focalinterest.net

Tag: Asian & Pacific Studies

  • Village heads used government aid to sustain political power

    What the study found

    The study found that village heads in Indonesia used government assistance to perpetuate their power during the Reform era. The abstract says this assistance helped maintain loyalty, influence voting choices, and made village heads an important electoral asset for political elites.

    Why the authors say this matters

    The authors conclude that the findings changed the landscape of patronage, which is a system of political support based on favors and resources, from lower-level politics to higher-level electoral politics in Indonesia. They also say the study changed political behavior and electoral perception.

    What the researchers tested

    The researchers used library research, intensive field observations, and in-depth interviews. Their fieldwork was conducted in Subang Regency, West Java, to explore the role of village heads during Indonesia's Reform era and how they tried to keep power.

    What worked and what didn't

    The abstract reports three main findings: village heads used government aid to maintain loyalty and influence voting, and they became valuable to political elites at the district and central levels. It also says some village heads continued to receive government support through their political networks even when they did not support a particular elected regent candidate.

    What to keep in mind

    The summary describes one case study area, Subang Regency in West Java, so the abstract does not show whether the same pattern applied everywhere in Indonesia. The abstract also does not provide detailed evidence, sample size, or specific limitations.

    • Village heads used government assistance to perpetuate power.
    • Government assistance was used to maintain loyalty and influence voting choices.
    • Village heads became an electoral asset for political elites at district and central levels.
    • Some village heads still received government support through political networks even without backing a specific regent candidate.
    • The authors say the findings shifted patronage from lower-level to higher-level electoral politics in Indonesia.

  • The article links negara kesatuan to a folk religious vision of the state

    What the study found

    The article argues that negara kesatuan, meaning “unitary state,” is rooted in a folk religious sensibility in Indonesia rather than in foreign state theory. It presents kawulo manunggaling gusti, a metaphor for the mystical oneness between God and humans, as the controlling idea behind this understanding.

    Why the authors say this matters

    The author suggests this helps explain the significant symbolic and emotional resonance of negara kesatuan among many Indonesians. The findings indicate that the concept is tied to a theological assumption drawn from the nation’s folk religious impulse.

    What the researchers tested

    This article is a conceptual argument rather than an empirical study. The author examines the meaning of negara kesatuan and turns away from foreign sources to interpret it through Indonesia’s folk religious sensibility.

    What worked and what didn't

    The argument proposes that negara kesatuan can be understood through kawulo manunggaling gusti as a theological framework. It also states that prevailing interpretations dismiss the concept as a second-rate appropriation of German or Japanese theory of the fascist state, which the author rejects.

    What to keep in mind

    The abstract does not describe data, a sample, or empirical testing, so the claim is presented as a theoretical interpretation. It also states that there has been no body of scholarship to clarify or systematize the concept, but no further limitations are given in the available summary.

    • The article defines negara kesatuan as “unitary state” and argues that its meaning has not been systematically clarified.
    • It rejects the idea that the concept should mainly be read through foreign theories of the fascist state.
    • The author links negara kesatuan to kawulo manunggaling gusti, a metaphor for mystical oneness between God and humans.
    • The abstract says this link helps explain the concept’s symbolic and emotional resonance among many Indonesians.
    • The author concludes that Indonesia is unlikely to abandon its attachment to negara kesatuan soon.