PAIR Summit: Economic Recovery

The Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) is a development initiative that focuses on the theme: ‘Connectivity, People and Place’. It seeks to better understand the challenges and opportunities presented by Indonesia’s rapid physical and economic development. On 7 December 2021, PAIR Summit will explore the topic of economic recovery – which will be divided into two sessions.

The first session on “Road to recovery: Assessing the pandemic’s impact on the tourism industry”, at 01.00 PM AEDT, will assess the state of the devastated industry, and what actions can be taken to rebuild tourism and the communities that rely on it. The tourism sector has been a significant driver of economic growth in Indonesia, but it has been hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Border closures and travel restrictions have seen millions of job losses, with women, young people and lower-educated workers being most vulnerable. Now, as vaccination rates grow, there is hope on the horizon.

The second session on “Health or economy in Indonesia? Making the best impossible decision during COVID-19”, at 02.10 PM AEDT, will feature researchers that will present a model they created to help governments get the balance right, and its conditions and outcomes, using an example from the experience of South Sulawesi. During the pandemic, governments have grappled with the impossible decision of choosing health or the economy while both are in crisis. The Indonesian government has struggled to get this balance right, as infections soared across the country and many people were in precarious financial positions that made social distancing untenable. In this session,

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