| The SMERU Research Institute

Twists and Turns in COVID-19 Testing Capacity with PCR Method

From the online media news we monitored, there can be seen an increase in the number of hospitals or private laboratories and university laboratories that are working with the government. However, it seems that an ideal form of cooperation has not been agreed on. The coronavirus testing still has not achieved the target because laboratories at hospitals and universities have days off. The government should provide incentives or additional personnel for coronavirus testing by the private sector so that it can be conducted 24 hours to expedite the detection of COVID-19 spread.

Estimation of COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Indonesia’s Poverty Rate

SMERU’s simulation results show that the 2020 poverty rate will reach 12.4% (an increase of 3.2% from the poverty rate in September 2019). This means that there will be an addition of 8.5 million poor people.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Direct Cash Transfer Program

COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia has resulted in a socioeconomic crisis impacting all levels of society, especially the 40% group of people with the lowest welfare level. To deal with the crisis, the government has implemented social safety net (JPS) programs which include, among other programs, the direct cash transfer. An important question would be how effective the implementation of various programs are carried out by the government, both at national and regional levels.

Forum Kajian Pembangunan: The Impact of Covid-19 Outbreak on Poverty in Indonesia

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is expected to infect millions of people all over the world. The economic impact is expected to be large and can lead to a global recession. Millions of people will be pushed into poverty.

SMERU’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the COVID-19 declared as a global pandemic and considering that the situation calls for the commitment of all parties to prevent the spread of the virus

Training on Poverty Reduction Policy Analysis: Second Batch

After successfully conducting the first training on poverty reduction policy analysis at the end of 2019, The SMERU Research Institute held a similar event in Makassar, Province of South Sulawesi, on 11–13 February 2020.

Collaborating with the Provincial Government of South Sulawesi, Hasanuddin University, and Knowledge Sector Initiative, SMERU invited government employees and staff of relevant institutions from eastern Indonesia to join the training. Due to seat limitation, only 25 people were selected as training participants.

The Province of South Sulawesi ranked 15th in Indonesia's Inclusive Economic Development Index

Diseminasi Indeks Pembangunan Ekonomi Inklusif Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan

The Province of South Sulawesi ranked 15th of all the provinces in Indonesia in the Inclusive Economic Development Index (IEDI). The achievement was possible through the high growth of real gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita, low poverty rates, and expansion of access and opportunities. Some homework for the provincial government includes low share of manufacturing to GRDP, low percentage of workers working >35 hours per week, and high rates of inequality.

Training on Poverty Reduction Policy Analysis

Issues on poverty are strategic issues that require immediate attention from all stakeholders in terms of policy formulation. The SMERU Research Institute, as a leader in socioeconomic research in Indonesia, supports the discourse on inclusive public and private sector policies through the analysis of poverty reduction policies and their impacts.

Workshop on the Methodology of the Regional Budget Constraint Analysis Study for the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance

Since its establishment in 2001, SMERU has been a leader in socioeconomic research in Indonesia. SMERU conducts qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies on various socioeconomic issues. In addition, SMERU supports inclusive public and private sector policy discourses through development policy analysis and its potential impact.