Political Power and Communications in Indonesia - by Karl D Jackson & Lucian W Pye (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Few general books are currently available on Indonesia despite its enormous human and economic resources. Hence the importance of this book, which offeres the latest research of internationally respected scholars with extensive first-hand experience in the archipelago. Their particular concern is with the realities of power and the patterns of communication in a society distinguished by both its poverty and its great potential. The contributors to the volume span a wide spectrum of viewpoints, and present various interpretation of Indonesian society. Taken together, however, the essays support the thesis that Indonesia is a "bureaucratic polity"--a political system in which power is hierarchically organized, influence is monopolized by an official elite, and individuals outside officialdom have little effect on events. These authorities examine in depth such subjects as the role of the military, the impact of bureaucracy, the importance of political parties, the character of the mass media, and the direction of economic development as well as other matters essential for an understanding of current development in the country. Political Power and Communications in Indonesia is addressed not only to students of Indonesia or specialists in comparative politics and political development but quite as directly to persons seeking basic information about an extremely interesting and complex society. Its broad coverage makes it a veritable handbook about how government functions in Indonesia. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1978.

From the Back Cover

"This book explores a number of major institutions which have helped to shape recent events in the largest country in Southeast Asia. Traditional conceptions of power and the roles of religion, political parties, the military, the bureaucracy, and the pres are treated in some depth by scholars who have had recent and extensive field experience in the country. . . .A uniformly high standard of analysis and of expression is maintained throughout the book. It is one of the best works on Indonesia to appear in English in recent years, and it should become a standard text for both the specialist and the informed general reader." --Library Journal "The military role, bureaucratic impact, political influence, mass media and economic development are carefully and extensively researched in this examination of Indonesia's current development. Several authors provide a wide range of ideas, but the dominant theme reveals a government with a highly organized political system of official elite who are seldom influenced by outside individuals and events." --Asia Mail "A splendid set of essays on Indonesia . . . They are organized into three sections: a survey of the culture of politics, a consideration of major social and political institutions and an analysis of aspects of communication. The oerall quality of the volume is such that it is invidious to mention only some of the contributors." --International Affairs "The core of the theme is contemporary Indonesia as a bureaucratic polity, defined by Jackson, to paraphrase slightly, as a political system in which power and national decision making are shared almost exclusively by the employees of the state, and especially the topmost levels of the officer corps and civilian bureaucracy, including the technocrats. As such, the exciting pluralism of an earlier Indonesia has been replaced by a much more staid animal. . . .The authors as a group have postulated, explored and begun to argue about a model of the Indonesian political system that other may accept, modify or reject, but not ignore." --American Political Science Review "The editors have rendered a valuable contribution to the science of political power and communications with particular reference to [Indonesia]." --Law Books in Review "From these essays specialists and nonspecialists alike can learn a great deal . . . about Indonesian politics." --Journal of Asian Studies

About the Author

Karl D. Jackson is President and Director, US Thailand Business Council. Lucian W. Pye was Professor of Political Science at M.I.T.