The versatility of palm oil makes it a demanded global commodity. Almost every product that we use in daily life contains palm oil. However, as palm oil plantations are mostly located in Southeast...Show moreThe versatility of palm oil makes it a demanded global commodity. Almost every product that we use in daily life contains palm oil. However, as palm oil plantations are mostly located in Southeast Asia’s biodiversity-rich forests, their contribution to massive deforestation has resulted in protests from the international community. As the palm oil industry is also dominated by big corporations, the global demand for palm oil incentivizes the needs for plantation expansions. Despite its adverse environmental impact, the land for plantations incrementally expands every year. Although regulations and policies to control land use for plantations have been enforced, there has been little evidence showing the decrease of land use for palm oil plantations. The patronage democracy, as a key feature of Indonesian politics, enhances incentive favouring the economic interest of business actors. With Indonesia’s democratisation, a pervasive patron-client relationship bolsters the ties between district governors (politicians) and palm oil companies (business), especially since decentralisation in which local governments are responsible for a large part of their own budget. Subsequently, it poses the question: how does patronage democracy halt the effort to combat corruption of palm oil land deals in Kalimantan? From 2 corruption cases of district head’s corruption in Gunung Mas and Seruyan district in Central Kalimantan, this research examines the creation of a system deriving from patronage democracy that halts the effort to combat corruption of palm oil land deals.Show less
Deze scriptie is gericht op de Indonesische dekolonisatieoorlog. In het onderzoek wordt toegewerkt naar een antwoord op de vraag in hoeverre de strijd in Kalimantan past in het beeld van de...Show moreDeze scriptie is gericht op de Indonesische dekolonisatieoorlog. In het onderzoek wordt toegewerkt naar een antwoord op de vraag in hoeverre de strijd in Kalimantan past in het beeld van de Indonesische onafhankelijkheidsoorlog van 1945-1949 en hoe de ontstane verschillen en overeenkomsten te verklaren zijn. De oorlog in Kalimantan wordt vergeleken met de gebieden die de literatuur omtrent dit onderwerp domineren: Java en Sumatra. Zo is het mogelijk om te onderzoeken of de focus op Java en Sumatra en de bijbehorende invloed van deze eilanden op de beeldvorming van de Indonesische onafhankelijkheidsstrijd terecht zijn, of dat het accent van het onderzoek meer zou moeten liggen op regionale diversiteit. Behandeld worden de contrasterende Britse bezetting en Australische bezetting op respectievelijk Java en Sumatra en in Kalimantan, de terugkeer van het Nederlandse gezag in Kalimantan en de ontwikkelingen betreffende het verzet en het gezag. Tevens is er de benodigde aandacht voor de strijd en het (excessieve) geweldsgebruik van Indonesische en Nederlandse zijde.Show less
This thesis examines the incentive structures pertaining to palm oil conflicts in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The author has adopted a historical perspective in order to explain the development of the...Show moreThis thesis examines the incentive structures pertaining to palm oil conflicts in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The author has adopted a historical perspective in order to explain the development of the current ownership arrangements that are argued to foster land ownership disputes. Other themes include deepening issues involving increased resource scarcity, and negative externalities imposed by palm oil companies. Three case studies have been selected to support Abram et al.'s hypothesis that proximity to rain forests contributes to an increased likelihood in palm oil related conflicts.Show less
