Ruling Indonesia
Jokowi's Presidency in an Age of Democratic Crisis and Great Power Competition
A personal examination of how one leader prioritized economic development over democratic liberties
Description
Joko Widodo—popularly called Jokowi—ruled Indonesia for a decade, from 2014 to 2024. The world’s fourth-largest nation and third-largest democracy, Indonesia had embarked on a messy democratic transition in the late 1990s, with the country’s ethnic and religious heterogeneity posing significant challenges to governance. Initially seen as a reformer who might challenge oligarchic structures, Jokowi was slowly but steadily seen as himself being a threat to democracy. By the time Jokowi wrapped up his presidency, he had achieved the highest approval ratings among Indonesia’s post-authoritarian presidents—and became the president with the tightest grip over Indonesia’s political elite.
Based on exclusive interviews with Jokowi and many of Indonesia’s top leaders, Ruling Indonesia shows Jokowi as a president obsessively preoccupied with his economic development agenda, subordinating all other aspects of governance to this goal. His focused approach delivered economic successes and unprecedented popularity, but also seriously undermined the health of Indonesia’s democratic institutions. Offering a holistic appraisal of his decade in office, Marcus Mietzner analyzes Jokowi’s domestic record in the context of his attempts to position Indonesia more favorably in the international competition for power and resources. Crucially, his obsession to push Indonesia closer to industrialized status while neglecting democratic development represented the ambitions and trials of many Global South leaders who are trying to juggle economic development, growing Sino-American tensions around the world, and concerns for democratic rights. As such, this book provides valuable insights into how the great power rivalry of the 21st century and the global recession of democracy are playing out in central arenas of the Global South.
Marcus Mietzner is Professor at the Department of Political and Social Change, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University.
Reviews
“A beautifully written, deeply researched political account of Jokowi’s presidency by a master analyst and storyteller. A unique resource in the study of Indonesian politics, Mietzner’s interviews with Jokowi are made even more valuable by interviews with other key players. Mietzner also deploys a powerful skill, the ability to ‘rebut’ Jokowi mid-interview. The result is a superbly balanced and nuanced account of where Jokowi succeeded and failed as president, and what the consequences have been for Indonesia and the world.”
- R. William Liddle, Ohio State University
“Ruling Indonesia thoroughly engages with scholarly works on Indonesia’s politics, economy, and international relations. I have never seen such a high-level work that embraces diverse perspectives from the extensive literature on Indonesia in the democratic era.”
- Jun Honna, Ritsumeikan University
“Mietzner gained access to virtually every key player in Indonesian elite politics over the last decade, interviewing 23 cabinet-level ministers and advisors, and sitting for approximately ten 45-minute to two-and-a-half-hour interviews with President Jokowi. As a methodological feat alone, Ruling Indonesia represents a new standard for qualitative researchers investigating the dynamics of elite politics.”
- Nicholas Kuipers, Princeton University
“ANU researcher Marcus Mietzner’s Ruling Indonesia is a timely, insightful and measured picture of the Jokowi presidency. His considerable access to key figures is reflected in the book’s useful insights into events and decisions.”
- Michael Gill, Inside Story
News, Reviews, Interviews
Read: Review in Inside Story | May 7, 2026