TTLA: The democratization process in Indonesia from 1945 to the present - viewed from the perspective of the middle class and civil society.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name of the doctoral candidate:Ho Thi Thanh                 

2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: February 25, 1977

4. Place of birth: Thai Binh

5.Decision No. 4152/QD-SDH, dated July 15, 2008, of the Director of Hanoi National University, recognizing the doctoral student.

6. Changes in the training process: Decision to adjust the dissertation title No. 03/QD-SDH, dated January 12, 2015, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

7. Thesis title:"The process of democratization in Indonesia from 1945 to the present - viewed from the perspective of the middle class and civil society

8. Major: Southeast Asian Studies Code: 62.31.50.10

9. Scientific supervisor:Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh

10. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

Discovery 1The thesis conceptualized four models of democracy developed and applied in practice by Indonesian political regimes and states, and the dynamics and causes of the success and failure of these models in two periods, before and after the 1998 democratic reforms.

Discovery 2The thesis has shown a strong correlation between the formation and growth of the Indonesian middle class and the demands for democratic reforms and democratization of the country. Prior to the 1998 socio-economic reforms, the Indonesian middle class was very small, accounting for less than 17% of the population, and during that period, its weakness had little impact on the demands for democratization. Since the 1998 reforms, the middle class has steadily grown, and recent statistics show that it has increased to approximately 62% of the population. This growth of the middle class has led to increasingly stronger demands for transparency in national governance and the participation of all social strata in the development process.

Discovery 3The thesis highlighted the significant impacts of the emergence and growth of civil society organizations and their participation in the democratization process in Indonesia. Beyond directly participating in democratic activities, civil society organizations have also contributed to injecting new vitality into the country's political life, boosting civil society spirit and raising public awareness of the importance of democratization.

Discovery 4Through analyzing the characteristics, positive aspects, and limitations of democratic models, as well as the role of the middle class and civil society organizations in the democratization process, this thesis contributes to raising awareness of the democratization trend and the relationship between development and democracy, serving as a basis for a vision of democratization in Southeast Asian countries and Vietnam.

11. Practical applications: Contributing to raising awareness of the role of intellectuals and civil society in democratization and the relationship between development and democracy in Vietnam.

12. Future research directions:

- Further research should be conducted on democratic reforms in Indonesia and their impact on the country's socio-economic landscape.

- Compare the role of the middle class and civil society organizations in the democratization process in Indonesia with other ASEAN countries.

- Research on the advantages and disadvantages of the democratization process in Indonesia as well as in other ASEAN countries.

13. Published works related to the dissertation:

- Ho Thi Thanh (2003), “Sukarno-Suharto and the Indonesian national crisis”Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Oriental Studies, National University of Hanoi Publishing House 2003, pp. 649-660.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2007), “The impact of mineral exploitation by PT. Freeport Indonesia on the separatist movement in West Papua”,Journal of Southeast Asian Studies(90), pp. 30-38.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2010), “Democratic transformation in electoral activities in Indonesia from the New Order period to the Reform period”,Proceedings of the National Conference “Southeast Asia in the Eastern World”, World Publishing House, pp. 167-179.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2012),"The environmental protection struggle of NGOs in Indonesia under the New Order era.Journal of Southeast Asian Studies(153), pp. 47-53.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2014) “The development of the Indonesian middle class under the New Order period”,Journal of Southeast Asian Studies(169), pp. 38-44.

INFORMATION ON THE DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name: Ho Thi Thanh 2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: February 25, 1977 4. Place of birth: Thai Binh

5. Admission decision number: 4152/QD-SĐH, dated 15^thJuly 2008 by the President of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in academic process: Decision No. 03/QD-SĐH, dated 12^ndJanuary 2015 on giving permission to change the thesis title by the Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

7. Official title of thesis:Democratization in Indonesia from 1945 to the present as viewed from the role of middle class and civil society

8. Major: Southeast Asian Studies 9. Code: 62.31.50.10

10. Supervisor: Assoc.Prof. Dr.Nguyen Van Chinh

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

ButFinding 1: Based on the conceptualization of various models of democracy that were applied in Indonesia, the study reveals the dynamics and causes of success and failure of democratization in Indonesia before and after the 1998 democratic reform.

ButFinding 2: The study found out that there is a linkage between the development of the middle class in Indonesia and the demands of democratic reform and democratization of the country. Before the 1998 socio-economic reform, the Indonesian middle class was just less than 17% of the population and they could not give much impact on democracy. After the 1998 reform, the middle class has grown steadily in terms of size and quality, which reached nearly 62% of the population. Collected information indicates that it is the growth of the middle class that leads to the increasing demands for transparency in governance and development policies as well as the participation of social classes in the policy making process.

ButFinding3: The growth of civil society organizations and their participation in the democratization process in Indonesia are important driving forces for democratization of the country. Not only do these organizations directly get involved in democratic practices, they have also contributed to the vitalization of the country's political life, inspiring the spirit of the civil society and stimulating the people's consciousness about the great importance of democratization.

- Finding 4: Through the analysis of the characteristics, the strengths and weaknesses of the democratic types as well as the roles of the middle class and civil society organizations, the study helps raise the public awareness of the importance of democratization and the link between development and democracy. Such a finding lays the first ground for making new vision of democratization in Southeast Asian countries and Vietnam.

12. Practical applicability, if any:

The study helps raise the public awareness of the importance of the role of intellectual, civil society organizations in improving democracy as well as the link between development and democracy in Vietnam.

13. Further research directions, if any:

- More researches on democratic reformation and its socio-economic impacts in Indonesia are needed.

- The role of middle class and civil society organizations in the process of democratization in Indonesia can be conducted in a comparative perspective with other ASEAN countries.

- Research on the strengths and weaknesses of democratization in Indonesia as well as in other ASEAN countries could be the policy relevance.

14. Thesis - related publications:

- Ho Thi Thanh (2003), “Sukarno-Suharto and the national crises in Indonesia”, Proceedings of the second National Conference on Oriental Studies, Hanoi National University Publisher, pp. 649-660.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2007), “The impacts of Indonesia's mining on secessionist movement in West Papua”,The Southeast Asian Studies Review(90), pp.30-38.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2010), “The change on elections from The New Order to Reform Era in Indonesia”,Proceedings of the National Conference on "Southeast Asia in the East", World Publishing House, pp. 167-179.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2012),"Struggle to protect environment in the New Order in Indonesia",The Southeast Asian Studies Review(153), pp. 47-53.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2014) “The development of Indonesian middle class in the New Order",The Southeast Asian Studies Review(169), pp. 38-44.