Developing Batam: Politics and Economic Development in Indonesia (SOUTHEAST ASIA PUBLICATIONS SERIES)

Developing Batam lifts the veil on the story of the development of Batam Island, Indonesia. In the late 1960s the island was a sleepy backwater of subsistence farmers and fishermen. Today Batam is a thriving commercial center, but its shortcomings -- an unpredictable policy and regulatory environment, undeveloped utilities and infrastructure, and the persistence of political and business coalitions -- threaten to impede its future development. The author offers insights into the key policy-making processes and players, the politics of business, and the role played by neighboring Singapore on Batam as well as in the broader context of Indonesian political economy of the past and present.