Decentralization, Democracy and Local Politics in Indonesia

Testriono is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII), Depok, Indonesia. He earned his PhD in Political Science from Northern Illinois University. His research lies at the intersection of comparative politics and public policy, with a focus on democracy and subnational politics. A 2017 Hybl Fellow at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Virginia, he serves as a Senior Researcher at the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat or PPIM) UIN Jakarta and a Senior Researcher at Populi Center. He is also an Inaugural Lentera Studi Fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University, in 2026. His writings have been published in, among others, Governance and Contemporary Southeast Asia.

Ratri Istania is Associate Professor and Secretary of the Department of Public Administration of National Institute of Public Administration School of Administration (NIPA) Jakarta, Indonesia (Politeknik STIA LAN). She is also the Inaugural Indonesia Fellow at Cornell University's Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, a Senior Fellow at IFAR/IPP UNIKA Atma Jaya, and a Senior Researcher at Populi Center. She earned her master's degree in political science from Ohio University in 2006 and her doctorate in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago in 2019. She focuses on decentralization, local politics, and governance practices in Indonesia and other developing democracies, while also studying territorial autonomy, power sharing, and conflict.

Shanti Darmastuti is Assistant Professor at the International Relations Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta. She completed her doctorate in International Relations at Universitas Padjadjaran in 2021. Her research interests include international political economy studies and development studies.