RESEARCH

A research and publication unit formed by the DPP, PolGov is a departmental research institute. Since 2016, PolGov has divided research activities into five study topics, namely; “Power, Welfare and Democracy”, “Resource Governance”, “Election Governance” and “Border Governance”, and “Decentralization Politics”. contemporary political realities in Indonesia.The following are the details of the ideas from the five topics of the study:

1. Power, Welfare and Democracy
   Through the study topic “Power, Welfare and Democracy”, PolGov critically examines the achievements and challenges of democratization taking place in Indonesia. All research on the topic also has a practical dimension, namely supporting the broad framework of the democratic movement by ensuring that democratization proceeds in a substantive direction for the welfare of all people without exception. PolGov develops a paradigmatic understanding of democracy in the Indonesian context with an empirical approach examining which issues are part of democratic decisions or are politicized by pro-democracy elements. PolGov also offers alternative democratic models through issues, interests and organizations; and various forms of deliberation as an alternative offer to liberal democracy.
2. Resource Management
   For the topic of “Resource Management”, PolGov is currently focusing on Extractive Resource Governance – oil, gas, mineral and coal, and forestry – which must be managed wisely by taking into account the aspects of energy security, social welfare. , and sustainability (sustainability). PolGov seeks to study the governance of extraction resources from a very paradigmatic perspective, namely: tracing the extent to which the idea of extraction becomes a hegemonic public reason, drives economic development, and conditions all existing economic and social activities. PolGov is trying to find scientific breakthroughs by trying to connect the idea of good governance with a more political management of extraction resources, trying to dismantle the reasoning of extractivism and finding a way beyond extractivism.
3. Election Governance
   PolGov has long paid special attention to the topic of “Election Governance”, especially post-reform, ranging from the issue of electoral democratic governance (elections), to the study of political aspects that work outside election procedures. In this topic, PolGov examines the pattern of power relations that have emerged around the election event. A series of research in this topic offers an approach and model of analysis of electoral governance with a different perspective from previous studies. By elaborating practices that contribute to the formation of hybrid/defective democracy in Indonesia, PolGov seeks to explain the various power relations among actors behind the election stage.
4. Border Governance
   In the topic of “Border Management”, PolGov seeks to fill knowledge gaps in the study of border area development in Indonesia. So far, cross-border studies in Indonesia have not received widespread attention, both from the academic community and policy makers. Border areas tend to be neglected because they are considered as the country’s backyard where the operationalization of cross-border governance has not become a priority. In fact, the border is a spatial political entity that is the line of confirmation of the sovereignty of a nation-state. PolGov builds cross-border governance frameworks that are based on mapping existing knowledge and based on field realities. This study offers a paradigmatic transformation in defining and treating borders, namely the transformation from the hard border paradigm to the soft border paradigm.
5. Decentralization Politics
   On the topic of the study “Politics of Decentralization”, PolGov puts forward an understanding of the regional context which is placed within the framework of broader interests, namely the interests of local communities and the national government. At the central government level, PolGov criticizes, initiates, and proposes improvements to the decentralization policy format that is more solution for Indonesia. Meanwhile, at the local government level, PolGov is active in research, training, and advocacy activities related to issues of political and government decentralization. A number of research themes conducted by PolGov on this topic are the expansion of new autonomous regions, asymmetric decentralization, the status of regional privileges, strengthening local government institutions and apparatus, formulating and proposing the direction of regional government development, and the direction of the national government’s decentralization policy.