The Indonesian government has pinned its hope for reducing unemployment on higher economic growth and increased labor market flexibility, such as lowering minimum wages. The estimated sectoral employment functions reveal that output growth rather than real wages is the major determinant of...

This research was motivated by current constraints on macroeconomic policy-making in Indonesia. On the fiscal side, the government is burdened with debt and the pressure to maintain social expenditure. On the monetary side, there is a preoccupation with a lower inflation rate which conflicts...

The world leaders gathered at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (referred to as Rio+20) called for “adopting forward-looking macroeconomic policies that promote sustainable development and lead to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth…” (para. 150). This is, in...

Recently launched ESCAP’s Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2013 argues for a shift in macroeconomic policy paradigm. Historically, macroeconomic policies have both stabilization and development roles. Since the 1980s the focus of macroeconomic policies shifted to...

Focused around the greed and/or grievance theses, a large part of the economics of conflict literature concerns itself with civil war. This article provides socioeconomic perspectives on contemporary conflict in Indonesia. Three categories of violent conflict in the country are separatist...

This paper provides a critical evaluation of an orthodox policy framework that came to be known as the “Washington consensus”. The paper traces its ideological and political genesis as it became embodied in World Bank and International Monetary Fund aid conditionalities. Despite following...

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to review the social consequences of the Great Recession of 2008-2009. In particular, it looks at impacts on the world of work – unemployment, informal and vulnerable employment, working poor and youth unemployment, and on public health – hunger and...

This Handbook on the South Asian Economies (a companion to the Handbook on the Northeast and Southeast Asian Economies) is a comprehensive and unique collection of original studies on the economic and social development of countries in South Asia. The analytical narratives draw upon a wide range...