Jakarta in Post-Suharto Indonesia: Decentralisation, Neo-liberalism and Global City Aspiration

In this paper, an examination is made of Jakarta's changing political and economic position since the mid 1990s. This period of transformation is dealt with in four parts: the first relates to spatial and administrative changes to Jakarta and its wider urban region; the second considers the impact and implications of the 1997 Asian financial crisis (krismon) and ensuing political transformation which saw the resignation of President Suharto; the third part details the decentralisation laws of 1999 and their implications for urban and regional development; and the fourth considers the context of the 2008–10 global financial crisis (krisis global) in which ‘neo-liberalisme’ became a political slur in Indonesia, ironically at the same time as the governor of Jakarta declared ‘global city’ aspirations.