The 9th Mubyarto Public Policy Forum: Poverty and welfare reform in Indonesia

Event Details 

This event is co-hosted by Universitas Gdjah Mada (UGM) and the ANU Indonesia Project.  It will take place on the UGM campus, in Yogyakarta.   It will be a hybrid event, with registration opening soon. 

Date: Friday 24 October 2025

Time: 8:30 - 11:45am WIB / 12:30 - 3:45pm AEDT

Abstract

Poverty alleviation and social welfare programs in Indonesia have undergone significant transformation in the past two decades, with an increasing emphasis on evidence-based policy and program design. Nevertheless, recent developments have raised concerns regarding the waning reliance on rigorous evidence in the implementation of some large-scale social programs, potentially undermining the effectiveness and impact of these programs.

In light of these challenges, the main speaker of the 9th MPPF, Dr Sudarno Sumarto, will reflect on the two decades of welfare policy reform in Indonesia, placing special emphasis on the importance of evidence-based policymaking. He will be joined by two distinguished speakers who will deliver complementary perspectives on the topic.

Mubyarto Public Policy Forum

This annual public policy forum series is named in honour of Professor Mubyarto, a prominent economist at the Universitas Gadjah Mada, who was probably one of Indonesia's most influential intellectuals on the issue of rural development between the 1960s and 1990s.  The goal of the forum is to stimulate a debate on key development policy issues in Indonesia. The main target groups are key policy makers in government agencies, international institutions (including donor agencies), and internationally oriented business leaders, as well as senior academics, economic researchers, and graduate students.  This annual major academic and policy forum is organized by the ANU Indonesia Project, in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Gadjah Mada.