Pragmatic state rescaling: The dynamics and diversity of state space in Indonesian megaproject planning and governance

Abstract

In the past decade, Indonesia has become one of the Asian countries that massively promote large-scale infrastructure development to stimulate economic growth and improve the nation's competitiveness. Using the theoretical perspective of state rescaling, we explore how megaproject complexity defines the scope and process of state involvement in Indonesia's regional infrastructure planning, development, and governance. Aided by a typology of state rescaling, we compare two megaproject case studies: the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train (JBHST) and the Kertajati International Airport and Aerocity (KIAA). It reveals that the dynamics of political culture, governance style, and policy domain shed light on the pragmatic rediscovering of state activism to manage risk and uncertainty in Indonesia’s multi-actor and multi-scale megaproject decision-making environment.