Organizer: ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute
Type/Location: Virtual
Description:
Indonesia has achieved significant poverty reduction over the past two decades. Yet, extreme poverty persists. As of March 2025, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) estimated that around 2.4 million people remained below the international extreme poverty line of US$2.15 (2017 PPP) per day. The government has pledged to eradicate extreme poverty nationwide by 2026, with a revised target of 0–0.5%. This will be achieved by mobilising a mix of social assistance programs, fiscal transfers to regions, and targeted livelihood support. However, the challenge is compounded by slowing economic growth, limited labour absorption in the formal sector, widening regional disparities, and constrained fiscal space in the post-pandemic era. Meanwhile, climate shocks and rising food prices disproportionately affect the poorest households. This webinar will provide an update on poverty incidence and distributional trends in Indonesia and discuss the emerging policy challenges and the governance of inter-ministerial coordination.
About the Speakers:
Priasto Aji is an economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Indonesia Resident Mission, where his research focuses on development economics and digital transformation. He has published widely, including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and long-standing contributions to ADB’s flagship Asian Development Outlook.
Zahra Amalia Syarifah is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego, where she studies international development, global social policy, social protection systems, education, and the politics of evidence-based policymaking. She is also a Qualitative Research Specialist in the Policy Assistance Team at the Ministry of Human Empowerment.
Iqbal Dawam Wibisono is an economist specialising in development, labour, regional and microeconomics research. He is a Researcher at the Center for Economics and Development Studies (CEDS), Padjadjaran University, Bandung, West Java.
Registration:
To attend the event in person, please register here.
To attend the event virtually, please register here.