonesia’s decentralised structures for electoral competition, distribution of executive authority, fiscal planning and cultural expressions of local identities.

At the end of the course, students will have gained a thorough understanding of political, economic and social dimensions of the decentralisation process in Indonesia.. They will have obtained in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the conflicts involved in this process, and will have studied Indonesian government responses to them.

In addition, students will have deepened their analytical and presentational skills, preparing them forfuture professional work in government, think tanks, intelligence, academia or development agencies.

Proposed Assessment: Tutorial  attendance and participation 10%,  tutorial  presentation 15%,  tutorial  paper (1000 words) 15%, main essay (2000 words) 30%, take-home  exam: 30%