Text
Decentralization and democratization in southeast Asia
The conference “Decentralization and Democratization in Southeast Asia” is devoted to the analysis of the far reaching policy changes in one of the world’s most dynamically evolving regions: Southeast Asia has been the location for some of the boldest experiments with decentralization. Both, Indonesia as well as the Philippines have initiated “big bang” decentralization reforms which have dramatically altered relations between the central government and local authorities. Other countries have implemented only incremental reforms towards a more decentralized system. Often decentralization reforms were coupled or preceded by a move to more democracy and attempts to improve governance quality. Recent scholarship has started to assess the achievements of these reforms from a theoretical as well as empirical perspective: to what extent have they fostered political empowerment of local people, democratization and elite circulation? Have fundamental reforms of decentralization markedly contributed to better public services and improved resource allocation, poverty alleviation, reduced corruption, greater social justice, and a decline of regional disparities? Or are they equivalent to decentralization of corruption, accelerating resource depletion, deteriorating local investment climate, local elite capture, intensifying contests over the appropriateness of political legitimacy and increasing ethnic and religious violence? How has societal dynamics changed? For instance, did these changes affect gender relations and the role of religion? These questions are controversially discussed in Indonesia in particular, where decentralization reforms are now concluding their first decade of implementation. A major objective of this conference is thus commemorating the tenth anniversary of Indonesia’s “big bang” decentralization and taking stock of its achievements.
KP XXI.000331 | KP XXI SCH d | Perpustakaan Komnas Perempuan (Perpustakaan Komnas Perempuan) | Available |
No other version available