Oligarchy and the End of Reformasi in Indonesia

Offering an in-depth account of how the forces and institutions of oligarchy established their ascendancy in post-authoritarian Indonesia, this volume represents the new and updated edition of a highly influential study.

In the wake of neo-liberal markets and democracy being progressively replaced by a more state-centred and nationalist vision of Indonesia’s destiny, this new edition charts the evolution of oligarchic power following Jokowi’s rise to power. Chapters argue that the developments of the last decade, now shaping the presidency of Prabowo Subianto, represent the culmination of processes of power reorganisation and oligarchic consolidation set in motion during the early post-Soeharto period. The book challenges resurgent pluralist explanations about the relationship between democracy and market institutions, demonstrating how democratic politics, populist impulses, and oligarchic domination can ultimately co-exist and sustain each other.

This revised edition of one of the most highly cited and influential works on modern Indonesian politics will be suitable as a textbook on Indonesian and Southeast Asian society and economy. It will also be of interest to academics in Southeast Asian politics, as well as those interested in political economy, development and society in general.

Vedi R. Hadiz (FASSA) is Professor of Asian Studies and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, where he was Director. He has also been an Assistant Deputy Vice-Chancellor International at the University of Melbourne. At Murdoch University, he was Professor Asian Societies and Politics and at the National University of Singapore, Associate Professor of Sociology. He has written on oligarchy and capitalism, democracy and populism and labour movements in Indonesia/Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Richard Robison (FASSA) is Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne and Emeritus Professor, Murdoch University. He was formerly Professor of Political Economy at the International Institute of Social Studies in the Hague, Netherlands and Director of the Australian Research Council’s Special Centre for the Study of Political and Economic Change in Asia at Murdoch University, Australia. He has written widely on the political economy of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.