PUBLIC LECTURE
The 15th H W Arndt Memorial Lecture
How to do reform in a ‘second-best world’:
the case of Indonesia
Thursday 22 September 5.30–7pm
Speaker
Dr Muhamad Chatib Basri
CReco Consulting and former Indonesian
Minister of Finance
Location
Law Link Theatre
Law Building, Ground Floor
7 Fellows Road, ANU
Registration at
crawford.anu.edu.au/news-events
E [email protected]
T 6125 2188
This event is free and open to the public.
Presented by
Arndt-Corden
Department of Economics
Crawford School of
Public Policy
ANU College of
Asia & the Pacific
The word ‘reform’ has become a mantra to solve many economic problems
in developing countries. Nevertheless, few reforms are successful. When
economists are asked why, they usually blame ‘politics’ or ‘institutional
failure’. But many reforms fail because international best practices generally
do not take adequate account of developing country political systems and
institutions. Reformers understand that institutions need to be changed,
but in reality they are often constrained by the dilemma that institutional
reform is a long-term process, whereas politicians typically have short time
horizons. Economic policymakers do not have the luxury of working in an
‘empty space’. They have to live with political realities. Thus, a key question
is how effective reform can be implemented given these institutional and
political constraints? This lecture will address this question with reference
to Indonesia.
Dr M Chatib Basri is one of Indonesia’s leading economists and
policymakers. He held two cabinet-level positions in the second Yudhoyono
presidency, first as Head of the Investment Board and later as Minister of
Finance. He serves on numerous high-level international and domestic
boards and committees, and has been Indonesia’s ‘sherpa’ to the G20. He
is the author of numerous academic publications, as well as being a prolific
public commentator. Graduating from the University of Indonesia, he holds
Masters and PhD degrees from The Australian National University, and has
subsequently visited Australia on many occasions. He has held several
major international fellowships at Harvard and elsewhere. Currently he is
the Indonesia Project’s Thee Kian Wie Distinguished Visiting Professor.
Further information about the Arndt-Corden Department of
Economics: crawford.anu.edu.au/acde/
CRICOS# 00120C