This paper provides a comparative perspective on infrastructure provision in developing Asia's three largest countries: China, India, and Indonesia. It discusses their achievements and shortfalls in providing network infrastructure (energy, transport, water, and telecommunications) over the past two decades. It documents how three quite distinct development paths—and very different levels of national saving and investment—were manifested in different trajectories of infrastructure provision. The paper then describes the institutional, economic, and policy factors that enabled or hindered progress in providing infrastructure. Here, contrasting levels of centralization of planning played a key role, as did countries’ differing abilities to mobilize infrastructure-related revenue streams such as user charges and land value capture. The paper then assesses future challenges for the three countries in providing infrastructure in a more integrated and sustainable way, and links these challenges with the global development agenda to which the three countries have committed. The concluding recommendations hope to provide a platform for further policy and research dialogue.

This study addresses the impact of the tourism sector on poverty, poverty depth, and poverty severity in Indonesia, focusing on the micro-level dynamics in the province. Despite numerous tourism destinations, their strategic contribution to regional progress remains underexplored. The motivation stems from the need to comprehend the nuanced relationship between tourism and poverty at both the national and local levels, with specific attention to the untapped potential at the province level in Indonesia. We hypothesize that a higher tourism sector GRDP will be inversely correlated with poverty levels, and the inclusion of a Covid-19 variable will reveal a structural impact on poverty dynamics. Employing a Panel Regression Model, secondary data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) spanning 2011–2020 is utilized. A panel data regression equation model, including CEM, FEM, and REM, is employed to analyze the intricate relationship between tourism and poverty. The findings demonstrate a negative correlation between higher tourism sector GRDP and the number of poor people. The Covid-19 variable, considered a structural break, reveals a significant association between increased cases and elevated poverty and severity across Indonesian provinces. This study contributes a micro-level analysis of tourism’s role, emphasizing its impact at the provincial level. The findings underscore the need for strategic initiatives to harness the untapped potential of tourism in alleviating poverty and promoting regional progress.

Oil spills (OS) in waters can have major consequences for the ecosystem and adjacent natural resources. Therefore, recognizing the OS spread pattern is crucial for supporting decision-making in disaster management. On 31 March 2018, an OS occurred in Balikpapan Bay, Indonesia, due to a ship’s anchor rupturing a seafloor crude oil petroleum pipe. The purpose of this study is to investigate the propagation of crude OS using coupled three-dimensional (3D) model from DHI MIKE software and remote sensing data from Sentinel-1 SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar). MIKE3 FM predicts and simulates the 3D sea circulation, while MIKE OS models the path of oil’s fate concentration. The OS model could identify the temporal and spatial distribution of OS concentration in subsurface layers. To validate the model, in situ observations were made of oil stranded on the shore. On 1 April 2018, at 21:50 UTC, Sentinel-1 SAR detected an OS on the sea surface covering 203.40 km². The OS model measures 137.52 km². Both methods resulted in a synergistic OS exposure of 314.23 km². Wind dominantly influenced the OS propagation on the sea surface, as detected by the SAR image, while tidal currents primarily affected the oil movement within the subsurface simulated by the OS model. Thus, the two approaches underscored the importance of synergizing the DHI MIKE model with remote sensing data to comprehensively understand OS distribution in semi-enclosed waters like Balikpapan Bay detected by SAR.

This study examines the impact of parliamentary thresholds on the Indonesian political system through the lens of the Routine Policy Implementation Model and the Strategic Policy Implementation Model. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of parliamentary thresholds in managing political fragmentation, assess their impact on stability and representation in the legislative system, and understand their implementation’s technical and strategic implications. Using a qualitative approach supported by interview studies and field observations, this research combines analysis of election data in the 2009, 2014, and 2019 elections with a qualitative assessment of policy changes and political dynamics. The Routine Policy Implementation Model focuses on the technical aspects of threshold implementation, including vote counting procedures and seat allocation efficiency. Meanwhile, the Strategic Policy Implementation Model examines the broader implications of these thresholds for political consolidation, government effectiveness, and the representation of minor parties. The results show that the parliamentary threshold has significantly reduced political fragmentation by consolidating the number of parties in Parliament, resulting in a legislative system that is cleaner and easier to administer. However, this consolidation has also marginalized small parties and limited political diversity. The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive analysis of how parliamentary thresholds affect administrative efficiency and strategic political stability in Indonesia, compared to democratic countries in transition, such as Slovenia and Montenegro. In conclusion, although parliamentary thresholds have increased political stability and government effectiveness, they have also raised concerns about the reduced representation of small and regional parties. The study recommends maintaining balanced thresholds that ensure stability and diversity, implementing mechanisms to review thresholds periodically, and involving diverse stakeholders in adjusting policies to reflect evolving political dynamics. This approach will help balance the need for a stable legislative environment with broad representation.

This study evaluates the aquafeed self-sufficiency sector in Indonesia, aiming to provide policy recommendations for optimizing freshwater aquaculture production. The study engaged 1005 participants, including 204 self-sufficient aquafeed producers and 801 fish farmers, covering 88% of the regions where the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries promotes aquafeed self-sufficiency, conducted in 30 Indonesian provinces. The majority of on-farm and small-scale feed manufacturers continue to operate successfully (91%), with a minor portion discontinuing (9%). Aquafeed products incorporating local ingredients prove cost-effective and receive high acceptance among fish farmers. The sustainability of the aquafeed self-sufficiency sector is closely linked to local ingredient availability, operational aquafeed manufacturing plants, product quality, human resource capabilities, and government policies. The study presents policy recommendations to address these issues, encompassing measures such as ensuring ingredient supply sustainability, providing a mobile laboratory for ingredient and feed analysis, enhancing human resource quality through training, facilitating easier access to financial support, and strengthening central-local government coordination to optimize the aquafeed self-sufficiency program. The rise of the national fish production target from freshwater aquaculture has attracted great attention in the improvement of the aquafeed sector since the sustainability of aquafeed supply is the main driver for the success of aquaculture production.

The urgency of urban health in Indonesia is very worrying because most of Indonesia’s population now lives in urban areas with minimal supporting infrastructure. That prompted this study to analyze the government’s response to the healthy city development plan in the new capital city. This study uses a qualitative approach that focuses on thematic analysis. It helps check official government documents related to healthy city development plans. The relevant documents that were found were in the form of regulations. This regulation is Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 3 of 2022 concerning the National Capital (Ibu Kota Negara, IKN). This official document was coded by maximizing the analysis tool, namely NVivo 12 Plus. This study succeeded in mapping several bare references in the healthy city development plan for the new capital city by the Indonesian government. Some of these primary references include the healthy city model (World Health Organization, WHO), the healthy city strategy (Cardiff), and (Vancouver). All of these primary references aim to improve the quality of life of residents in cities through city development that focuses on health. However, there are several challenges that the Indonesian government may face in the future, including problems with air pollution, environmentally friendly transportation, and the provision of green public spaces, health facilities, universal health services, and other infrastructure. This all requires adequate capacity and budget plans, including ensuring transparency in budget management. This study also encourages collaboration between the government, the private sector, and civil society to support the development of healthy cities that run well and sustainably.