Democratic Transition in Indonesia by Muhammad Asfar

Democratic Transition in Indonesia by Muhammad Asfar

This book critically examines the trajectory of democratic deterioration under the Jokowi administration, evaluating the profound implications of this decline, and identifying latent opportunities for democratic recovery following the leadership transition to the current administration of President Prabowo Subianto.

Highlighting the multifaceted complexities inherent in Indonesia's democratic degradation, this essential volume exposes how recent leadership has accelerated this regression, unleashing complex social, political, and ecological crises. Chapters use specific case studies to demonstrate how democratic erosion adversely impacts broader societal spheres, collectively demonstrating the intrinsic correlation between democratic decline and the deterioration of governance across economic, political, and environmental domains. By exploring vital structural dynamics – including the grip of oligarchies, civil society resistance, pork-barrel politics, local governance, and rising environmental authoritarianism – the book reveals how the Prabowo government’s responses will shape the future of Indonesian freedom. The book ultimately contributes a contemporary framework for understanding whether this pivotal nation will slip further into autocracy or spark a historic democratic rebound.

Tailored for scholars and postgraduate students working Southeast Asian politics, democracy studies, and political leaders more specifically, this timely text is indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the current developments and future survival of democracy in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Muhammad Asfar is currently the Head of the Department of Political Science at Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia, and the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. Asfar is also a senior political consultant and a former board member of the Association of Public Opinion Research in Indonesia, the oldest and largest organisation of pollsters in the country. He has published widely in national media and reputable international journals. His recent publications can be read in the Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, The Journal of Media and Society, and Cogent Social Sciences, among others.

I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana is currently a Professor of International Politics and Security studies at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Airlangga Indonesia, and a fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. Wicaksana’s work has been published in highly reputable international journals, including International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, The Pacific Review, Contemporary Politics, and Global Society. Wicaksana's latest co-authored book, titled Foreign Policies of Illiberal States: Indonesia and Russia from the end of the Cold War to the war in Ukraine, was published in 2025.