Doddy Isakandar, the RSA Ambassador to Indonesia is Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada. He is also Head of Spatial Planning Support Lab, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Please find below a welcome note from Doddy in Bahasa Indonesia followed by English translation:
Bapak/Ibu dan rekan-rekan yang saya hormati, selamat datang di Regional Studies Association perwakilan Indonesia, di jejaring yang dapat kita manfaatkan untuk menyebarkan dan mengembangkan teori, teknik dan metode yang relevan dengan ilmu dan kajian regional. Diskusi dan pemikiran mengenai pembangunan lokal dan regional di Indonesia selama ini bertumpu kepada bagaimana pembangunan dan pengembangan regional mampu menyelesaikan permasalahan ketimpangan dari sisi pendapatan, ketimpangan antar wilayah dan juga tata kelola wilayah yang muncul dalam bentuk kerjasama antar pemerintah daerah untuk mendorong peningkatan laju pertumbuhan ekonomi. Oleh karena itu besar harapan bahwa RSA perwakilan Indonesia terlibat secara aktif dalam penyebaran dan pengembangan teori dan teknik terkait ilmu dan kajian regional. Sebagai RSA Ambassador untuk Indonesia, saya berharap bahwa ruang yang tersedia ini dapat membantu pertukaran gagasan dan pemikiran diantara kita yang memiliki ketertarikan dan minat mendalami bidang kajian dan ilmu regional. Terima kasih yang tak terkira atas kunjungan bapak dan ibu sekalian dan besar harapan agar kita semua bisa memanfaatkan ruang yang tersedia ini untuk menjadi media komunikasi diantara kita semua.
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Dear esteemed colleagues, welcome to the Indonesian section of the Regional Studies Association, a multidisciplinary network focusing on the diffusion and development of regional studies/regional science theories, techniques and methods. The underpinning debates and concerns on local and regional development in Indonesia lies with issues of inequality, regional disparity/divergence and governance that leads to the creation of regional intergovernmental government organizations focusing on the economic growth and development. As such, the Indonesian section of RSA is expected to play an important role in the diffusion and development of regional studies/regional science theories and techniques in Indonesia. As the RSA Ambassador for Indonesia, I hope that this space facilitates constructive exchange among you Indonesian scholars interested in regional studies/regional science. Thank you once again for visiting this space and connecting with us.
Sincerely,
Doddy Aditya Iskandar, S.T., MCP, Ph.D, MeRSA
Department of Architecture and Planning
Faculty of Engineering
Universitas Gadjah Mada
Jln. Grafika no. 2
Sleman 55281
Indonesia
email: doddy@ugm.ac.id
phone: +6281314403181
Overview of the state of regional studies/regional science in Indonesia:
Although it once held developing country status, Indonesia in the last ten years has enjoyed significant economic achievement which enabled the country to become a member of the G20 group. Rapid economic development due to a combined flows of foreign direct investment (FDI), increased saving rate and the deployment of infrastructure and other policy instruments to bolster the economy lead to socioeconomic structural transformation in Indonesia. This process gradually transformed the regional landscape, allowing some regions to grow faster than others and creating divergence and inequality, especially between Java island (which accounts for almost 60% of Indonesia’s GDP) and the remaining regions in Indonesia.
In this context, it is pertinent to address issues of local and regional (economic) development as decentralization experiment that took place more than two decades ago not only facilitates rapid expansion of the economy, but at the same time also creates regional divergence between fast growing regions in the west (of which there are more than 12 metropolitan areas with significant economic power) and underdeveloped regions in the east. Regional studies and regional science in Indonesia thus seeks ways to address issues of inequality, regional divergence and the emerging role of regional intergovernmental government organizations (RIGOs) in stimulating local and regional economy. Scholars from development economics (economic and human geography, political science, and urban and regional planning) join forces in interrogating regional issues and challenges and seeking ways to craft policy and strategy to overcome these issues.