Publications

As President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration approaches its midpoint, the conditions for workers and the poor continue to deteriorate, while the quality of democracy remains in decline. One indicator of the deficits in democracy is the utter dominance of political dynasties in the upcoming midterm elections in May 2025. The elections represent a pivotal moment…

In 2024, Malaysia saw a continuation of previous negative trends under the Anwar Ibrahim administration, with few upsides to show for it.  High-level corruption persists as current and former figures from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) – the party of the former Prime Minister implicated in the infamous 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and…

The year 2024 was expected to be marked by high political tensions, shifting socio-political dynamics, and significant political change. With Indonesian President Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi) completing his second five -year term in October 2024, general elections were scheduled for February 2024 to elect a new president. However, the actual political landscape turned out…

The journey of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in Indonesia has been marked by both progress and challenges. Following the initial high expectations generated by the signing at the G20 summit in late 2022, there was significant criticism in early to mid-2023 due to concerns about the lack of grant funding and the potential…

Over the last few decades, the way in which people grow, share and eat food around the world has become a tale of two conflicting food systems–which we call the Industrial Food Chain and the Peasant Food Web. The dynamics of this conflict plays out in this new board game called Chains and Vines, conceptualized…

Image by PISTON Amidst the scorching heat of last April, an elderly jeepney driver, diligently navigating one of the city’s most congested streets, expressed deep concern about the impending jeepney phaseout. “They are always siding with the rich. What will then happen to us?” he said, thinking about potentially losing his only source of livelihood….

Image by Vecteezy.com/Deni Prasetya   Am 20. Oktober 2024 übernahm der Geschäftsmann und ehemalige General Prabowo Subianto offiziell das Amt des Präsidenten von Indonesien, dem viertbevölkerungsreichsten Land der Welt. Nach einem Erdrutschsieg bei den Wahlen im Februar, bei denen er von neun Parteien unterstützt wurde und rund 96,2 Millionen Stimmen und damit 58,6 Prozent erhielt,…

Image by Vecteezy.com/Deni Prasetya   On 20 October 2024, businessman and former general Prabowo Subianto became the President of Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country. He took over from Joko Widodo after a landslide victory in the February election, in which he was supported by nine parties and won around 96.2 million votes, or…

In 2021, Southeast Asia faced significant natural disasters, including Hurricane Odette and Typhoon Rai in the Philippines, resulting in over 200 deaths, and major floods in eight Malaysian states. Indonesia is grappling with extreme heat waves forecasted until 2052, leading to increased forest fires and the risk of drought, impacting agricultural production. Additionally, Indonesia faces…

The results of Malaysia’s November 2022 general elections evoked mixed reactions nationwide. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), who presented himself as a reformist firebrand, formed a government in coalition with Zahid Hamidi, leader of the former dominant UMNO-BN (United Malays National Organisation-Barisan Nasional, National Front). Zahid’s repressive track record raised…