publications
Does a sprawling neighborhood affect obesity? Evidence from Indonesia. (with Yunita and Muhammad Halley Yudhistira)
International Journal of Health Economics and Management, March 2024.
Abstract: While the causes of obesity have been widely discussed from various perspectives, studies that examine how the physical form of a neighborhood could causally affect obesity remain limited. This study combined individual-level longitudinal data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) and subdistrict-level land cover data to investigate whether a neighborhood's physical form affects individuals' obesity status. We controlled for individual and location fixed-effect to account for individuals' sorting preferences and unobserved heterogeneity at the subdistrict level. Our results suggest that a sprawling neighborhood corresponds to a lower body mass index, particularly among males. We also show that consumption behavior can explain this mechanism.
The impact of the maritime logistic subsidy on food prices: Evidence from Indonesia (with Yusuf Sofiyandi and Muhammad Halley Yudhistira)
Economic Analysis and Policy, July 2023.
Abstract: Economic theory states that lower production costs associated with logistics cost reduction may decrease the market price. However, the effect partly depends on the mechanism. To test this conjecture, we investigate the causal effect of the maritime logistics subsidy on food prices in Indonesia. The subsidy has a unique setting of a trip-based freight subsidy: applied for specific food commodities and pre-determined shipping routes. Using the food prices data at the district level for 2015–2019 and the difference-in-differences approach, we find that the policy causes an average 3.2% decrease in food prices which gradually dissipates after one-year implementation. The effect is particularly pronounced in the western cities and specific food items. Our results can be partly attributed to the higher quality of intermodal transport infrastructure in the western regions, disparities in consumption patterns of commodities across regions, and the declining trend in average subsidy sizes per city. Our findings indicate that while the policy effectively alleviates the high-cost logistics burden, it does not sustainably enhance consumer price affordability.
The Long-run Effects of Early European Settlement on Local Development: Evidence from Indonesia (with Rossi Bestari and Muhammad Halley Yudhistira)
World Development, October 2022.
Abstract: This study addresses the long-term effects of early European settlement on today's regional economic development in areas of Indonesia in which such settlements have been ubiquitous for more than three centuries. To establish a potential causal relationship, we exploit variations in the year that settlement began at the district level. We find that while the overall impact of the length of the settlement has a significant negative association with per capita GDP, the impacts are heterogeneous across regions. Longer exposure to settlements negatively (positively) affects per capita GDP today for districts outside Java (in Java). Longer exposure to settlements is associated with: (i) lower poverty level and poverty gap and (ii) lower birth attendance and morbidity rate. We partly explained our findings using the institutional transfer channel via improvement in the education infrastructure. Our findings imply that the increased accumulation of human capital might have a long-term impact on economic performance in the present through productivity and improvement in the quality of institutions.
Reformulasi Dana Desa untuk Mewujudkan Transfer Berbasis Kinerja: Momentum Peningkatan Peran di Masa Pandemi (with Khoirunurrofik, Wildan Ghozali, and Ghany Ellantia Wiguna). In Bahasa Indonesia.
Indonesian Treasury Review, March 2021.
Abstract: Meskipun telah mengalami beberapa kali penyempurnaan formula, persoalan efektivitas dan pemenuhan kriteria keadilan dari Alokasi Dana Desa masih menjadi pertanyaan besar dalam kebijakan keuangan publik di Indonesia. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah melakukan reformulasi pengalokasian Dana Desa berdasarkan evaluasi terhadap kelemahan formula saat ini dan identifikasi potensi indikator baru untuk meningkatkan efektivitas dan keadilan terutama peningkatan peran Dana Desa bagi Pemulihan Ekonomi Desa di Masa Pendemi COVID-19. Penelitian dengan menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif analisis melalui kajian literatur, focus group discussion, dan analisis data sekunder. Hasil penelitian menyimpulkan perlunya menurunkan bobot Alokasi Dasar untuk mengurangi ketimpangan besaran alokasi Dana Desa, menaikkan bobot Alokasi Formula untuk memastikan alokasi Dana Desa yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan dan kapasitas masing-masing desa sehingga mendorong alokasi yang lebih berkeadilan dan efektif. Sementara itu, bobot Alokasi Afirmasi perlu dinaikkan dalam jangka pendek, namun kemudian menurun secara gradual di periode setelahnya untuk mencegah timbulnya moral hazard. Selanjutnya untuk mendorong pencapaian kemandirian desa, Alokasi Kinerja perlu dinaikkan sebagai mekanisme reward bagi desa-desa yang memiliki kinerja baik. Rekomendasi dari kajian ini adalah penyempurnaan formula alokasi Dana Desa perlu dilakukan secara periodik serta perlu memperhatikan Target dan Indikator SDGs yang dapat diimplementasikan di tingkat desa.
Transportation network and changes in urban structure: Evidence from the Jakarta Metropolitan Area (with Muhammad Halley Yudhistira, Andhika Putra Pratama, Yusuf Sofiyandi, and Witri Indriyani)
Research in Transportation Economics, May 2019.
Abstract: The Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA) has a population of 28 million, a figure which is growing relative quickly. This study examines the role of transport infrastructure in explaining the suburbanization process at the community level in JMA. Aside from population density, it also uses night light intensity as proxy for economic activity. Using population census and night light data for 2000 and 2010, and the instrumental variable (IV) strategy, we found that improvements in highway and railway access promote population growth in city suburbs and non-city suburbs, respectively confirming the process of transportation-led suburbanization. In contrast, suburbanization of night light intensity was only evident in non-city suburbs and is likely to be driven by the transportation network stock.
working papers
Quantifying the Impacts of COVID-19 Mobility Restrictions on Ridership and Farebox Revenues: The Case of Mass Rapid Transit in Jakarta, Indonesia (with Yusuf Sofiyandi, Khoirunurrofik, Prayoga Wiradisuria, and Dikki Nur Ahmad Saleh). Last version: July 2021.
Cultural heritage and residential location choice of households in Indonesia. Last version: May 2019.
books
Penanganan Covid-19 dan Pemulihan Ekonomi Nasional. 2022. Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs Republic of Indonesia.