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

INFORMATION ABOUT DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name of the researcher:Ho Thi Thanh                 

2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: 25-02-1977

4. Place of birth: Thai Binh

5.Decision on recognition of PhD students No. 4152/QD-SDH, dated July 15, 2008 of the Director of Hanoi National University.

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

7. Thesis topic name:"Democratization in Indonesia from 1945 to the Present - from the Perspective of the Middle Class and Civil Society"

8. Major: Southeast Asian Studies Code: 62.31.50.10

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

10. Summary of new results of the thesis:

Discovery 1: The thesis conceptualized four democratic models developed and applied in practice by Indonesian political regimes and states, the driving forces and causes of success and failure of these models through two periods before and after the 1998 democratic reform.

Discovery 2: The thesis has shown that there is a close correlation between the formation and growth of the Indonesian middle class and the demands for democratic reform and democratization of the country. In the period before the 1998 socio-economic reform, the Indonesian middle class was very small, accounting for only about 17% of the population, and during that period, the weakness of this class had little impact on the demands for democratization. Since the 1998 reform, the middle class has grown steadily and recent statistics show that the middle class in Indonesia has increased to about 62% of the population. It is the growth of the middle class that has led to increasingly stronger demands for transparency in the country's management and the participation of social classes in the development process.

Discovery 3: The thesis has pointed out the important impacts of the birth and growth of civil society organizations and their participation in the democratization process in Indonesia. Not only directly participating in democratic activities, civil society organizations also contribute to breathing new life into the country's political life, increasing the spirit of civil society and people's awareness of the importance of democratization.

Discovery 4: Through 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 process of democratization of the country, the thesis has contributed to raising awareness of the trend of democratization and the relationship between development and democracy to serve as a basis for the vision of democratization in countries in the Southeast Asian region and Vietnam.

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

12. Further research directions:

- Continue to research further on democratic reform in Indonesia and its impact on the country's socio-economy.

- 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 difficulties in the democratization process in Indonesia as well as in other ASEAN countries.

13. Published works related to the thesis:

- Ho Thi Thanh (2003), “Sukarno-Suharto and the Indonesian national crisis”, Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Oriental Studies, Hanoi National University 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),“Environmental Struggles of Non-Governmental Organizations in Indonesia under the New Order”,Journal of Southeast Asian Studies(153), pp. 47-53.

- Ho Thi Thanh (2014) “The development of the Indonesian middle class under the New Order”,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:

-Finding 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.

-Finding 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 make 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.

-Finding3: 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.