Publication

This paper analyzes President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) attempts to check the power of Indonesia’s oligarchs, primarily by expanding the political base of his administration. Although he initially had to accommodate his coalition partners, Jokowi has subsequently managed to 1) control his competitors by carefully balancing their individual interests, and 2) put his own supporters in positions of power. While this balancing act serves as a testimony to the personalized nature of Indonesian politics, the author concludes that Jokowi’s growing strategic autonomy is also the result of mobilized public support.