The Political Economy of Indonesia’s Economic Development, Volume I: The Dawn of Civilisation to a New Order Era: 2000bc to 1998ad

Spanning over four millennia, this sweeping historical analysis traces Indonesia’s economic journey from prehistoric agrarian societies to the democratic challenges of the 21st century. Integrating political economy, history, and development studies, the book offers a rich, multi-layered account of how geography, empire, trade, colonialism, revolution, and reform have shaped the world’s largest archipelagic nation.

The first volume charts Indonesia’s transformation from early maritime kingdoms and colonial exploitation to the rise of the New Order and its dramatic collapse in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis. It interrogates the interplay between power and production, foreign influence and domestic agency, and growth and inequality, laying bare the forces that have driven, distorted, and disrupted Indonesia’s economic development. This book is essential reading for scholars, students, policymakers, and anyone interested in Southeast Asian development, global capitalism, and the long-term dynamics that shape emerging economies.

Dr Sangaralingam Ramesh is Lecturer in Economics at University College London and a Tutor in Political Economy at the University of Oxford. He holds a PhD in Economics from SOAS, University of London, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Dr Ramesh has taught widely across institutions in the UK and internationally, and has published extensively on political economy, innovation, development, and human behaviour. His previous books include China’s Lessons for India, The Rise of Empires, and The Political Economy of Human Behaviour and Economic Development. His interdisciplinary research bridges historical analysis with contemporary global challenges, with a focus on the interaction between political structures, economic institutions, and development outcomes.