The contestation of ideas behind Indonesia's rural electrification policies: The influence of global and national institutional dynamics

Motivation

Progress in Indonesia towards achieving SDG 7 involves contestation between the global goals and the country’s political ambition. The electrification rates ambition has triggered a policy trilemma. There are targets for meeting national energy demand; there are equally important targets for improving energy access and minimising negative impacts on the environment.

Purpose

This article illustrates idea contestation within Indonesia’s rural electricity policy subsystem by: (1) analysing the position of the global sustainability storyline in pre-and post-SDGs and NDC periods; and (2) exploring the dynamic of coalition structure within both periods

Methods and approach

The data is derived from statements of political actors in the national news articles and is analysed using Discourse Network Analysis. To investigate the influence of global agendas, we perform a timeframe analysis in pre-and post- SDG and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) periods.

Findings

Our analysis presented empirical evidence of the energy trilemma. The contestation between energy access, energy security, and climate change mitigation is observed in the ideas that emerged within the existing storylines. We find that sustainability has not been a primary topic of debate within the policy subsystem in pre-and post-SDGs and NDC periods. The findings also reveal how the global deployment of sustainability has triggered the emergence of discursive intermediaries within the policy subsystem. They are essential to framing global environmental issues to fit into internal debates.

Policy implications

First, the narration of implementing renewable energy has to emphasise its benefit over the energy poverty problem while injecting some messages related to environmental profit. Second, the issue of decentralisation has always been the most frequent and mutually connected topic, both in source utilisation and governance. Therefore, it needs more attention from the policymakers.