Vernacular Models of Development: An Analysis of Indonesia Under the 'New Order'

Abstract

Official development discourses often differ from the everyday discussions and activities of development agents. If the former reflect an official model of development, then the latter could be said to reflect a "vernacular" model. The latter model is the focus of this analysis, taking as a case study development in Indonesia during the "New Order" regime (1966-1998) of former President Soeharto. Resource relations between the Indonesian state center and rural periphery are examined along with the norms that govern the flow of resources as well as information on resource-use. This vernacular model of resource and information flows helps to explain the economic, political, and environmental crisis that befell Indonesia in the late 1990s and is relevant to understanding the development dynamics of a number of other nations.

Keywords: Indonesia, Southeast Asia, center-periphery relations, development norms, development discourses, vernacular models