Visiting Scholars and Interns

SHERRY TAO KONG

A Research Fellow at the Economics Program, Research School of Social Science, Australian National University (ANU)

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.

Duration of internship: July-November 2009

She described her experience at SMERU as follows.

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!

DANANG DWIJO KANGKO

An undergraduate student from University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

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.

Duration of internship: August 2009
 

HABIB MOODY

An undergraduate student from Yale University in New Haven, Ct., USA.

Mr. Moody studied the political economy of the Community Conditional Cash Transfer (PNPM Generasi) program.

Duration of internship: June-July 2009

He described his experience at SMERU as follows.

"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."

MIRANDA MORGAN

A Ph.D. researcher, Brooks World Poverty Institute, The University of Manchester, UK.

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.

Duration of Internship: June-November 2009
 

NICOLA CONNELL

Undergraduate, Australian National University, Australia.

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.

Duration of internship: January-February 2009

She described her experience at SMERU as follows.

"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."

MARC VOTHKNECHT

A Ph.D. candidate from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Germany.

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

Duration of internship: January-April 2009

He described his experience at SMERU as follows.

"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."

YANOSH KHAN

An undergraduate student from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Mr. Khan worked on the Raskin rice subsidy program.

Duration of internship: December 2008 to February 2009

He described his experience at SMERU as follows.

"I have found working at SMERU a truly gratifying experience. During my time here I worked on a paper on the Raskin (rice for poor families) program. Before working for SMERU I had a somewhat fixed idea on the nature of social protection and the issues surrounding poverty, after reviewing the comprehensive material provided to me, I began to see the more dynamic nature of poverty in Indonesia. Studying both economics and the arts at ANU I have found my work here highly informative as both the economics and deeper social underpinnings of the issues surrounding social protection programs have been drawn to my attention. The relaxed nature of the office provides an extremely friendly working environment and one that is easy to adjust to. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at SMERU and I would like to thank the staff at SMERU for making my visit to Indonesia a rewarding experience".

SINTA SATRIANA

A Master’s candidate on Public Policy, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

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.

Duration of internship: August-October 2008
 

NIKHITA RAMAN

An undergraduate student from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

Ms. Raman worked on the Unconditional Cash Transfer (BLT) project and studied other social transfer programmes such as Raskin in Indonesia.

Duration of internship: June-July 2008

She described her experience at SMERU as follows.

"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!"

YUS MEDINA PAKPAHAN

A Master's candidate from Crawford School of Economics and Government, Australian National University.

Ms. Pakpahan worked on SMERU's "Chronic Poverty and Household Dynamics: The Case of Indonesia" study.

Duration of internship: December 2007 to January 2008
 

FITRI HURIEYATI

An undergraduate student from the Department of Development Economics, University of Indonesia.

Ms. Hurieyati's thesis focused on the topic of Conditional Cash Transfer.

Duration of internship: September to November 2007
 

AMY POLLARD

A Ph.D. candidate from the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK.

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.

Duration of internship: March to August 2007
 

RISNALDI AKBAR

A Master's candidate in Cooperation and Development of the University of Pavia, Italy.

Mr. Akbar conducted research in the field of poverty reduction, specializing in the spatial analysis and poverty mapping in Indonesia.

Duration of internship: August to October 2006
 

PAUL INDRA COLLETT

An undergraduate student of Pomona College, Claremont, California, USA.

Duration of internship: June to July 2006
 

TYLER FREDERICK EVANS WALLACE

An undergraduate student of Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA.

Duration of internship: June to July 2006
 

SAMUEL BAZZI

A BA degree holder in Economic and International Relations from the University of Southern California.

Mr. Bazzi was an independent fellow in Economics from the Luce Foundation (in coordination with the Asia Foundation).

Duration of internship: January to June 2006
 

RIYANA MIRANTI

An Australian National University Ph.D. candidate.

Ms. Miranti focused on regional dimensions of poverty alleviation in Indonesia.

Duration of internship: September to November 2005
 

ARIANE UTOMO

Ph.D. Candidate from Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute (ADSRI), Australian National University.

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.

Duration of Internship: February - July 2004
 

KARRIE MCLAUGHLIN

A holder of a Master's degree in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Ms. Mclaughlin did a study on land administration.

Duration of internship: June to August 2003
 

ROBERT SPARROW

A Ph.D. candidate from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Mr. Sparrow studied the issues surrounding the scholarship programs for students in elementary and secondary schools in Indonesia.

Duration of internship: April to June 2003
 

BENJAMIN OLKEN

A Ph.D. candidate from Harvard University.

Mr. Olken's study focused on rice distribution under the OPK program.

Duration of internship: February to March 2003