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The Asia foundation experience in Indonesia

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This book is the introduction to four compilations of experiences in developing and implementing gender responsive budgets in several localities that have been the targets of Asia Foundation programs over the past six years. This book summarizes the opportunities that have arisen in the governance process, especially with regard to budgeting in Indonesia, and the policies that have been put in place in an effort to integrate perspective into government policy making and development planning processes. The template approach to democratization generally does not work. Assistance to civil society (civic education, advocacy NGOs, media assistance) often disregards power structures—it generally does not assist pro-democracy activists to engage with political parties or challenge power structures. Support to reshape political institutions (electoral aid, political party assistance) is disconnected from the society in which the institutions are rooted—the structures of power, authority, interest, hierarchies, loyalties, patronage and traditions that make up the political weave. Work on civil society takes place in a non-threatening and apolitical language of building trust, establishing pacts, promoting social cohesion and creating spaces. Decentralization can be an agenda of depoliticizing society by divide-and-rule, effectively bypassing interest-based groups such as labor. Policy reforms are the domain of politicians, technocrats and bureaucrats, and the solution to dysfunctional institutions are technical, not political. The results are well-designed technical and administrative policies that are difficult to implement and subject to harsh criticism from civil society. To support democracy, it is not enough to simply open up spaces: there need also to be actions that allow new voices to be heard and give power to people to be involved in governing their communities. Much effort must go into community and political organizing, into building the capacity of civil society to engage government—to repoliticize communities. Local, everyday politics is the foundation for other form of politics. Without grassroots democracy, it is impossible to sustain national democracy (the opposite is also true; if the central government does not protect the right of assembly and expression, it will be difficult to democratize the grassroots). Politics needs to be built from below, because this is where the density of social forces is to be found, where political recruitment and the building of constituencies take place, where people can translate national policies into local programs and local issues into national ideology

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Availability

KP.II-00048

KP.II YEN A

My Library

Available

Detail Information

Series Title

Making Local Budget Gender Responsive: Indonesia's stories series

Call Number

KP.II SUC d

Publisher

Jakarta : The Asia Foundation., 2008

Collation

xi, 45 Hal.;ilus.; 30cm.

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

978-602-8619-06-6

Classification

KP.II

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Gender Budget
Gender Responsive
The Asia Foundation Experience In Indonesia

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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