Political Ecology of Palm Oil Development in the Kapuas Hulu District of West Kalimantan

This thesis examines how the enrolment of local communities into the palm oil economy is constructing a particular, and complicated, mode of agricultural transformation. I look at the ways that local livelihoods are negotiated in response to diverse palm oil development pathways across three villages in the Kapuas Hulu district of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The thesis uses a political ecology approach to examine the ways agrarian communities adapt their local economic production and social relations in response to the forthright assertion of a capitalist economy upon their local landscape. I do this by examining: i) the multi-scalar institutional arrangements that shape agrarian change; ii) the processes through which land is made available for large-scale oil palm cultivation; and iii) the implications for local livelihoods and agrarian transformation. I apply ethnographic field work across three villages, with primary data collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, group discussion, and household economic survey. I argue that the broader institutional settings of the global value chain for palm oil provide a fundamental framework that limits and shapes possible livelihood pathways for rural communities in Kapuas Hulu. Buyer-driven governance structures also reach into Kapuas Hulu to provide market access opportunities and infrastructure development. I present a critical analysis of the political economy of palm oil that results in land dispossession and social differentiation in Kalimantan, but with a key contribution being the role played by customary Dayak elites in this process. However, I also find that the subjective well-being of many community members to have improved along with the expansion of oil palm, with many households generally appreciative of opportunities to participate and engage in smallholder oil palm production. Importantly, however, this only holds true when the nature of the engagement is on their own terms

The Relationship between Oil Palm Expansion and Income Inequality in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand: International Trade Insights

This study aims to explore the relationship between the expansion of oil palm plantations and income inequality in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The relationship was investigated using panel data analysis from 2000 to 2019. The results indicate a mixed effect of palm oil expansion on inequality, in which land use for oil palm farming has a significant and negative effect on income inequality as measured by the Gini Index. However, fertilizer consumption and yield in oil palm activities have positive relationships with income inequality. This suggests the importance of supporting equal access to both financing and capacity building. Lastly, this study presents scenarios with and without government intervention. Research paper Keywords: Palm Oil; Expansion; Inequality; International Trade; Data Panel Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Hasudungan. A., & Raeskyesa, D. G. S. (2021). The Relationship between Oil Palm Expansion and Income Inequality in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand: International Trade Insights. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 9(2), 72–95

Exponential Growth Pattern of Consumer Well-Being and Attractiveness of Tourism Digital Destination

This research aims to explore the connective patterns of 7 dimensions of tourism consumer well-being (environmental altruism, spiritual attunement, inspirational mindfulness, bio-psychological aspect, entrepreneurship, social connectedness, and cultural identity) to induce more tourism growth attractiveness in visiting the digital destination of the My Trip My Adventure (MTMA) Labuan Bajo YouTube platform. The study stems from a postmodern approach where the virtual world and reality are eroded in digital technology development. This study enriches that postmodern perspective by elaborating on 7 dimensions of tourism consumer welfare and the 4 V’s of digital technology innovation (volume, variety, velocity, and veracity). This study collected comments, replies, and ‘like’ expressions on YouTube from October 2016 to October 2019 from the My Trip My Adventure (MTMA) Labuan Bajo YouTube platform. The researchers then analyzed through thematic analysis and social network analysis. This research confirms the polynomial growth pattern from the 7 dimensions of tourism consumer well-being. In general, the pattern goes up from environmental well-being to inspirational mindfulness. Then, it descends to biophysical well-being. It is because to have exponential growth; tourism needs to be absent temporarily. Suddenly after that, the growth goes up in terms of social and cultural well-being. The findings can benefit tourism practitioners in orchestrating their 7 dimensions of tourism consumer well-being as destination orchestrators

Affective and Normative Commitment as Intervening Variables of the Links between Ethical Leadership, Religiosity, and Fraud

This study aims to examine the mediating effect of affective and normative commitments in the relationship between ethical leadership, religiosity, and fraud in Indonesia government institutions. Using the cluster sampling method, data was collected through surveys with respondents were employees of government agencies in Indonesia. The survey obtained 111 responses and the data were analyzed using path analysis. The findings revealed that ethical leadership and intrinsic religiosity have a direct negative effect on employees’ legal fraud engagement. However, only ethical leadership that indirectly and negatively affects employees’ legal fraud through affective commitment. The normative commitment does not mediate the effect of intrinsic religiosity to legal fraud engagement. Hence, this study provides evidence on the importance of the control environment as well as the presence of ethical leaders in government institutions

ANALYSIS OF THE TOURISM SECTOR IN INDONESIA USING THE INPUT-OUTPUT AND ERROR-CORRECTION MODEL APPROACH

ABSTRACTThis research explores the role of the tourism sector in Indonesia, including its backward and forward linkages with other economic sectors. The tourism sector is represented by the hotel and restaurant (hospitality) industry. The study uses the input-output method and traces the econometric backward and forward shocks of the tourism sector with the Error Correction Model (ECM), using database from Statistics Indonesia from 2010 to 2019. The paper contributes to the existing literature by using multi-stage quantitative processes to observe backward and forward economic linkages. The result shows that manufacturing output contributes a significant and positive effect to the hotel and restaurant industry. At the same time, the tourism sector provides a significant and positive contribution to government retribution. Nonetheless, there is a negative relationship between the growth of the agriculture and tourism sector, which is assumed due to the tradeoff in the factor of production between the agricultural and tourism sector development. Consequently, backward and forward relationships suggest more holistic and prudent economic policies for observing interdependent tourism development in Indonesia's other economic sectors. ABSTRAKTujuan penelitian ini adalah menginvestigasi keterkaitan ke belakang dan ke depan antara sektor pariwisata dan sektor ekonomi lain di Indonesia. Pariwisata di sini di wakili sektor perhotelan dan restoran. Studi ini menggunakan metode input-output dengan data berasal dari database input output Bank Pembangunan Asia (ADB). Kedua, studi menelusuri  keterkaitan ekonometrik ke depan dan ke belakang pariwisata dengan model koreksi kesalahan (ECM), menggunakan data triwulan dari PDB riil di database BPS dari tahun 2010 hingga 2019. Kontribusi makalah ini adalah proses multi-asesment untuk mengamati keterkaitan ekonomi ke belakang dan ke depan antara pariwisata dengan sektor ekonomi lainnya. Dari ekonometri tersebut, diketahui bahwa kontribusi output industry manufaktur berpengaruh signifikan dan positif terhadap industri hotel dan restoran. Selain itu, pariwisata memberikan kontribusi yang signifikan dan positif untuk retribusi pemerintah. Meskipun demikian, peningkatan output pariwisata datang dengan pengorbanan pengurangan output sektor pertanian. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh kompetisi akses faktor produksi di antara kedua sektor tersebut. Hasil ini  menekankan perlunya kebijakan ekonomi yang lebih holistik dan hati-hati terhadap saling ketergantungan antara pembangunan pariwisata dengan sektor ekonomi lain di Indonesia

The Structural and Macroeconomic Determinants of Manufacturing Export-Value Performance in ASEAN Countries

This study aims to scrutinize the determinants of manufacturing exports in several ASEAN countries, specifically: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam. It adopts a panel data regression using the random effects model to predict manufacturing export value using structural (economic complexity and human capital) and macroeconomic (real effective exchange rate, foreign direct investment, and inflation) variables. The research finds that foreign direct investment, human capital, real effective exchange rate, and inflation are positive and statistically significant predictors of manufacturing exports in these ASEAN countries. However, the positive correlation between the real effective exchange rate and manufacturing exports is against previous literature arguing that a currency’s depreciation drives export competitiveness. The findings suggest that currency appreciation can enhance a country’s export performance as exports’ input products are cheaper than before. Additionally, the positive influence of inflation on exports can be explained by the subsequent increase in consumption from foreign countries. Therefore, in addition to managing their exchange rates, countries must develop their human capital and attract more foreign investments to enhance their export performance

Apakah insentif keuangan dan persepsi keseriusan berpengaruh terhadap keputusan aparatur sipil negara melakukan whistleblowing?

Abstract: This study aims to examine the influence of perception of seriousness and financial incentives on public officers’ decisions to conduct whistleblowing to external parties. Two independent variables in this study, perception of seriousness and financial incentives, are based on extrinsic-intrinsic motivation theory. This research used the experimental between-subject method so there were two types of questionnaire distributed to public officers in three different public institutions, selected by using the convenience sampling method. The ancova test results show that public officers’ decisions to report violations is influenced by the seriousness of the violation. Meanwhile, the impact of financial incentives on whistleblowing intentions is insignificant. The interaction between perceptions of seriousness and financial incentives also indicates that regardless of the existence of monetary rewards, the more serious a violation is, the greater the intention of public officers to report violations. This study contributes to academic literature and policymakers. It extends fraud detection literature and provides evidence to policymakers about the impact of perception of seriousness and financial incentives on public officers’ intention to report fraud. Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh persepsi keseriusan dan insentif keuangan terhadap keputusan aparatur sipil negara (ASN) melakukan whistleblowing kepada pihak eksternal. Kedua variabel independent yang diuji di dalam penelitian ini, yaitu persepsi keseriusan dan insentif keuangan, didasarkan pada teori motivasi ekstrinsik-intrinsik. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode experimental between-subject sehingga ada dua jenis kuesioner disebarkan ke ASN di tiga institusi yang berbeda. Responden hanya diperbolehkan mengisi salah satu kuesioner. Pemilihan responden dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode convenience sampling. Hasil uji ancova memperlihatkan bahwa keputusan aparatur sipil negara dalam melaporkan pelanggaran dipengaruhi oleh seberapa serius pelanggaran tersebut (persepsi keseriusan). Dampak insentif keuangan terhadap intensi whistleblowing tidak signifkan. Interaksi antara persepsi keseriuan dan insentif keuangan mengindikasikan bahwa terlepas dari keberadaan imbalan moneter, semakin serius suatu pelanggaran, semakin besar pula intensi ASN melaporkan pelanggaran. Studi ini berkontribusi pada literatur akademis dan pembuat kebijakan. Penelitian ini memperdalam literatur mengenai pendeteksian kecurangan dan memberikan bukti kepada pembuat kebijakan mengenai dampak persepsi keseriusan dan insentif keuangan terhadap intensi aparatur sipil negara untuk melaporkan kecurangan

The Institutional Environment of the Palm Oil Value Chain and Its Impact on Community Development in Kapuas Hulu, Indonesia

The aim of this study is to present the multi-scalar institutional environment that has emerged around the palm oil value chain, and to analyze how this influences community development outcomes in the Kapuas Hulu district of West Kalimantan. A common narrative presented by many environmental organizations, and indeed often reinforced in the academic literature, is one where local communities actively resist the expansion of oil palm plantations but are ultimately powerless to halt it. This narrative tends to depend on, and reinforces, a portrait of traditional communities as being dependent on subsistence food provisioning and natural resources for their livelihoods, thus making them particularly sensitive to the widespread environmental changes caused by this highly transformative—in a landscape sense— type of commercial agriculture. This research draws upon mixed method data collection techniques, including eight months of participant observation fieldwork across three villages in 2016 and 2017, group discussions, household surveys, and semi-structured interviews. Conceptually, we develop an understanding of the institutional environment as applied within global value chain theory, which we present as a complex amalgam of social structures from within the value chain (especially governance by lead firms), those external to it (including formal state institutions and NGOs), and the changing customary institutions within production landscapes. The ability of local communities to participate in the construction of this broader institutional environment, and to benefit from it, is of critical importance when assessing the impact of incorporation within the palm oil economy. This study thus helps present a more nuanced analysis of community engagement with palm oil and the processes driving contemporary agrarian change

PROCESSES OF LAND APPROPRIATION FOR LARGE-SCALE OIL PALM DEVELOPMENT IN WEST KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA/ Processos de aquisição de terra para a produção de óleo de palma em Kapuas Hulu, Indonésia/ Proses pembebasan lahan untuk perkebunan kelapa sawit di Kapuas Hulu, Kalimantan Barat

This study examines the processes of negotiation through which agribusiness investors are gaining access to large areas of land for oil palm plantations within the Kapuas Hulu district of West Kalimantan in Indonesia. Kapuas Hulu is at the forefront of current oil palm expansion in Indonesia, making this a revealing case-study of current practices at Indonesia’s oil palm frontier. In their book, Powers of Exclusion, Hall, Hirsh and Li. (2011) describe the complex interplay of processes that are assembled to effectively exclude some actors from accessing land while privileging others. In Indonesia, these powers are applied to explain how investors access plantation land for a fraction of its market value. This study presents the complexities of institutional interplays among different actors that negotiate land dispossession across three village environments, each at different stages of engagement with the palm oil industry. In Kapuas Hulu, agribusiness corporations often gain land access with the support of customary elites, causing tensions within many Dayak Iban communities. Yet, informal modes of organisation, centred on the traditional longhouse social structures, also collide with the powers of exclusion, to produce sites of resistance. Como citar este artigo:HASUDUNGAN, Albert; NEILSON, Jeff. Processes of land appropriation for large-scale oil palm development in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Revista NERA, v. 23, n. 51, p. 366-389, jan.-abr., 202