The May 2025 edition of the Indonesian Update presents a variety of sharp and critical analyses of contemporary issues affecting the direction of national development. This month’s main report highlights the losses experienced by the beneficiaries and partners of the Free Nutritious Meals program. Using a legal approach, we examine how unprepared policy design and weak implementing regulations can have negative impacts on groups that should be protected and empowered.

In the economic field, we present three main discussions. First, an analysis on the relationship between energy and economic growth in Indonesia using a quantile regression approach that produces a number of evidence-based policy recommendations. Second, we discuss the influence of economic and political uncertainty on national macroeconomic conditions, as a reflection of global dynamics and domestic government transitions. Third, an article on the relationship between foreign direct investment, economic growth, and carbon emissions in Indonesia opens up a discussion space on how development strategies can be directed so as not to sacrifice environmental sustainability. The policy-econometric approach in this article is an important basis for designing policies that balance economic and climate interests.

From the legal realm, we highlight the urgency of revising the Consumer Protection Law. In the context of the increasingly massive digital economy and e-commerce, adaptive and consumer-friendly regulations are becoming increasingly urgent.

In the political field, we present two main analyses. First, an evaluation of public communication in the first 200 days of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, measuring how the state’s communication style influences public perception and policy accountability. Second, we dissect the polemics over the discourse on the expansion of new autonomous regions (DOB), emphasizing the importance of contextualizing regional needs and fiscal prudence in responding to demands for expansion.

From the social side, our report highlights the relevance of the Indonesian Exemplary Fathers Movement (GATI) in encouraging male participation in family development. At the same time, we highlight two other crucial issues: the transition from the climate crisis to the food crisis that demands concrete government solutions, and criticism of the vasectomy requirement as a prerequisite for social assistance that is considered problematic from a rights and policy ethics perspective.

Through this edition, Update Indonesia invites readers to understand how policies, political dynamics, and social practices are intertwined in shaping the face of Indonesia today and in the future. We hope that these reports could be a source of reflective thinking for policy makers, academics, business people, and civil society.

Happy reading.

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