Launched in 2010 with a $10.5 million gift from the Rajawali Foundation, the Harvard Kennedy School Indonesia Program promotes research, education, and capacity building in support of democratic governance and institutional development in Indonesia. As the world’s largest majority Muslim democracy, Indonesia continues to be an important model for positive institutional change. Formerly an authoritarian regime, Indonesia recently celebrated its 10th anniversary as a multiparty democracy.

Student Research Grants

The HKS Indonesia Program offers student research grants to Harvard University students to support independent research or other forms of study conducted in Indonesia. Learn more »

Indonesian Research Fellows

The HKS Indonesia Program invites high-caliber Indonesian researchers, academics, and practitioners to apply for Indonesia Research Fellowships for the period August 2011 to June 2012 in order to pursue independent research projects in residence at HKS. The opportunity will be open to candidates from government, academia, and independent researcher communities. Preference will be given to candidates whose proposed area of research is linked to the Research Priorities of the HKS Indonesia Program. Applications will require a proposal describing research or project to be conducted, including the main policy questions to be examined, the value to Indonesia, the relevant literature and data, the research methodology to be used, the results to be achieved, the relationship of this proposed Research Fellowship to any previous or future research. Learn more »

Research

The HKS Indonesia Program develops research projects on key policy challenges facing the country. Building upon the Ash Center’s intellectual capital—with faculty who conduct cutting-edge research on democracy, governance, and development—the HKS Indonesia Program explores both how Indonesia can serve as a model to other democratizing countries and how its political and economic institutions can be reformed to ensure that its fledgling democracy endures and thrives. The Program works closely with Indonesian scholars, policymakers, and business leaders to strengthen policy education and research in Indonesia and link Indonesia to regional and global knowledge networks. Its conferences facilitate the dissemination of research results.

The recently published paper From Reformasi to Institutional Transformation: A Strategic Assessment of Indonesia's Prospects for Growth, Equity, and Democratic Governance was translated by Kompas Publishing Group and sold at Gramedia bookstores in Indonesia under the title Indonesia Menentukan Nasib. The report argues that Indonesia must engage in a thorough process of institutional transformation if it is to shed the legacy of Guided Democracy and the New Order and compete in the new globalized economy.

Executive Education

The HKS Indonesia Program develops custom executive education programs for senior Indonesian policymakers and leaders that are delivered at Harvard Kennedy School and in Indonesia. These programs may include visits to U.S. cities other than Cambridge to provide participants with opportunities to expand their professional networks and to visit sites of successful government innovations.