Visiting Scholars and Interns

During her visitation, Ms. Natalia was involved in the work of Poverty Map 2010 development.

Duration of the internship: January 14 - March 9, 2013.

My overall experience at SMERU was quite impressive. I was in poverty map team and some of them are holding master degree, however, I was made to feel comfortable, and they always helped me whenever I required. Moreover, I was like a part of the big family. SMERU also gave me opportunity to join seminar and training that gained me more knowledge and experience.

During her visitation, Ms. Natalia was involved in Rural development dynamics : CDD programs integration study.

Duration of the internship: August 27 - October 16, 2012.

Best experience ever in such short period of time. SMERU provides a homy and cozy circumstance, and everyone treats me like I am part of this big family. I enjoyed doing intern here and so grateful that I was included in the field survey, lived in the villages. Every great scholars here are very dedicated and I am proud and thankful that I was given the chance to learn from them. All the staffs are warm passionate nice people that I am gonna miss so much. I will definitely recommend others to do internship here and hope someday I can return and kindly repay them for everything they had given to me.

During his visitation, Mr. Sinaga worked with the MP3KI team in formulating the national noverty alleviation master plan and wrote 4 reports on special livelihood issues.

Duration of the internship: July 16 - August 9, 2012.

My internship at SMERU provided a very valuable insight into the practical application of theory in shaping public policy. During my internship, I had the opportunity to witness how politics and research interact with one another in formulating public policy, an extremely useful observation. I gained a lot of knowledge and insight about poverty alleviation efforts in Indonesia as well and am extremely grateful to have contributed to the formulation of the national poverty master plan through my research. I also enjoyed my time at SMERU due to the friendly staff and atmosphere. I thank the institute for my internship and highly recommend SMERU to the interested scholar eager to learn more about Indonesia.

Ms. Mukherjee's Research project was on the introduction of direct elections for district heads, and subsequent impacts on local public provision of goods and services. Her main activities during visitation included data collection and qualitative interviews.

Duration of the internship: June 2012.

It would have been impossible to collect the data an information that I was able to find, had it not been for the help and resources provided to me by SMERU. This is an excellent research institute, and the warmth and helpfulness of the researchers at SMERU made me feel right at home – I would love to visit again!

During his visitation, Mr. McMahon carried out desk based research for MP3EI and on the policy responses of different countries to the food price hike of 2007/8. He attended a research design workshop for the ‘Life in a Time of Food Price Volatility’ project. He also formulated the questions and toolkits for the household interviews and focus group discussions as part of the same project and assisted in conducting them in Bekasi.

I genuinely couldn’t have asked for more during the three months I spent at SMERU. In terms of skill development I was given a range of different responsibilities but the jewel in the crown was the opportunity to assist in carrying out actual fieldwork. They placed a lot of faith in me by allowing me to do these things and I hope I was able to repay them in-kind.

On a more personal level the staff were really friendly and made me feel a part of the team from day one. Everyone was always happy to make time for me and for any questions I had, right the way up to Pak Asep. The internship has been hugely validating on both a personal and professional level. I’ve made some friends for life at SMERU and would definitely recommend anyone wanting to do an internship to apply here!

During her visitation, Ms. Mugianto helped to collect and analyse data on labor issues in Indonesia.

Although my internship at SMERU was very brief, SMERU has given me a rewarding opportunity to learn more about doing good research. At the same time, I also had the opportunity to learn a bit more about labor issues in Indonesia. The people in SMERU are very welcoming, friendly, and helpful. I wish I had more time to stay and learn more with SMERU.

During her visitation, Ms. Harnam Reviewed SMERU reports, meetings/feedback from the Director and other SMERU staff, reviewed old newspaper articles (Perpusnas), and collected data from Depkes and BPS.

My internship at SMERU was extremely valuable and enjoyable. The researchers are familiar with both quantitative and qualitative research methodology, and were always willing to take the time to answer any questions I had. They also spoke English very well, so communication was never a problem. Pak Asep was particularly helpful and always made time for my (many) questions on econometrics despite his busy schedule. Other members of the institute, such as Pak Darno, Ibu Anti, Ibu Budi and Mbak Athia, were very helpful in providing feedback and suggesting potential data sources.

In general, working at SMERU was a rewarding experience. Everyone made me feel really welcome and consistently went out of their way to be helpful, even for the smallest things. I never felt like an outsider; I felt welcome from my first day there. As a combination of all these factors, I managed to make good progress on my research while an intern at SMERU. I hope to return soon, and will surely miss the friendly faces and useful feedback while I am away!.

During her visitation, Ms. Yin interviewed and collected data for her PhD dissertation on the evolution of public health insurance schemes in Indonesia.

Without the help from SMERU, it would be impossible for me to meet with the key resource persons of various backgrounds in this short visit. I must say that the warm hospitality of the SMERU family made me felt at home and I was inspired by their sincerity and commitment toward research.

Ms. Makhroja was actively involved in research on international migration and research on SMERU Research Institute's partnerships.

During my internship at SMERU, I got an amazing experience, professional work, loyalty to the quality of research, and a feeling of being part of a family. After graduating from college, I will not hesitate to contribute to the institute again.

Felicia Eng's interests are in education, in particular teaching quality and how to improve this sector and reduce the inequity between rural and urban areas.

Although my stay was only brief, my time at SMERU has been most enlightening. The start of a research career is an intimidating time, but at SMERU, I found so many wonderful and friendly people who were always willing to offer a helping hand and to share their ideas, experience and wisdom. Through this institution I was able to connect with people from AusAID, the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics (Badan Pusat Statistik) and the World Bank. In particular, I would like to thank Pak Sudarno and Pak Asep for taking me under their wing and imparting some of their vast knowledge to me. I certainly would like to return in the future so that I can work and learn more from these dedicated researchers.

Michele Valsecchi's main research interests are development economics and political economy of development. His research at SMERU was primarily devoted to get feedback on research ideas and collect data from Government Institutions. These data, together with existing household surveys, will be used to study the relationship between local conflict, corruption, institutional change and natural resources with quantitative methods.

Working at SMERU was a very rewarding experience: all the people speak fluent English, are very welcoming and willing to discuss research ideas on the most disparate themes. The research institute combines competence in quantitative and qualitative work in an inspiring way. Thanks to my visiting, now I have the possibility to collaborate on a wide range of research projects, from a household survey in Kalimantan to an investigation on the determinants of local conflict. The facilities are as good as any economics department in Europe. Furthermore, it is located in a strategic position of the city, relatively close to any institution one may need to visit. After a short time there I already wanted to extend my visiting!

Dr. Sherry Tao Kong's main research interests include development economics, political economy and Asia-Pacific economy. Her research at SMERU is primarily related to her on-going project at ANU on the impact of rural-urban migration in Indonesia and China. Building upon her previous experience, Dr. Kong looked at the poverty reduction impact of rural-to-urban migration in Indonesia during her visit at SMERU. More specifically, she conducted econometric analysis using household survey data to investigate the income differentials due to migration decisions and the channels through which migration can address poverty. In particular, she was interested in understanding the role of remittances and the human capital accumulation as a result of migration, and how both factors contribute to poverty alleviation in Indonesia.

SMERU is an exceptional place with a group of truly exceptional people. It is surreal to be surrounded by so many highly self-motivated, idealistic, energetic while most friendly and open-minded people in an intellectually stimulating environment.

The SMERUers cannot be more generous in sharing their wisdom, knowledge, time and experience. Their strong commitment to poverty alleviation and social improvement through research has inspired me profoundly. Their love and support have made SMERU a most wonderful family filled with warmth and laughter. I am humbled and deeply moved by my experience at SMERU. Can't wait to go back!

Mr. Kangko joined SMERU for an internship program. He is in his fifth-semester of Library Science study, where a work experience is a prerequisite towards his degree. During his time in SMERU, he learnt to apply theories into practice and acknowledged that the library of SMERU is the appropriate place for his applied science.

"I spent seven weeks working with Pak Sudarno examining the causal relationship between social protection policy and voting behavior in the 2009 Indonesian elections. Specifically, we sought to identify the effect of randomly assigned PNPM Generasi community cash transfers on (1) voter turnout and (2) party vote shares. Over the summer, Pak Sudarno and I wrote a 25-page draft, learned an immense amount about Indonesian welfare policy, and put together background covariates. I also spent a week with Pak Sudarno at his house in Central Java and got a chance to examine some of SMERU's field projects and training programs up-close. Although we have yet to receive the final results of the 2009 elections to finish the paper, we have completed all other preparatory work so that we can easily execute our regressions once the data arrives.

SMERU was a terrific experience, especially working with Pak Sudarno. I think it was successful in part because we both came in with a very specific idea about what we wanted to study and how to go about it, going back to our first conversations in March. Moreover, Pak Sudarno was tremendously generous and acted as a host for my first time in Indonesia-inviting me to spend time with his family, taking me out to lunch and dinner, taking me to an Indonesian wedding, etc. I was floored by his hospitality and kindness.

I would add that SMERU as an organization does a great job with making visiting students and scholars feel at home. Even though it was my first time in Indonesia and I barely spoke Bahasa, I felt welcomed on Day One by every person in the organization. There was tremendous flexibility and the environment is collegial. I learned a lot just sitting at lunch and talking with the scholars. My instinct as I leave is to try to return to SMERU and Indonesia and give back as much as I can."

Ms. Morgan embarked on a multi-method qualitative research study. Her research aims to investigate if and how people disadvantaged by the global food system may challenge and change the social relations that determine food access. She is particularly interested in understanding, from the perspective of the hungry involved in this year's food protests, if and how they see themselves acting in or against the global food system and their perceptions of their agency and their ability to acquire enhanced food access via political mobilization. Her research question is "What is the role of contentious politics in gaining entitlements for the food insecure?" and she has chosen the recent food protests in Jakarta as her case study.

Ms. Connell worked on the Conditional Cash Transfer Program. Her project was to research Conditional Cash Transfer programs in other countries and analyse the differences and similarities between the different programs. She also asked questions about why some countries' programs were more successful. The aim of this research was to compare these programs with Indonesia's program and to see how other countries' experiences could be applied to Indonesia. She presented her findings through a presentation to the CCT group members and in a report. While she was at SMERU she also participated in a number of the CCT group meetings.

"I found my time at SMERU to be extremely rewarding. The research I completed was very interesting and deepened my understanding of some of the key challenges associated with implementing development programs. Working at SMERU also gave me the opportunity to understand how a research institution actually works, and how programs are developed and implemented. This was particularly insightful as it was my first experience within a research institution. Working at SMERU therefore helped me to further develop my research skills, to improve my knowledge about policies aimed at mitigating poverty and allowed me to understand how research institutions function."

Mr. Vothknecht conducted research on the impacts of violent conflicts in Indonesia on its economic growth using provincial, district, and village level data.

"My time at SMERU has been a great and valuable experience not only for my research, but also for my general understanding of economic and social development in Indonesia. I would like to thank the staff of SMERU for a very friendly atmosphere, rewarding lunchtime conversations, and their manifold support of my research."

Ms. Satriana assisted the research team in undertaking research of Unconditional Cash Transfer program. She reviewed all relevant literatures, undertook field work, analyzed data and wrote research report as part of her final Master thesis.

"SMERU has been an exciting and enriching experience. During my internship here, I've been able to get my first real peek into development research as I worked on the BLT (unconditional cash transfer) project and got the chance to study some of the other social transfer programmes such as Raskin (rice for the poor) implemented in Indonesia. In addition to a lot of interesting reading material in the form of comprehensive reports, I've especially enjoyed the open, engaging environment that has enabled me to complement theoretical learning with practical knowledge gained from lunchtime conversations and field exposure alike, not to mention a great deal of flexibility. I thus take back with me not just a deeper understanding of pro-poor policies in the region, but an attitude and approach towards development economics that I consider invaluable in itself. Thank you!"

Ms. Pollard worked on a social anthropological study of International donors, looking at their relationships with each other and also with the Government of Indonesia. Her work explored issues of harmonization, coordination, and alignment; and examined responses to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005) in the context of Indonesia.

Mrs. Utomo's thesis focused on the interplay of labour market expectations and gender roles expectations in marriage among educated young people in urban Indonesia.