ICS Seminar Series

Booming economic growth in Indonesia over recent decades has seen many millions of Indonesians enjoying improved household incomes and middle class consumer benefits. But despite these developments, up to 11% of the population live below the official poverty line and many more remain vulnerable to falling into poverty. In response, the Indonesian government has introduced a range of social protection policies directed to the poor and vulnerable. This presentation reports on preliminary results of a collaborative ARC project designed to consider the impact of these new policies and programs, particularly in terms of their effectiveness in reaching the poor and ameliorating cases of extreme poverty. As part of the research, a series of village case studies is being implemented in different regions of the country to provide a set of comparative perspectives on livelihood dynamics, seasonality effects, poverty perceptions and the role of social protection (both formal and informal). The presentation reflects on some results of recent household surveys in two Sama Bajo settlements in coastal Southeast Sulawesi. A predominantly maritime based, language community, Sama Bajo livelihoods are shaped by seasonal patterns of fishing and marine based harvesting and trading. A strong feature of these communities is the presence of enduring patron-client relationships known as Punggawa –Sawi that express the idea of an economic safety net and market based inter-dependencies founded on debt.