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The Development of Inequality and Poverty in Indonesia, 1932--2008

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  • Bas van Leeuwen
  • Péter Földvári

Abstract

We estimate inequality in Indonesia between 1932 and 2008. Inequality increased at the start of this period but declined sharply from the 1960s onwards. The increase was due to a shift from domestic to export agriculture over the period up to the Great Depression. During the 1930s, as the price of export crops declined, the income of rich farmers suffered a blow. Yet this was counterbalanced by an increasing gap between expenditures in the urban and rural sectors, causing an overall rise in inequality. As for the second half of the century, we find that the employment shift towards manufacturing and services—combined with an increase in labour productivity in agriculture—accounts for inequality’s decline, which was halted in the 1990s. These inequality trends affected poverty as well, but prior to the 1940s the negative impact of the rise in inequality was offset by an increase in per capita GDP. Between 1950 and 1980 a decline in inequality, combined with increased per capita GDP, rapidly raised a large portion of the population above the poverty line.

Suggested Citation

  • Bas van Leeuwen & Péter Földvári, 2016. "The Development of Inequality and Poverty in Indonesia, 1932--2008," Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(3), pages 379-402, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:bindes:v:52:y:2016:i:3:p:379-402
    DOI: 10.1080/00074918.2016.1184226
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Frankenberg, E. & Thomas, D. & Beegle, K., 1999. "The Real Costs of Indonesia's Economic Crisis: Preliminary Findings from the Indonesia Family Life Surveys," Papers 99-04, RAND - Labor and Population Program.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Timmer, 2018. "Pro-poor growth in Indonesia: Challenging the pessimism of Myrdal’s Asian Drama," WIDER Working Paper Series 103, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Hal Hill, 2020. "Indonesian Living Standards over 50 Years: A Multidimensional Analysis," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 249-274, September.
    3. Peter Timmer, 2018. "Pro-poor growth in Indonesia: Challenging the pessimism of Myrdal's Asian Drama," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-103, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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