From an iconic biofuel crop to a green-policy parasite

Southeast Asia Seminar and the launch of the website / E-publication presenting the results of the research programme JARAK. Drinks afterwards. This event is organised by the Van Vollenhoven Institute of Leiden Law School (VVI), the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS).

How and why did jatropha turn from a top policy priority into a failure? Within a decade, all that is left from this widely promoted ‘miracle crop’ and renewable energy source are failed harvests and abandoned investments. None of the claims that jatropha could help fight climate change, reduce dependency on fossil fuels and lift rural poverty have been realized. Our research shows how decision-makers adopted optimistic projections derived from lab research as a basis for policy making, allocating public budget for jatropha development and paving the way for private sector investments. Influential policy entrepreneurs and their narratives, rather than scientific evidence, informed budget allocation.

The five original research questions have been expanded so as to demonstrate how the jatropha episode  is indicative of larger developments concerning green energy, agrarian change and policies stimulating technological innovation. What did we learn for future policies addressing  solutions for major crises? What does  this research teach us about Indonesia? The E-publication of JARAK is the first of its kind at IIAS – a new way of presenting the synthesis of a multi-disciplinary and international research programme. The core article is at the centre of 26 mini-articles – enhanced with photos and video - which elaborate its arguments. They have been written by the 18 researchers and supervisors involved in JARAK. Links in these articles lead directly to scientific articles and other publications of the JARAK team and core literature references. Is this a model for presenting overall research program results? 

Programme

1. Welcome by Adriaan Bedner (Van Vollenhoven Institute) and Willem Vogelsang (IIAS)
2. Presentation of website/E-pub by Jacqueline Vel (VVI Leiden, program coordinator JARAK) and Suraya Afiff (KITLV and Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta)
3. Reflections on lessons from studying the commoditization of an alternative biofuel crop in Indonesia by David Henley (Professor of Contemporary Indonesia Studies, Leiden University)
4. Discussion
5. Is this JARAK site a new model for research programme synthesis publication?
   (a) Kurt de Belder (Director Leiden University Library)
   (b) Cora Govers (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research NWO)
6. Discussion
    

Drinks

Registration
Please send an email to kitlv@kitlv.nl if you like to attend.