Gatty Lecture Series

Join us for a talk by Aichiro Suryo Prabowo, (Postdoctoral Associate, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University), who will discuss climate policy in Indonesia.

This Gatty Lecture will take place at the The Kahin Center, 640 Stewart Ave. Lunch will be served. For questions, contact seapgatty@cornell.edu.

About the Talk

Governments in developing countries often consider alleviating poverty and addressing climate change mutually exclusive agenda. The tension is likely salient in Indonesia, which has seen a momentum of economic development since the 2000s but is also home to the largest tropical forests in the world. This study empirically investigates whether such a dilemma exists by combining quantitative with textual analysis of the Indonesian central government’s budget documents over the last two decades. First, I will examine yearly allocations for environmental programs within the national budget. My analysis seeks to find intertemporal spending patterns and identify whether expenditures addressing environmental issues are adjusted across different presidencies. Second, I will focus on the narrative portions of the budget documents. By employing computational text analysis, this iteration aims to evaluate the extent to which national programs are oriented toward climate solutions, and how they stack up against competing economic agenda. Early evidence shows that the central government has allocated more funds to environmental programs at present than in the past, but it is unclear whether more funding is associated with quality spending.

About the Speaker

Aichiro Suryo Prabowo (Chiro) is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Cornell University Southeast Asia Program (SEAP). His research integrates sustainability and resilience issues into public finance and budgeting. Beyond academia, Chiro has consulted internationally for the World Bank and previously served as an associate director at Indonesia’s Presidential Office (UKP4). He received his PhD from the University of Maryland, after completing a master's degree at the University of Chicago, both in policy studies.