Regional Income Disparities and Convergence Clubs in Indonesia: New District-Level Evidence 2000-2017

Reducing regional income disparities is a central challenge for promoting sustainable development in Indonesia. In particular, the prospect for these disparities to be reduced in the post-decentralization period has become a major concern for policymakers in Indonesia. Motivated by this background, this paper re-examines the regional convergence hypothesis at the district level in Indonesia over the 2000-2017 period. Using a novel data set, this study investigates the formation of multiple convergence clubs using non-linear dynamic factor model. The results indicate that Indonesian districts form five convergence clubs, implying that the growth of income per capita in 514 districts can be clustered into five common trends. From the lens of spatial distribution, two common occasions can be observed. First, districts belonging to the the same province tend be in the same club and second, the highest club is dominated by districts with specific characteristic (i.e., big cities or natural resources rich regions). From a policy standpoint, the identification of multiple convergence clubs at significantly different levels of income allows regional policy makers to identify districts facing similar challenges

Regional Income Disparities and Convergence Clubs in Indonesia: New District-Level Evidence 2000-2017

This paper aims to re-examine the regional convergence hypothesis on income in Indonesia over the 2000-2017 period. By applying a non-linear dynamic factor model, this paper tests the club convergence hypothesis using a novel dataset of income at the district level. The results show significant five convergence clubs in Indonesian districts' income dynamics, implying the persistence of income disparity problems across districts even after implementing the decentralization policy. The subsequent analysis reveals two appealing features regarding the convergence clubs. First, districts belonging to the same province tend to be in the same club, and second, districts with specific characteristics (i.e., big cities or natural resources-rich regions) dominate the highest income club. Overall, our findings suggest some insightful policy implications, including the importance of differentiated development policies across convergence clubs and inter-provincial development strategies

Financial Development and Income Inequality in Indonesia: A Sub-national Level Analysis

It is widely believed that financial inclusion aids inclusive growth and reducing inequality. This study constructs financial inclusion indicator and analyzes the link of financial inclusion and income inequality for 33 provinces in Indonesia. In extension to analyses at national level, estimation has been done by dividing provinces into three categories which are agriculture, manufacture, and mining economies. By using Fixed Effect Panel Model, we find financial inclusion appears to have insignificant effect to inequality at national level. While at sub-national level, adding other variables such as GRDP, years of schooling, and trade openness, we find financial inclusion appears to have negative and significant impact on income inequality in manufacture and mining-based provinces, not in agriculture-based. The results suggest that financial inclusion helps to lower income inequality when economic condition encourage people to utilize financial access for productive purposes. More effective financial inclusion programs in rural area are highly demanded

Financial Development and Income Inequality in Indonesia: A Sub-national Level Analysis

It is widely believed that financial inclusion aids inclusive growth and reducing inequality. This study constructs financial inclusion indicator and analyzes the link of financial inclusion and income inequality for 33 provinces in Indonesia. In extension to analyses at national level, estimation has been done by dividing provinces into three categories which are agriculture, manufacture, and mining economies. By using Fixed Effect Panel Model, we find financial inclusion appears to have insignificant effect to inequality at national level. While at sub-national level, adding other variables such as GRDP, years of schooling, and trade openness, we find financial inclusion appears to have negative and significant impact on income inequality in manufacture and mining-based provinces, not in agriculture-based. The results suggest that financial inclusion helps to lower income inequality when economic condition encourage people to utilize financial access for productive purposes. More effective financial inclusion programs in rural area are highly demanded