The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global multidimensional crisis, one of its impacts being the crisis on the informal economy. This paper presents a review of the effects of this pandemic on the informal economy, coupled with empirical evidence based on surveys conducted in Indonesia. Data used in this study was collected by an online survey during the pandemic. Theoretically, there are two points of view about the informal economy roles during a crisis: optimistic views that see informal economy survive in a crisis and pessimistic views that see the ongoing informal economy continue to suffer losses and also informal workers as vulnerable groups during a crisis. The research also discussed the impacts of the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic on informal employments and incomes, readiness in dealing with the pandemic, and the livelihood conditions of informal workers. The crisis as a result of this pandemic provides a new experience for the informal sector in dealing with the crisis. The informal sector is not always a hero during the crisis but rather an alternative sector that offers business flexibility.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on the informal sector, especially in developing countries. Regarding the case study found in Yogyakarta Special Region (Indonesia), this research focuses on workers in the informal sector with the following objectives: (1) to assess the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on informal workers’ conditions, (2) to identify their strategies for surviving the crisis, and (3) to analyze the existing social safety net to support their livelihood. This study surveyed 218 respondents who worked in the informal, non-agricultural sector. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. The results confirmed that most respondents underwent a decrease in working hours and incomes. In general, they have particular coping mechanisms to survive. The results also found that most respondents had high hopes for social assistance to stabilize their livelihood. Several government programs had been issued, either by improving policies before the pandemic or by creating new ones. However, there were many barriers and challenges to implementing them so that some recommendations had been suggested in this study to help the informal workers to become more resilient.
The signing of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2005 marked the end of the Indonesian government's decades-long conflict with the Free Aceh Movement. One of the deals in the Helsinki MoU is to provide farming land to former combatants, amnestied political prisoners, and conflict victims as a form of reintegration and livelihood restoration. However, this activity did not run effectively for a dozen years after the peace deal due to the absence of regulations and authorities in its implementation. Based on this background, this paper examines the role of Agrarian Reform on the policy of agricultural land provision to the people related to the Aceh conflict. This research used a qualitative approach, and relied on observational data and literature review. Agrarian Reform can be an alternative strategy for post-conflict peacebuilding. The concept of asset reform and access reform offered in the Agrarian Reform can be adopted to realize the allocation of agricultural land by the mandate of the Helsinki MoU. The main problems found so far are that there is no regulation regarding the granting of land rights in the law, authority, and several obstacles in its implementation. This paper also provides a crucial lesson that proper agrarian policy contributes to the prevention of recurring conflicts that have the potential to cause national disintegration. Keywords: Agrarian Reform, Free Aceh Movement, Helsinki MoU, Land Redistribution, Peacebuilding Intisari : Penandatanganan Momerandum of Understanding (MoU) Helsinki pada tahun 2005 menandai berakhirnya konflik pemerintah Indonesia dengan Gerakan Aceh Merdeka selama beberapa dekade. Salah satu kesepakatan di dalam MoU Helsinki adalah menyediakan tanah pertanian kepada mantan kombatan, tahanan politik yang memperoleh amnesti, dan korban konflik sebagai bentuk reintegrasi dan pemulihan penghidupan. Namun, kegiatan ini tidak berjalan secara efektif selama belasan tahun setelah perjanjian damai karena belum adanya regulasi dan kewenangan dalam pelaksanaannya. Berdasarkan latar belakang tersebut, tulisan ini mengkaji peran Reforma Agraria terhadap kebijakan penyediaan tanah pertanian untuk masyarakat yang berkaitan dengan konflik Aceh. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif, serta mengandalkan data observasi dan tinjauan literatur. Reforma Agraria dapat menjadi strategi alternatif pembangunan perdamaian pasca-konflik. Konsep penataan aset dan penataan akses yang ditawarkan di dalam Reforma Agraria dapat diadopsi untuk merealisasikan alokasi tanah pertanian sesuai amanah MoU Helsinki. Permasalahan-permasalahan utama yang ditemukan selama ini adalah belum adanya pengaturan mengenai pemberian hak atas tanah tersebut di dalam peraturan perundang-undangan, kewenangan, dan sejumlah hambatan dalam pelaksanaannya. Tulisan ini juga memberikan pelajaran penting bahwa kebijakan agraria yang tepat dapat berkontribusi terhadap pencegahan konflik berulang yang dapat berpotensi menyebabkan disintegrasi bangsa. Kata Kunci: Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, MoU Helsinki, Pembangunan Perdamaian, Redistribusi Tanah, Reforma Agraria
This study aims to find out the characteristics of street vendors in Yogyakarta City before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the livelihood strategies performed by the street vendors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the relationship between street vendors characteristics and their livelihood strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors used a quantitative method with a total of 83 respondents. The results indicated age characteristics ranging from 19-68 years, the last education completed by the street vendors was dominated by senior high school or equivalent, the status in the household was dominated by the head of the household, and the number of household members was 1 to 9 people. The COVID-19 pandemic induced significant impacts on the employment situation in the household, working hours, and income. The livelihood strategies performed by the street vendors amidst the COVID-19 pandemic were survival strategy (73.49%) and consolidation strategy (26.51%). This study found that the relationship between the characteristics of street vendors and livelihood strategies varied.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.