Poverty and Inequality Analysis
Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia. The poverty rate in this province is higher than that of the national average. Statistics Indonesia (2004) indicates that the proportion of the poor population in Indonesia is 17%, while the proportion of the poor in NTT is 28%.
The role of regional government in poverty reduction has become increasingly important since the implementation of regional autonomy in 2001. Since then, a number of public policies that directly influence the lives of the community have been devolved to the district governments.
“Poverty trap” is a phrase often used in many studies on poverty. This phrase describes a structural condition that results in someone or a community becoming trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty that is difficult to break. Nevertheless, amidst the stories of those who remain trapped in poverty, we find various experiences of men and women who are able to free themselves from poverty.
Recently The SMERU Research Institute and its close associates were shocked by the sudden death of one of the Institute’s leading researchers, Wenefrida Widyanti. Her death was not only a great loss to the Institute, because she played a significant role in many of SMERU’s research projects, but also for the Indonesian research community at large.
Is it people themselves or the environment around them that predominantly determines their course of life? The answer to this question has long been debated by social scientists. Some experts think that structural factors play a more important role in changing the community, while others think that individual (agency) factors have more of a significant role.
