2013 Arryman Fellows Symposium

The 2013 Arryman Fellows presented their year-long research projects at the Buffett Center on May 17th. (Photos below)

Luthfi Adam: “Transformation of Dress and National Subject Formation of the Indonesian People in the Colonial Period;”

Respondent: Lauren Delacruz

This paper examines the period of the early twentieth century when the Indonesian nationalists changed their dress from traditional to Western style. The research focuses on the role of Western clothes as the Indonesian political dress to resist the colonial subject formation and to establish the Indonesian national identity.

Muhammad Fajar: “The Durability of Sub-National Political Leaders in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia;”

Respondent: Rana Khoury

Post-authoritarian Indonesia has shown some sub-national political leaders fell from power before their first term while others have survived through it. I argue that the durability of these leaders is influenced by two factors: strategy of extraction and populist policy.

Najmu Sopian: “Power Struggle over Land: Decentralization, Land Tenure Security, and Rule of Law in Indonesia;”

Respondent: Alexandra Sasha Klyachkina

I aim to explain the leader’s institutional choice and institutional change during the New Order era (1966-1998) and the post-New Order era (1999-2012). The central puzzle to be addressed is why Indonesia’s institutional arrangement fails to provide tenure security and land reform program resulting in high discontent and contestation over land.

Rahardhika Utama: “How Bureaucracy Affects Inequality in Southeast Asian Democracies: The Cases of Post-Authoritarian Indonesia and The Philippines;”

Respondent: Andre Nickow

This paper provides an analytical framework and an preliminary empirical account to examine how bureaucracy affects inequality in Indonesia and the Philippines. Results of the study suggest that it is important to consider the persistence of bureaucratic clientelism as a form of informal institution in understanding how bureaucracy affects inequality in democracies.

Each Arryman Fellow presented their research, followed by a graduate student respondent and a group discussion. An Indonesian lunch was served.