Poverty tourism in Yogyakarta

Sarah Stephen, the University of Melbourne

There is global interest in the link between tourism and poverty as development agencies seek to understand and eliminate poverty globally. A growing body of research demonstrates that tourism does not necessarily lead to poverty reduction and can actually reinforce existing inequalities, yet governments (including Indonesia) are actively promoting pro poor tourism.This research aims to explore the varying ways poverty tourism manifests in Yogyakarta and how these experiences relate to poverty tourism trends more broadly. The project will examine how the Yogyakartan experience of poverty tourism enables us to explore the complex ways in which questions about benefits to the poor, questions about consuming cultural experiences, and globalization intersects.

Women in Indonesia’s Blue Economy: understanding user needs through female stories and experiences in Nusa Penida, Cilacap and Lombok

Amara Steven, the Australian National University

The investigation will look to understand how policies have affected women, their role in society and how and/or if there has been an impact on female empowerment. The research is in response to a recent academic paper titled ‘Fisheries industrialisation and Blue Economy policies in Indonesia: impacts on tuna fisheries in Cilacap and seaweed farmers in Nusa Penida’ (in Indian Ocean Rim Association(ed.) Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment, Bali Indonesia, 2016), which recommended more qualitative and quantitative data was needed on women’s role in Indonesia’s Blue Economy. The research will draw upon a range of methods and techniques including user-centred design approaches. Face-to-face interviews will focus on understanding women’s experiences prior to and after the implementation of Blue Economy projects in various coastal regions of Indonesia. By identifying the pain points and drivers of behavior of this key user group, it is intended that this research will be used by policy-makers to achieve better outcomes, particularly given the renewed focus on female empowerment and sustainable growth.

Framing illegality: the discourse of maritime piracy in Indonesia

Veronica O’Neill, the University of Sydney

Indonesia has been recognised in recent years as the nation whose territorial waters play host to the greatest number of maritime pirate attacks worldwide. The Indonesian government has participated in several bilateral and multilateral initiatives to reduce these instances of piracy, in addition to establishing patrols of the region. Scholarship on piracy commonly examines the anti-piracy efforts of Southeast Asia as a whole and the potential costs involved. It also focuses on the history of piracy in the region and, more specifically, the structure of pirate groups. However, insufficient attention has been paid to how the governments of nations affected by piracy, such as Indonesia, portray the issue in their discourse. This thesis draws on frame analysis theory to explore how maritime piracy is framed in Indonesian government discourse. Through the examination of texts and information gathered from interviews, a qualitative analysis is conducted to determine the different frames used in the discourse. Five categories of framing are discussed: primary, thematic, episodic, purposeful and productive framing. This thesis shows that the Indonesian government primarily conveys piracy as a threat to Indonesian interests. It also shows, through an analysis of thematic and episodic frames, that the government’s discourse highlights the regional nature of this threat and its impact on Indonesian citizens. It is argued that the discourse is framed in this way to legitimise the actions the government has taken in combating the piracy issue in order to advance national interests.