This book is very important because it addresses how the central government, regional governments, and civil society in Indonesia can work together, jointly developing synergies with regard to funding that favors programs to benefit the poor and working families.
The financial crisis that began in 1997 left the economy badly affected and citizens are still recovering from it. However, with the birth of democracy and the various alternatives that have arisen for local economic development, Indonesia has opportunities to address pro-poor strategies to improve the living conditions and quality of life for people who lack basic services such as health and education. Good-quality services of this type are still not widely available in Indonesia. Moreover, regional budgets are not always assigned to address objectives at the neighborhood level. Such resources could be better directed to reduce poverty and diminish misery.
Examples of pro-poor policies addressed in this book are:
•Redistribution of wealth, by way of progressive taxes, subsidies, and land reform
•Affirmative action policies for the socioeconomically underprivileged
•Access to cheaper microcredit systems.
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