This research aims to determine the strategy of the Jakarta Provincial Government in increasing the resilience and growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within a collaborative governance framework post-COVID-19. This study explores the effectiveness of SMEs and facilities in accessing financing and fostering collaborative partnerships between SMEs, government agencies, and financial institutions by utilizing USAID’s Theory of Change (TOC). This research uses a qualitative approach supported by in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions to enrich the insights of SME stakeholders, large companies, and SME actors and assess the impact of their roles. The results of this research highlight the critical role of SME Cooperative Banks (SCB) in improving SMEs’ access to credit and financial services, including collaborative governance frameworks and partnerships between SMEs, government agencies, and banks, which were identified as necessary to improve policy coherence and encourage conducive SME business environment conditions. The main findings of this research underscore the importance of the SCB model, demonstrating its potential to improve SME resilience and economic sustainability. This SCB model enriches the TOC indicators introduced by USAID. The study identifies gaps in digital infrastructure and market access that hinder SME growth and recommends targeted interventions to address these challenges. This study shows that SCB offers a promising pathway to increase the resilience and growth of SMEs in Indonesia, especially if accompanied by effective collaborative governance strategies. These initiatives can encourage inclusive economic development and strengthen the role of SMEs as drivers of the local economy. Recommendations include expanding the SCB model to other regions, encouraging digitalization, facilitating market access, advocating for a supportive policy framework, and integrating these strategies to advance the principles of USAID’s Theory of Change, fostering sustainable SME development and economic resilience.
Tourism is one of the important sectors that support Indonesia’s economic growth. The tourism sector itself plays a strategic role in increasing the country’s foreign exchange. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism became one of the most affected sectors. Electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA) is a form of digital transformation in immigration services offered by the Indonesian government to increase the number of tourist arrivals during the recovery of the national economy, especially in the tourism sector, after the Covid-19 pandemic. This study provides an in-depth insight into how e-VOA functions as a digital transformation tool in the immigration and tourism sectors. By exploring the impact of e-VOA implementation, this article contributes to the understanding of how digitalisation can improve the efficiency of administrative processes and support the recovery of the tourism sector in post-pandemic Bali. This study uses qualitative approaches and methods with descriptive analysis techniques to create an objective description of a situation through numbers or statistical data. The results of this study show that e-VOA services effectively contribute to an increase in the number of foreign tourists in Bali. It also has a positive impact on the economic growth of tourism-related businesses in Bali.
This study explores the feminization of poverty and the dynamics of the care economy in rural areas, focusing on the municipality of Génova, Quindío, Colombia. The novelty of this study lies in its analysis of the compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s economic participation and care responsibilities in a rural context, offering insights relevant to Latin America. This study addresses the critical problem of how increased caregiving responsibilities and labor informality during the pandemic have disproportionately impacted economically active women, exacerbating gender inequalities. The objective is to analyze the relationship between the care economy and feminization of poverty, providing policy recommendations for post-pandemic recovery in rural settings. The methodology consisted of a two-stage approach. In the first stage, a probabilistic stratified sampling design was applied using data from the Colombian National Population and Housing Census and the Génova, Quindío, and Colombia Municipal Panel. In the second stage, fieldwork was conducted with a sample of 347 women using the RedCap application for data collection. The results indicate a significant increase in unpaid domestic and caregiving work during the pandemic, particularly for the elderly, disabled, and children. Additionally, labor informality increased, further limiting economic opportunities for women. The key conclusion is that public policies aimed at reducing gender disparities in rural labor markets must prioritize caregiving support and formal employment opportunities for women. These findings suggest that addressing the care economy is crucial for closing gender gaps and fostering equitable economic recovery in rural Latin American areas.
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