Tom Pepinsky, Walter F. LaFeber Professor of Government in the College of Arts & Sciences and Director of the Southeast Asia Program, said of the workshop: “The major accomplishment of our workshop was to gather together scholars from around the world to discuss the state of Indonesian democracy in the wake of the 2024 presidential and legislative elections. The participants exchanged views about potential sources of democratic weakness under the outgoing administration of Joko Widodo, and the future of Indonesian democracy under its new president, Prabowo Subianto. As part of these discussions, paper authors received close and careful feedback from expert discussants, which will allow them to revise their drafts for future publication. The open discussions fostered a critical but collaborative atmosphere in which early career researchers and established Indonesia experts were able to refine their arguments and analyses in light of the most up-to-date developments.”

The first panel featured presentations from Marcus Mietzner of Australian National University (participating virtually) and Djayadi Hanan of Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, with Diego Fossati from City University of Hong Kong serving as the discussant. This session examined the decline of Indonesian democracy under former President Joko Widodo, including a detailed look at his majoritarian tendencies and structural changes to the presidency.

After a coffee break, the second panel featured Burhanuddin Muhtadi from Indikator and the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University and Yoes Kenawas from Atma Jaya Catholic University, with Meredith Weiss from University at Albany-SUNY as the discussant. This panel focused on the question of whether Indonesia’s democratic regime has declined into competitive authoritarianism, and how dynastic politics has eroded democratic competition at the local and national levels. 

Following a lunch and tour of the Fall Creek gorge, the third panel included Amalinda Savirani from Universitas Gadjah Mada and Meredith Weiss, alongside Merlyna Lim from Carleton University, with Margaret Scott from New York University and the New York Southeast Asia Network as the discussant. This session examined democratic regression at the subnational level, and the impact of social media on the 2024 election. 

The afternoon sessions concluded with a panel featuring Rocky Intan from University at Albany-SUNY and Tom Pepinsky, moderated by Andreas Ufen from the German Institute of Global and Area Studies. The panel provided insights into how Indonesian political coalitions respond to existing social cleavages, and how increasing economic ties with China constrain Indonesian foreign policy. 

The second day of the workshop began with a panel featuring Jessica Soedirgo from the University of Amsterdam and Nathanael Gratias Sumaktoyo from the National University of Singapore, alongside Eunsook Jung from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Jeremy Menchik from Boston University as the discussant. The panel provided insights into potential shifts in the nature of Muslim groups and of Indonesian civil society, and how both interact with the larger political system.

After a coffee break, Panel 6 saw Jessica Soedirgo presenting further insights on the ethnic and religious dimensions of Indonesian politics, with comments from Tom Pepinsky. This was followed by a concluding session led by Tom Pepinsky, who discussed next steps for revising the papers for publication, with emphasis on open-access options that ensure that the contributions are all widely available to scholars around the world.  

In the afternoon, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a guided walk-through of the Johnson Museum's exhibits with Chief Curator Ellen Avril, offering a cultural complement to the workshop’s discussions.

The workshop offered a balanced and informed view of Indonesia’s evolving political landscape, contributing to ongoing discussions about the country’s democratic development and its role in the region.

This workshop was generously supported by a donation from Patrick Walujo ’97, and organized through a collaborative effort by Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program, the Modern Indonesian Project, and the Einaudi Center for International Studies, with additional support from the Departments of Government and Asian Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences, and the Brooks School of Public Policy.