Decentralisation in Indonesia:

Indonesia is an extraordinarily large and diverse nation. Its 6,000 inhabited islands, spread over a huge area, are home to 210 million people and more than 300 linguistic groups. Unlike other large populous nations, however, government in Indonesia has remained highly centralized through decades of authoritarian rule. A quiet upheaval is now underway in Indonesia. Successive governments, prompted by the chaotic events of the late 1990s, have sought to seize the potential gains of decentralization - more effective, more efficient and more responsive government. Decentralisation in Indonesia analyzes these events in detail, describing the challenges, processes and perils of change. It presents the historic context of decentralization, discusses the development and implementation of decentralization policies in Indonesia, identifies the considerable difficulties policymakers have faced in pursuing change, and highlights the work that remains to be done. Decentralization is within reach i