The 8th IRSA International Conference

18-19 August 2006, Malang – East Java
The 8th IRSA International Conference
“Empowering Regional Economic Development toward Sustainable Poverty Alleviation: Good Governance, Financing Development, and the Environment”
Chair: Candra Fajri Ananda
Host: IRSA, UB (Brawijaya University) and BAPPENAS

Background

In the last five years, regional development in Indonesia has been strongly influenced by the autonomy policies implemented since 2001. The implementation of these policies, however, has been facing many problems, hence creating challenges for the process of regional development in the country. Moreover, the performances of regional development in Indonesia has also been affected by recent global socio-political issues such as political instabilities in several Asian and African countries, increase in terrorism activities, high prices of world crude oil and environmental depletion.

More recently, the challenge of regional development in Indonesia came from the central government’s fiscal “adjustment” policy, particularly its decision to reduce the country’s domestic fuel oil subsidy. The reduction of fuel oil subsidy caused the increase in domestic prices of fuel oil, which at the end induced a higher inflation rates. Consequently, it was suspected that numbers of unemployment and poor people increased. For example, in East Java, the number of poor family before the reduction of fuel oil subsidy was about 1.9 million families. The number became 2.9 million after the fuel oil subsidy reduced. The number of unemployment was estimated to also significantly increase.

Meanwhile East Java regional government has been, for a while, suffered from low financial capacity and weak public management. To be able to overcome challenges mentioned above and to improve the performance of regional development in Indonesia, it suggested by various experts that the country should develop a beneficial relationship between kabupaten/kota, provincial and national levels of government. A good collaboration and relationship in all aspects, planning, financial, and public management is expected to bring higher efficiency in delivering public services such as education, health and infrastructure development, and at the end would eventually induce a higher rate of regional development in the country.

This conference is expected to be a media for researchers, academicians and practitioners to discuss the ways to overcome the challenges of regional development in Indonesia, particularly on the issues poverty alleviation through establishing good governance, better financing regional development and inducing better environmental condition. Furthermore, at the present, many local governments (at district and provincial levels) are searching for new initiatives and programs that would enable them to combat poverty and improve economic development in their regions.

It is therefore expected that the conference will provide policy makers a venue to assess new ideas available through out the world, as well as to listen on comments and appraisals toward these ideas from fellow policy makers, NGOs, academicians as well as the private sectors. In conducting this conference, the Indonesian Regional Science Association (IRSA) collaborates with East Java Provincial Government, Faculty of Economics at the University of Brawijaya (FE-Unibraw).

Objectives

The conference is a media for scientists, practitioners, and policy-makers to discuss theoretical and empirical findings on the issue of regional development, particularly on the issues poverty alleviation through establishing good governance, better financing regional development and inducing better environmental condition. It is also hoped that through this conference participants will build strong networks for future research, policy discussion, and practical collaboration.

Expected Participants

  • Members of Indonesia Regional Science Association (IRSA)
  • Members of Regional Science Association International (RSAI)
  • Academicians
  • Central and Regional Governments Officials in Indonesia
  • Non-governmental Organizations
  • Private sectors
  • International donor communities (USAID, AusAID, DFID, GTZ, JICA, others)
  • Interested parties from other regional science and economics societies

 

Conference Venue

Widyaloka Convention Hall
Universitas Brawijaya
Jl. Mayjen Haryono 169
Malang – INDONESIA
The 8th IRSA Conference will make use of different rooms and auditorium within the University of Brawijaya.

 

Committee

This Institute is jointly organized by:

  • Indonesian Regional Science Association (IRSA)
  • National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS)
  • Faculty of Economics University of Indonesia (FEUI)

The Structure of the organizer is as follows:
Advisory Committee:

  • Bambang Bintoro Soedjito (Advisory board of IRSA / BAPPENAS)
  • Raksaka Mahi (Advisory board of IRSA / FEUI)
  • Bambang Brodjonegoro (President of IRSA / The Dean of FEUI)
  • Armida Alisjahbana (Vice President of IRSA / Padjadjaran University)
  • Budy Resosudarmo (ANU)

Organizing committee:

  • Suahasil Nazara (FEUI)
  • Nuzul Achyar (FEUI)
  • Mudrajad Kuncoro (UGM)
  • Pungky Sumadi (BAPPENAS)

Coordinator in-charge:

  • Santi B. Handayani (FEUI)