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The study assesses how ICT modulates the effect of informal sector on income inequality and investigates critical mass or threshold of ICT at which the diffusion of information with mobile cellular reduce income inequality. The ICT indicators are the regional ICT development index (RIDI), computer penetration and mobile cellular penetration. The empirical strategy used is Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). Covering panel data from 460 districts/cities in Indonesia for 2015–2019, the study shows that ICT measures of RIDI and computer penetration directly exacerbate income inequality, otherwise mobile cellular penetration directly reduces it. Enhancing ICT beyond certain thresholds is necessary for ICT to modulate informal sector to reduce income inequality. The corresponding ICT thresholds for the reduction of income inequality is 32.78 mobile cellular penetration per 100 people. The established thresholds make economic sense and can be feasibly implemented by policy makers to induce favourable effects on income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study provides evidence on the transition and growth of the formal sector in the Indonesian economy. It utilizes data from the National Labour Force Survey (Sakernas) for tracking the previous work status of labourers as formal or informal workers. The study also examines the implications of formalization of employment for the different rates of earnings of formal sector workers, given their human capital characteristics and different industries of employment. The study finds that the growth of employment in the formal sector is mainly the result of the entry of younger and better educated workers. Although there is some mobility from the informal to the formal sector, the results show that individuals who were previously working in the informal sector are less likely to move to the formal sector. In terms of earnings, there is evidence of scarring effects: individuals who are initially in the formal sector earn more than individuals who are initially in the informal sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many developing countries, like Indonesia, struggle with tax evasion. It reduces government revenues, impeding government activities and a country's economic development. In this study, we look at the topic of tax evasion in Indonesia from 1980 to 2019. Using the "modified-cash-deposit-ratio" technique, we estimate the scale of tax evasion in Indonesia. We specifically calculate the loss in tax revenue caused by Indonesia's shadow economy. Using a variety of estimators, we then evaluate whether financial development can eliminate tax evasion. To estimate the long-run model for Indonesian tax evasion, we used Ordinary Least Squares with robust standard error (OLS-robust), Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL), Dynamic OLS (DOLS), and Robust Least Squares-M-Estimation (RLE-ME). Our findings reveal that there is a non-linear long-run link between tax evasion and financial development in Indonesia, with an inverted U-shape curve indicating that a lower (higher) level of financial development corresponds to a higher (lower) level of tax evasion. An important policy implication is that the Indonesian government and the Central Bank of Indonesia should embark on programmes to increase financial inclusion, provide easy access to credit arrangements and financial facilities, and implement information technology-based financial systems capable of transmitting data to tax authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing an enabling environment for breastfeeding is hampered by the inequitable implementation of paid maternity leave, primarily due to perceived or actual financial costs. To estimate the real cost of paid maternity leave requires using reliable methods. We compared methods utilized in two recent studies in Indonesia. Study A estimated the financial need of providing paid maternity leave in the formal sector with a 10-year forecast at 21% coverage of eligible mothers, while study B estimated similar costs for the informal sector at 100% coverage annually. Results are critical for guiding future application of either method to inform paid maternity leave policies. Methods: We compared number of covered mothers working informally, total annual cost, and cost per mother. We modified some parameters used in study A (method A) to be similar to study B (method B) for comparison, namely the period of estimate (annual), coverage (100%), estimate of women potentially breastfeeding, exchange rate, female labor force participation rate, the percentage of women working in the informal sector, and adding administration cost. Results: The methods differ in determining the number of mothers working in the informal sector who gave birth, the minimum wage as unit cost, and administrative cost. Both studies estimated the cost at various lengths of leave period. Method A requires more macro (e.g. national/regional) level data, while method B involves (e.g. individual) micro level data. We compared the results of method A with method B, respectively: 1) number of covered mothers working informally were 1,425,589 vs. 1,147,204; 2) total annual costs including administrative costs were US$650,230,167 vs. US$633,942,726, and; 3) cost/mother was US$456 vs US$553. Conclusion: Certain flexibilities can be applied to both methods, namely using parameters specific to respective regions (e.g. provincial level parameters), flexible period of analysis, and the use of administrative cost. In a setting where micro data is scarce and not easily accessible, method A provides a feasible approach, while method B will be most appropriate if suitable micro data is available. Future comparison studies in other settings are needed to provide further evidence on the strengths and weaknesses of both methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the majority of studies that have treated informal workers as a single homogeneous group, this article accounts for the possibility of "winners" and "losers" among informal workers. Applying unconditional quantile regressions to data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey, the authors are able to estimate the formal–informal wage gaps for different segments of the earnings distribution. Although the evidence confirms the existence of a substantial earnings penalty for many informal workers, there is also a group who earn roughly similar incomes to formal workers. The findings are consistent with Fields's (1990 and 2005) model of heterogeneous informal employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The economic cost of not breastfeeding in Indonesia is estimated at US$1.5–9.4 billion annually, the highest in South East Asia. Half of the 33.6 million working women of reproductive age (WRA) in Indonesia (15–49 years) are informal employees, meaning they are working as casual workers or they are self-employed (small scale business) and assisted by unpaid/family worker(s). No specific maternity protection entitlements are currently available for WRA working informally in Indonesia. This study aims to estimate the financing need of providing maternity leave cash transfer (MCT) for WRA working in the informal sector in Indonesia. Method: The costing methodology used is the adapted version of the World Bank methodology by Vilar-Compte et al, following pre-set steps to estimate costs using national secondary data. We used the 2018 Indonesian National Socio-Economic Survey to estimate the number of women working informally who gave birth within the last year. The population covered, potential cash transfer's unitary cost, the incremental coverage of the policy in terms of time and coverage, and the administrative costs were used to estimate the cost of MCT for the informal sector. Result: At 100% coverage for 13 weeks of leave, the yearly financing need of MCT ranged from US$175million (US$152/woman) to US$669million (US$583/woman). The share of the yearly financing need did not exceed 0.5% of Indonesian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Conclusions: The yearly financing need of providing MCT for eligible WRA working in the informal sector is economically attractive as it amounts to less than 0.5% of GDP nominal of Indonesia. While such a program would be perceived as a marked increase from current public health spending at the onset, such an investment could substantially contribute to the success of breastfeeding and substantial corresponding public health savings given that more than half of working Indonesian WRA are employed in the informal sector. Such policies should be further explored while taking into consideration realistic budget constraints and implementation capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immense wave of urbanization and the limited formal job opportunities available in large Asian cities have led to the proliferation of street vending activities, which are often controversial and sometimes illegal due to their occupation of public space. The Kutek Sunday Market in Depok municipality, Indonesia was forced to move from a busy university location to a relatively secluded residential neighbourhood. Despite this disadvantage, the market has continued to attract sizeable business. This case study, based on extensive field observation and interviews, describes how the market location was selected and how it is spatially arranged to meet the needs of vendors, residents, and shoppers. The paper shows how local residents and vendors creatively developed an open-ended, self-organized system to manage the complex tasks involved in operating the market and to adapt to uctuations in the number and characteristics of vendors and shoppers. Although the system is highly praised as an exective tool for informal economy survivability, its limited planning capacity requires cooperation with other parties to overcome unanticipated challenges. Cooperation among stakeholders has maximized the bene- fits and minimized the drawbacks of informal economic activities in a public space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has been focusing on the vulnerability of street vendors in Java since the time when Java was hit severely by the economic crisis in 1997/1998, which also had reversed the trend of economic formalization in Indonesia. For this aim, a survey was conducted during the month of February 2007 in Yogyakarta and Sleman districts in Yogyakarta Special Province. The survey covered 122 street vendors in several streets in both areas. These samples consist of three groups of street vendors: food seller, non-food seller, and services providers. Based on this survey, vulnerability index of street vendors is measured. The study found that most of street vendors in Yogyakarta experience vulnerability at the medium level. In general, vulnerability of food seller vendors is higher than other vendors. Vulnerability also varies across the locations of vending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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