Graduate Review of Political Science and Public Administration Journal

Coal Power Dynamic: The Double Effect Principle on Indonesian Energy Policy Legitimation

Hanna Nur Afifah Yogar — 2023-12-27

The year 2020 marked a significant moment for Indonesia with the controversial removal of “fly ash and bottom ash” (FABA) as toxic substances from its hazardous waste lists associated with coal burning. The conflicts arising from coal burning encompass socio-ecological, economic, health, and injustice issues. These issues include the destruction of ecosystems, health problems, and economic inequality from business-as-usual impacts. As a major user and producer of coal power plants, Indonesia typically prioritizes cost-efficiency. However, it often overlooks the negative externalities of consumption as undesirable effects. This problem is compounded by policies aimed at promoting coal production, resulting in an annual production of 10-15 million tons of less-managed FABA. This article reviews the “double effect” principle and analyzes government discourses and policies related to environmental protection and management through the “grammar of legitimation”. It explores how these policies are connected to the growing negative consequences associated with coal-fired operations. Additionally, it delves into the escalating conflicts surrounding the coal-fired issue, which tend to generate cascading effects due to the government's “excess tolerance.” An evaluation of socio-ecological management is imperative to prevent gradual and sudden-onset adverse effects, including climate crisis risks and unsustainable development.

Development Innovation: Comparison of Digital Government Pathways in Estonia and Thailand

Nutthawee Pumrachat — 2023-12-27

The three objectives of this article were 1) to conduct a comparative study of Estonia's approach to digital government development compared to Thailand, 2) to analyze the success of Estonia's digital government development approach, and 3) to suggest digital government development guidelines for Thailand. The main findings of this article were as follows. First, the process of development towards a digital government in the case of Estonia began to emerge in the early 1990s, with the government acting as the main driver of the development process. It was found that Estonia's digital government development process was divided into three phases, with Phase 1 comprising development-initiated states, Phase 2 comprising development states, and Phase 3 being developed states. Second, success in building and developing a digital government in the case of Estonia involved state-led development ideology and development networks playing a significant part in ensuring success in the process of creating and developing a digital government. Lastly, recommendations for Thailand's digital government development approach can be divided into 3 levels, including 1) the governmental level, which must play a leading role in the development of a digital government, incorporating the formulation of Thailand's digital government development plan by social conditions in the context of Thailand, 2) the network level, which requires building a network of governance from various sectors to drive Thailand's digital government development plan, and 3) the citizen level, at which digital citizenship is created through the education system to absorb and create so-called digital citizenship in line with Thailand's digital government development plan.

The Economic Structure of Greece Before and After the Global Financial Crisis

Naphakhawat Wanchai — 2023-12-27

The 2007–2008 financial crisis (GFC) affected the economic structure of Greece, including financial volatility, inflation and fiscal budgeting. This article studied changes in the economic structure before and after the GFC to discern differences and how the new structural economics and dependency theory defined the economic structure of Greece. Results were that before the GFC, the government economic structure used populist policies with inefficient financial coverage from the taxation system. Post-GFC, the fiscal budget was revised by assistance provision planning from international financial institutions. Government expenditures decreased and more tax was collected. These findings suggest that the economic structure was determined by external factors based on the complex modern financial system.