Thomas Soseco

The Department of Development Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Malang (FEB UM), successfully hosted an international seminar on Creative Economy and Culture on Thursday, 20 March 2025. The event featured two distinguished speakers: Diane Butler, Ph.D., and Dr. Mohamad Zuber Bin Abd Majid. As part of the seminar, I had the privilege of moderating the second session, where Diane Butler, Ph.D., delivered a presentation on inclusive creative praxis in essential aspects of life—clothing, food, and shelter. Her insights linked these fundamental needs to sustainability and cultural preservation, highlighting the importance of creativity in shaping resilient communities. Dr. Butler’s presentation explored various local innovations that emerged in response to challenges during the pandemic. These included urban farming initiatives, plastic-to-rice exchange systems to promote environmental responsibility and social welfare, and the rapid digitalisation of the arts...

By Leigh McKiernon StratEx - Indonesia Headhunter | C-Level Recruitment | ex Korn Ferry  Once upon a time there existed a quaint little myth: Work hard, study well, and you shall succeed . It was a charming bedtime story, one that kept children diligently memorizing multiplication tables long past their bedtime. But in certain economies—where success is less about calculus and more about calling the right cousin—this idea is about as useful as a philosophy degree in a nepotism-fueled job market. Enter Indonesia’s economic elite, visionaries in efficiency, who cracked the system ages ago. Why stress over math exams when a well-placed handshake and a dinner invitation can do the heavy lifting? Why break a sweat over PISA rankings when the real test is whether you can navigate family politics? This would explain why Indonesia’s richest 20% perform worse in school than Vietnam’s poorest 20%. Because in Vietnam, education is the only ticket out of poverty. In Indonesia, wealth is a pe...

Tagar #KaburAjaDulu ramai diperbincangkan merespon kondisi Indonesia saat ini yang tidak kunjung memberi harapan atas perbaikan.  Keinginan untuk pindah ke luar negeri atau migrasi internasional tidak hanya untuk studi namun juga untuk bekerja.  Bagi lajang, keputusan bermigrasi seringkali dapat dilakukan dengan mudah. Namun bagi yang sudah berkeluarga, keputusan bekerja di luar negeri perlu pertimbangan matang dari anggota keluarga lain, terutama saat ia sudah memiliki pasangan atau anak, yang tidak dibawa pindah ke luar negeri.   Data BP2MI menunjukkan jumlah pekerja migran Indonesia yang ditempatkan berkisar 20.000 orang per bulan (Gambar 1).  Gambar 1. Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Periode Juli 2024 s.d. Januari 2025 Sumber:  bp2mi.go.id Data penempatan adalah data layanan penempatan calon pekerja migran Indonesia yang menyelesaikan seluruh rangkaian proses sebelum bekerja melalui SiskoP2MI.  Negara tujuan utama penempatan adalah Malaysia, Ho...

The The World Bank has just launched its new Human Capital Data Portal. It provides global, regional, and economy-level data on key dimensions of human capital, including education, health, social protection, and labor.  Taken from the blog, five prominent features of the portal are: First, it enables us to explore interactive visualizations across human capital indicators. Second, it provides access data for every stage of life. The portal includes disaggregated data covering various life stages, such as prenatal health, school enrollment, youth employment, and adult skills. Third, it compares countries across multiple indicators. The portal's comparison feature allows researchers to select countries and indicators for side-by-side analyses, helping policymakers spot trends and disparities that need attention.  Human Capital Index (HCI) (scale 0-1), 2020 Fourth, it explores the latest insights and knowledge on human capital. The portal goes beyond data by connecting users to ...

Smart policies that help people realize their potential can be game-changing for entire societies By Gita Bhatt,  editor-in-chief of FINANCE & DEVELOPMENT - INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND Every great leap in human progress—from the printing press to the steam engine to the semiconductor—has been driven by ideas. But ideas do not emerge in a vacuum; they come from people. And among them, it is often the most talented minds that push the boundaries of what is possible. This makes talent one of the world’s most valuable resources that can drive innovation and growth. Countries that develop the best minds gain a competitive edge. Those that fail to do so don’t just slow their own progress—the world loses, too. Every untapped genius is a discovery that never happens, a technology that never emerges, a field that never takes off. The next transformative idea—a cure for a disease, a revolutionary technology—could come from anywhere. But only if the right minds are given an opportunity to...

Artikel ini diambil dari Berita Penelitian dan Inovasi Universitas Gadjah Mada. Menjadi pekerja migran di luar negeri merupakan sebuah pilihan untuk mengubah nasib dan lepas dari belenggu kemiskinan. Meski dijuluki sebagai pahlawan Devisa karena penghasilan dari mereka mengalir ke kampung halamannya. Namun tidak semua pekerja migran bisa meraih impiannya, tidak jarang mereka terkena persoalan kasus hukum dari status pekerja ilegal, korban perdagangan manusia hingga resiko kasus perceraian di rumah tangganya. Hasil penelitian Pusat Studi Kependudukan dan Kebijakan (PSKK) Universitas Gadjah Mada bekerja sama dengan lembaga Child Health and Parent Migration in Southeast Asia (CHAMPSEA) sejak tahun 2008, ditemukan fenomena gangguan perkawinan atau marital disruption di kalangan rumah tangga migran Indonesia. Prof. Dr. Sukamdi, M.Sc., selaku peneliti PSKK menyampaikan bahwa menjadi migran diasumsikan dapat membantu keluar dari kemiskinan, meskipun kenyataannya tidak seperti itu. Meksi r...

By Lennart Reiners Conditional cash transfers provide immediate financial relief while fostering long-term investments in education and health, helping to break the cycle of poverty. Research reveals both intended and unintended effects that policymakers and project designers should consider. Conditional cash transfers are direct cash payments to people in need. They are designed to reduce poverty by providing cash transfers to households that fulfill specific conditions. These criteria often revolve around education, such as school attendance, or health, such as prenatal checkups.  By alleviating people’s short-term budget constraints while at the same time incentivizing long-term investments in human capital, these cash payments aim to break the cycle of poverty. The dual approach of immediate financial relief and long-term human capital investment has made conditional cash transfers widely popular. Early programs, starting in the late 1990s, were implemented in Latin America, wi...

Researchers from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) on the conducted a randomised evaluation to test the impact of a conditional incentive program and an adolescent girls’ empowerment program on child marriage, dowry price, teenage childbearing, and education in Bangladesh. The team consists of Nina Buchmann  Erica Field  Rachel Glennerster  Shahana Nazneen  Xiao Yu Wang The conditional incentive program delivered cooking oil to families with unmarried girls aged fifteen through seventeen. Photo: Libby Abbott | J-PAL Child marriage remains prevalent in many countries despite laws prohibiting the practice, leading to negative health and education outcomes for young women and their children. Researchers evaluated the impacts of an incentive program and an adolescent empowerment program on child marriage, teenage childbearing, and level of education in rural Bangladesh.  The researchers conducted some interventions:  First, conditional incentive...

On Friday, January 31, 2025, I presented a paper titled "Enhancing Employment and Skill Development: Comparative Insights from the Generational Labour Force in Indonesia" at an international seminar at Saga University, Japan. This seminar was part of a strategic collaboration between the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia and the Faculty of Economics, Saga University, Japan. The paper explored the generational labour force and its impact on overall well-being. Differences between generations shape varying values, perceptions, and behavioral patterns, including how workers develop their skills in the workplace. These differences create generational gaps, including disparities among workers within the same generation. The research findings indicate that education levels and migration opportunities positively affect workers' well-being, particularly among younger generations. Therefore, workplaces that accommodate employees from different...

It was my pleasure to meet colleagues and students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Melaka, Malaysia, during a lecture session titled "The Firm and Market Structures: What It Is and How It Works in the Economy" on Thursday, 16 January 2025. Other speakers in the session included Dr. Kazi Musa (Malaysia) and Dr. Shahzad Hussain (Pakistan). The session was moderated by Ms. Maizatul Saadiah Mohamad. My presentation covered the concepts of monopoly and oligopoly, with a case study on the Indonesian aviation industry. We discussed the implications of market structures on the economy, particularly in the context of passengers and tourist destinations. During the session, we examined the gridlock on the highway to Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali caused by a surge of vehicles during the holiday season. A special thanks to Ms. Maizatul Saadiah Mohamad for making this session possible.

We are thrilled to announce that our paper, titled " Membangun Akses Digital bagi Perempuan Perdesaan untuk Pengentasan Kemiskinan ", has been published as a book chapter in " Building Policies for the Future: A Collaboration of Ideas Toward a Prosperous Indonesia 2045 ". This paper is the result of a research collaboration between myself and Isnawati Hidayah. The paper was presented at the 10th Annual International Forum on Economic Development and Policy (AIFED), organised by the Ministry of Finance, Republic of Indonesia, on December 1–3, 2021, under the theme " Finding New Sources of Growth to Recover Stronger ". In this research, we explored the relationship between poverty and digital access for women in rural areas of Indonesia. Using data from the 2018 National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas), we constructed a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). Key findings include: - Female-headed households are more vulnerable to poverty compared to male-headed...

It was my pleasure to meet colleagues and students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia during a lecture session titled The Role of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics in Development on Saturday, 30 November 2024. The session was chaired by Mr. Azizul Azhan Bin Hussain (Joe) and attended by over 233 participants via Google Meet and YouTube. In my presentation, we discussed the core concepts of the economy and its main challenges. We also explored the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics, as well as their interconnection. Additionally, we extended the discussion to our publication titled "An Application of the Dagum Type III Model to Measure Household Net Wealth Inequality in Indonesia." The paper can be accessed here: https://thomassoseco.blogspot.com/2024/09/an-application-of-dagum-type-iii-model.html A special thanks to Ms. Nur Azwani Mohamad Azmin for making this session possible.

On Tuesday, 5 November 2024, the 2024 Disability Festival ( Festival Disabilitas ), hosted by PLPBK LPPP Universitas Negeri Malang, provided a platform to address important issues surrounding disabilities. The event brought together individuals with disabilities, parents, teachers, and community members to raise awareness and encourage action. In addition to insightful discussions, the festival featured performances and exhibitions that highlighted the talents and creativity of individuals with special needs. I had the honour of being the speaker for the talkshow session, where I presented on "The Role of Higher Education in Optimising the Potential of Individuals with Special Needs: Employment Transition." During the session, we focused on the challenges of disability, employment, and the wage gap in Indonesia, particularly how higher education can serve as a key driver in improving labour market outcomes for individuals with disabilities (PwD). We also discussed the finding...

Paper presented in Festival Disabilitas UM,  Malang, Indonesia Tuesday, 5 November 2024 Introduction The inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the labor market is not just a matter of social justice but also a key component of economic growth. As nations strive for higher welfare levels, ensuring that all individuals, including those with disabilities, contribute to economic activities is vital. The participation of people with disabilities (PwD) in the labor force is often hindered by a persistent wage gap compared to people without disabilities (Pw/oD). This paper explores how higher education can play a crucial role in bridging this gap by maximizing the potential of individuals with special needs and facilitating smoother transitions into the labor market. Employment Transition and Its Costs Employment transition refers to the process of moving from one type of employment to another—whether it's entering the workforce, changing careers, or transitioning from unemploymen...

  MOJOK.CO – Orang miskin punya seribu satu cara untuk bertahan hidup. Salah satunya dengan muslihat  telur dadar yang membuat saya kagum ketika masih bocah.    Ketika kecil dulu, mungkin sekitar tahun 2000, saya pernah bermain ke rumah teman saya. Sebut saja namanya Wawan.  Rumah Wawan tidak besar dan cuma memiliki 2 kamar tidur serta 1 kamar mandi. Walau deskripsinya mirip dengan tipe rumah kebanyakan yang dijual developer properti di daerah pinggiran Jakarta, percayalah, konsep minimalis yang diterapkan sangat berbeda. Kalau rumah minimalis dikonsep agar menjadi sederhana, fungsional, dan terkesan mewah. Nah, rumah teman saya ini konsepnya adalah “yang penting punya rumah”.  Pencahayaan buruk. Lantai rumahnya nir-keramik, full semen ekspose ala industrialis. Udaranya lembab dan berbau apak. Cat dinding rumah Wawan sudah kusam, belum lagi dapurnya yang kecil cuma muat 3 orang bila mau berdesak-desakan. Dan di dapur ini, saya melihat sendiri muslihat telur...