• Economy of Indonesia; GDP Growth Slowed to 5.02% in 2019

    As expected, Indonesia’s full-year 2019 economic growth came in well below the central government’s 5.3 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth target. Based on the data that were released by Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) in early February 2020, the Indonesian economy expanded at a pace of 5.02 percent (y/y) in 2019.

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  • Internet & Smartphone Penetration; Indonesians’ Addiction to Smartphones Allows for Rapid Development of the Digital Economy

    Whenever you sit in a coffee shop or restaurant (warung) in Indonesia, enjoying a drink or a meal, you will probably notice that most of the Indonesians around you are in constant contact with their mobile phones (or smartphones), iPads, and laptops. Or, when you walk on the bustling urban streets, you will notice that many Indonesians are sitting or standing next to the road while using their smartphones.

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  • Indonesian Politics & Economy: Looking Back on 2019, Looking Forward to 2020

    What marked the year 2019 for Indonesia was national politics. Although in these present times each year feels like a ‘political year’ for Indonesia – as the country’s local elections are spread out across years (and in 2020 it will be the turn of voters in various parts of the Archipelago to elect nine governors, 224 regents and 37 mayors) – the year 2019 was in fact a particularly ‘huge political year’ for Indonesia because of the (general) presidential and legislative elections that were held on 17 April 2019.

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