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Articles

International development institutions and the challenges of urbanisation: the case of Jakarta

Pages 346-359 | Received 02 Jun 2015, Accepted 30 Nov 2015, Published online: 05 Apr 2016
 

ABSTRACT

Urbanisation in the Global South presents numerous challenges for international development institutions. Building from interviews at nine different international development institutions working in Jakarta, Indonesia, this article examines how such institutions approach urban poverty, governance, and collaboration. The case study of Jakarta indicates that urban governance is often fragmented and difficult for such institutions to navigate, making partnership with other, often local, actors and institutions with urban and on-the-ground expertise vital. International development institutions struggle to both address the unique characteristics of distinct urban areas and to develop widely replicable practices, strategies, and platforms for effective partnership and development intervention.

L’urbanisation de l’hémisphère Sud présente de nombreux défis pour les institutions internationales de développement. Sur la base d’entretiens avec neuf institutions internationales de développement différentes opérant depuis Jakarta, en Indonésie, cet article examine la manière dont ces institutions abordent la pauvreté, la gouvernance et la collaboration en milieu urbain. L’étude de cas de Jakarta indique que la gouvernance urbaine est souvent fragmentée et difficile à gérer pour ces institutions, ce qui rend cruciaux les partenariats avec d’autres acteurs et institutions, souvent locaux, dotés de connaissances spécialisées urbaines et sur le terrain. Les institutions internationales de développement ont du mal à aborder les caractéristiques uniques de zones urbaines distinctes et à élaborer des pratiques, stratégies et plateformes reproduisibles en vue de partenariats et d’interventions de développement efficaces.

La urbanización impulsada en el Sur genera numerosos retos para las instituciones internacionales que trabajan en el ámbito de desarrollo. A partir de nueve entrevistas aplicadas en sendas instituciones de desarrollo internacionales cuyo trabajo se lleva a cabo en Yakarta, Indonesia, el presente artículo examina el enfoque dado por estas instituciones a la pobreza urbana, la gobernanza y la colaboración. Este estudio de caso de Yakarta revela que frecuentemente, a nivel urbano, el aparato gubernamental se encuentra fragmentado, lo que dificulta que dichas instituciones se abran camino en él. Por ello, es vital que establezcan alianza con otros actores e instituciones, a menudo locales, que cuenten con experiencia en el terreno de lo urbano. Así, deben bregar para encarar las características únicas de distintas zonas urbanas, creando prácticas, estrategias y plataformas ampliamente replicables que les permitan forjar alianzas efectivas e intervenir en el ámbito de desarrollo.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Jamey Essex is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Windsor, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Notes

1. Jabodetabek refers to the larger metropolitan region, centred on Jakarta and including the surrounding cities and regencies of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.

2. Since this research was conducted, the Australian and Canadian governments have folded AusAID and CIDA into their respective foreign affairs ministries and ended their status as stand-alone development agencies.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by University of Windsor: [Grant Number 85108].

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