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About Staff: FY2005

Division of Economics and Politics
OKAMOTO, Masaaki (Associate Professor)
Political Science

 

Research Interests

My interest is in local politics in Southeast Asia. The colonial states and subsequent nation-states of Southeast Asia established borderlines which administratively and spatially divide states into regions. These regions represent arenas of local politics within which political struggles for power and money take place. My research observes the style and structure of local politics and seeks to ascertain what differentiates one region from another. I have been studying local politics in Indonesia within a historical and comparative perspective in order to answer this question.

Current research topics:

(1) Establishing the historical continuity of the local elite in West Java province, Indonesia
I am trying to prove that colonial-era local bureaucrats, with origins in the higher social strata, rather successfully retained politically important positions in the local arena even after the birth of the Indonesian nation-state. My research reconsiders the common perception that the Indonesian national revolution represented a totally fresh start for the Indonesian people.
(2) Describing the on-going decentralization process in Indonesia
I am explaining decentralization from an institutional viewpoint and mapping out local political structures in three provinces since decentralization.

Research Activities in 2005 Fiscal Year

Publication |  Database |  Field Research |  Joint Research Project |  Seminar/Symposium |  Outside Activities |  Academic Association | Award
Publication
  1. Okamoto Masaaki, 12. 2005, The 2005 Direct Election of Local Heads: How the Local Politics and Administration Will Change?(in Japanese), Jetro-IDE World Trend No.123, pp.38-40.
  1. Okamoto Masaaki, 8. 2005, So Peaceful 2004 Election ? In Relationship with the History of “Politics and Violence” in Indonesia(in Japanese), The 2004 Elections in Indonesia and the New Government in Motion: from Megawati to Yudhoyono ed. by Matui Kazuhisa and Kawamura Koichi, Akashi Shoten, pp.200-226.
  1. Okamoto Masaaki, 8. 2005, Decentralized/Separate Model to Weak Centralized/Concurrent Model ? the New Decentralization Scheme and the Victory of the Ministry of Home Affairs(in Japanese), The 2004 Elections in Indonesia and the New Government in Motion: from Megawati to Yudhoyono ed. by Matui Kazuhisa and Kawamura Koichi, Akashi Shoten, pp.343-362.
  1. Okamoto Masaaki, 6. 2005, Activated Local Power Politics in Indonesia and the Birth of a Provincial "Governor-General": Politics in the Banten Area, 1998-2003(in Japanese), Southeast Asian Studies 34(1), pp.3-25.
  1. Okamoto Masaaki, 4. 2005, Belated Reformasi in South Sulawesi, Indonesia: The Declining Political Power of the Golkar Party in 2004(in Japanese), Aziya Kenkyu (Asian Studies) 51(2), pp.62-82.
Field Research
  1. Term:November 8, 2005 - April 9, 2006
  2. Area:Jakarta Liaison Office
  1. Term:August 10 - September 1, 2005
  2. Area:, DKI Jakarta, Gorontalo Province, South Sulawesi Province
  3. Project:Young Scientists (B) "Analysis on the Local Political Restructuring in the Democratized Indonesia: Focusing on the Public Works" and Scientific Research (A) "Natural Resource Management and Socio-economic Transformation under the Decentralization in Indonesia: Toward Sulawesi Area Studies"
  4. Research Topic:: Making a research on local politcs at the Gorontalo province and conducting a socio-economic research at Tana Toraja district, South Sulawesi province
  1. Term:July 11 - 17, 2005
  2. Area:Indonesia
  3. Project:Scientific Research (B) "Changing of Local Political Economy in the Democratized and Decentralized Indonesia"
  4. Research Topic:To make a presentation at the international symposium of Indonesian Anthoropology Society
  1. Term:June 19 - 24, 2005
  2. Area: Hasanuddin University,
  3. Project:Scientific Research (A) "Natural Resource Management and Socio-economic Transformation under the Decentralization in Indonesia: Toward Sulawesi Area Studies"
  4. Research Topic:Having a meeting to discuss the way to make a collaborative research with Hasanuddin University
Joint Research Project
  1. Research Topic:Project 7 "Enterpreneurship in East Asia: Political, Economic, Cultural and Social Initiatives :Establishing a New Model of East Asian Political Economy; Doing a research on the political violence in Indonesia
  2. Indivisual Research Topic:Doing a research on the political violence in Indonesia
  3. Term:2005 - 2008
  4. Sponsor:JSPS Core University Program: Social Science Region Making in East Asia
  5. Leader:MIZUNO, Kosuke
  6. Outline: Making a Collaborative Research on East Asian Political Economy with the Japanese and East Asian Social Scientists
  7. No. of Members:40
  8. Members in CSEAS:5
  1. Research Topic: 'Comprehensive Studies on “Aging” in Southeast Asia-Toward Restructure of Safety Net system'
  2. Indivisual Research Topic: Analysing the social safety net policies related to "aging" in Indonesia and Thailand
  3. Term: 2005 - 2007
  4. Sponsor:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi) ,Scientific Research (A)
  5. Leader:. HAMASHITA, Takeshi
  6. Outline:Making a research on "aging" from the viewpoint of political science and public policy
  7. No. of Members:8
  8. Members in CSEAS:6
  1. Research Topic:Changing of Local Political Economy in the Democratized and Decentralized Indonesia
  2. Indivisual Research Topic:Analysing the Political economic structure of South and West Sulawesi Provinces,
  3. Term:2005 - 2007
  4. Sponsor:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi) ,Scientific Research (B)
  5. Leader:MIZUNO, Kosuke
  6. Outline:Collecting the data on candidates for regional government heads and local government budget in collaboration with LIPI
  7. No. of Members:5
  8. Members in CSEAS:2
  1. Research Topic:The Emerging "New" Leaders in the Democratized Countries and Globalization: Asia and Russia
  2. Indivisual Research Topic: Analysing on the emerging new leaders in the democratized Indonesia
  3. Term:2005 - 2006
  4. Sponsor:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi) ,Scientific Research (B)
  5. Leader: TAMADA, Yoshifumi
  6. Outline:Making a research on the newly emerging regional government heads in the democratized Indonesia,
  7. No. of Members:6
  8. Members in CSEAS:1
  1. Research Topic:Natural Resource Management and Socio-economic Transformation under the Decentralization in Indonesia: Toward Sulawesi Area Studies
  2. Term:2004 - 2006
  3. Sponsor:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi) ,Scientific Research (A)
  4. Leader:TANAKA, Koji
  5. Outline:Making Collaborative Research with the Hasanuddin University (Makassar) and Utilizing the Makassar Field Station budgeted by 21st COE Project
  6. No. of Members:10
  7. Members in CSEAS:6
Seminar/Symposium
  1. Seminar:Sulawesi Area Studies
  2. Date:October 21, 2005
  3. Place:CSEAS
  4. Topic:Making of Gorontalo Province and Politics of Maze
  5. Presenter:OKAMOTO, Masaaki
  6. Organizer:CSEAS
  1. Seminar:Understanding the "Modernity" in Indonesia
  2. Dat: October 1, 2005
  3. Place: National Museum of Ethnology
  4. Topic:Politics of Introducing the Concept of "Entrepreneurial Governance": Local Politcs at the Gorontalo Province in Indonesia: 1998-2004
  5. Presenter:OKAMOTO, Masaaki
  6. Organizer: National Museum of Ethnology
  1. Seminare:Souteast Asia in Comparative Perspective
  2. Date: September 23, 2005
  3. Place:CSEAS
  4. Topic: Study on Indonesian Politics: Authoritarian Regime to Democratic Regime
  5. Presenter: OKAMOTO, Masaaki
  6. Organizer:CSEAS
Activity in Academic Association
  1. Academic Association:4th International Symposium of the Journal Antropologi Indonesia: Indonesia in the Changing Global Context: Building Cooperation and Partnership?
  2. Topic:Panel 16: Emergence of New Local Politics in the Decentralization Era (Moderator)
  3. Place:University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
  4. Term:July 13, 2005
  1. Academic Association:4th International Symposium of the Journal Antropologi Indonesia: Indonesia in the Changing Global Context: Building Cooperation and Partnership?
  2. Topic:Voluntary Retreat of the State and After: Emerging New Pattern(s) of Local Politics in the Decentralized Indonesia: 1998-2004 (Presenter)
  3. Place:University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
  4. Term: July 13, 2005