* What skills and knowledge do you hope to gain from your proposed study programme? (character limit 1200)
Over the last 4 years of researching democracy backsliding in Southeast Asia, I have identified an interesting paradox between democratic resilience and economic growth. I then discovered a contradiction between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, that differ in terms of democratic resilience. Indonesia has experienced a consistent decline in democracy over the past decade, driven by the pursuit of massive economic growth. Timor-Leste, on the other hand, has experienced passive economic growth, yet its democratic strengthening continues and demonstrates consistent positive results. I realized that the traditional political theories approach was not advanced enough to explain these research gaps.
To address this, I am pursuing a PhD as I intend to gain expertise in the Governance Analytical Framework (GAF). As a qualitative method, GAF is essential for analyzing how power and resources are managed through the intricate interactions of actors, norms, and processes. This method will allow me to evaluate governance accountability with a more comprehensive lens. These skills are essential to navigate and analyze complexities surrounding democratic resilience in Indonesia.
* Why do you think these knowledge and skills are important to your country's development? Where possible you should refer to data and research that supports your argument. (character limit 1200)
Democracy in Indonesia has backward significantly over the past decade. While the 2024 election took place, the decline was driven by weak civil liberties maintaining a decade-long trend of democratic backsliding since 2014. Indonesia primary challenge is ensuring that political institutions remain inclusive while pursuing rapid economic growth. Addressing this issue requires an advanced analysis of how power and resources are managed despite various political landscapes.
Developing the GAF is important, as it provides the skill and knowledge needed to mitigate the long-term impact of such democratic backsliding. Democratic backsliding often happens through the degradation of political norms rather than military coups. The GAF method is designed to capture the informal governance process. For example, if a state uses economic policy or national security narratives to erode democratic values, the GAF provides the tools to map how these informal practices weaken democratic resilience. By utilizing GAF, I will gain the methodological approach required to diagnose democratic resilience by analyzing the interactions between state actors and non-state actors in democratic environments.
* If you could change one thing about your country, what would it be and how would you achieve it? Describe every step you would take, and how you would use your new knowledge and skills? (character limit 1200)
After completing my PhD, I will establish a master's program in Political Science that bridges political theory with a grassroots approach. The curriculum will prioritize empirical testing of democratic variables and a grassroots approach to investigate whether citizens perceive democracy as a taken-for-granted state or a value that must be actively defended. This program will uniquely integrate Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to ensure students receive capacity building from both academics and NGO leaders.
This initiative directly supports one of the Indonesia-New Zealand Plan of Action 2025-2029 goal of producing a highly skilled workforce. My vision is to produce a new generation of policy experts designed to strengthen good governance as 22% of Gen-Z already taking part in the 2024 election. By bridging the gap between academic and grassroots practice, it will contribute to a stronger civil society and ensuring that Indonesia's democratic resilience is built naturally through sustainable knowledge forum. This knowledge is essential as both Indonesia and New Zealand showing commitment to strengthening democracy by participate at the latest Bali Democracy Forum.
One essay per thread please.
Over the last 4 years of researching democracy backsliding in Southeast Asia, I have identified an interesting paradox between democratic resilience and economic growth. I then discovered a contradiction between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, that differ in terms of democratic resilience. Indonesia has experienced a consistent decline in democracy over the past decade, driven by the pursuit of massive economic growth. Timor-Leste, on the other hand, has experienced passive economic growth, yet its democratic strengthening continues and demonstrates consistent positive results. I realized that the traditional political theories approach was not advanced enough to explain these research gaps.
To address this, I am pursuing a PhD as I intend to gain expertise in the Governance Analytical Framework (GAF). As a qualitative method, GAF is essential for analyzing how power and resources are managed through the intricate interactions of actors, norms, and processes. This method will allow me to evaluate governance accountability with a more comprehensive lens. These skills are essential to navigate and analyze complexities surrounding democratic resilience in Indonesia.
* Why do you think these knowledge and skills are important to your country's development? Where possible you should refer to data and research that supports your argument. (character limit 1200)
Democracy in Indonesia has backward significantly over the past decade. While the 2024 election took place, the decline was driven by weak civil liberties maintaining a decade-long trend of democratic backsliding since 2014. Indonesia primary challenge is ensuring that political institutions remain inclusive while pursuing rapid economic growth. Addressing this issue requires an advanced analysis of how power and resources are managed despite various political landscapes.
Developing the GAF is important, as it provides the skill and knowledge needed to mitigate the long-term impact of such democratic backsliding. Democratic backsliding often happens through the degradation of political norms rather than military coups. The GAF method is designed to capture the informal governance process. For example, if a state uses economic policy or national security narratives to erode democratic values, the GAF provides the tools to map how these informal practices weaken democratic resilience. By utilizing GAF, I will gain the methodological approach required to diagnose democratic resilience by analyzing the interactions between state actors and non-state actors in democratic environments.
* If you could change one thing about your country, what would it be and how would you achieve it? Describe every step you would take, and how you would use your new knowledge and skills? (character limit 1200)
After completing my PhD, I will establish a master's program in Political Science that bridges political theory with a grassroots approach. The curriculum will prioritize empirical testing of democratic variables and a grassroots approach to investigate whether citizens perceive democracy as a taken-for-granted state or a value that must be actively defended. This program will uniquely integrate Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to ensure students receive capacity building from both academics and NGO leaders.
This initiative directly supports one of the Indonesia-New Zealand Plan of Action 2025-2029 goal of producing a highly skilled workforce. My vision is to produce a new generation of policy experts designed to strengthen good governance as 22% of Gen-Z already taking part in the 2024 election. By bridging the gap between academic and grassroots practice, it will contribute to a stronger civil society and ensuring that Indonesia's democratic resilience is built naturally through sustainable knowledge forum. This knowledge is essential as both Indonesia and New Zealand showing commitment to strengthening democracy by participate at the latest Bali Democracy Forum.
One essay per thread please.
