Publications
Evidence with a purpose.
Reports, policy briefs, press releases, books, and public commentaries in one searchable archive.
Nexus of ambition, value addition, and governance in the bauxite copper downstreaming in Indonesia
After the nickel era, the government is now focusing on downstreaming copper and bauxite as strategic commodities for the battery ecosystem and energy transition. In its latest report, CELIOS underscores the importance of policy consistency, particularly regarding the plan to halt raw ore exports in 2025. The prospect of reopening permits for concentrate exports must not weaken the direction of downstreaming. Although smelter construction faces challenges, assessments of incidents such as the fire in Gresik must not
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Energy plantations are driving social and environmental inequality
An opinion article by zakiul fikri, published in The Jakarta Post.
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Wage war against illegal imports
Opinion article by Nailul Huda, published in Investor Daily.
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Indonesia-GCC free trade agreement: promises and ways ahead
Opinion article by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, published in NUS.
Read publicationBRICS membership: a reality check for Indonesia
Opinion article by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, published in Think China.
Read publicationIndonesia-China relations in 2024: year-in-review
An opinion article by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, published in China Global South.
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Who is hungry? Who is full?: Risk mitigation in the Free Nutritious Meal Program
The Prabowo-Gibran administration has allocated a budget of IDR 71 trillion to implement the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program in 2025. As one of its political promises, the program is certain to be implemented. However, a critical question arises: will the program’s implementation and management truly be effective and sustainable? This report examines the potential risks of the MBG Program, from uneven distribution and questionable food quality to budget inefficiencies
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PSN eroding special autonomy and the rights of Indigenous Papuans: Land grabbing in the name of food and energy self-sufficiency
The National Strategic Project (PSN) for the Merauke Food and Energy Development Area in South Papua has raised serious concerns about agrarian governance. A CELIOS report titled “PSN Eroding Special Autonomy and the Rights of Indigenous Papuans” reveals that regional expansion through revisions to the Papua Special Autonomy Law has facilitated land grabbing from Indigenous communities as a result of a deliberate legal vacuum in spatial planning. “This shows that regional expansion through revisions to the Special Autonomy Law…
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Indonesia Digital Economy Outlook 2025
The rapid digital transformation has reshaped Indonesia’s economic landscape, creating new business models, job opportunities, and spaces for innovation. The CELIOS study "Indonesia Digital Economy Outlook 2025" provides projections for the development of the digital economy while highlighting key challenges. Nailul Huda, CELIOS Director of Economics, stated, “Unfortunately, in 2025, the e-commerce sector is projected to grow by only 0.5% to IDR 471 trillion due to declining purchasing power and the potential increase in
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The green ambition trap for forests: Japan's energy transition and the harmful illegal biomass exports to Indonesia
Indonesia is beginning to look to wood biomass as an alternative in the energy transition, legitimized through the Energy Plantation Forest (HTE) scheme under Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 62 of 2021 on diversifying the functions of forest areas to support national energy security. Wood biomass in the form of wood pellets and wood chips is being promoted for co-firing with coal in power plants and touted as a way to reduce dependence on fossil energy. However, a CELIOS study
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Transparency in Cabinet Performance Evaluation
Opinion article by Muhammad Saleh, published in Detik.
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Vanishing forests, soaring emissions: The Merauke Food Estate accelerates the climate crisis
Amid global calls to reduce emissions, Indonesia could instead double its emissions simply by proceeding with the megaproyect food estate in Merauke. Clearing 2 million hectares of forest in Merauke could trigger an additional 782.45 million tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to a carbon loss of IDR 47.73 trillion. As a result of the Merauke food estate project, Indonesia may fall around 5 to 10 years behind its Net Zero Emission target by the year
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