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Tapera No More: Indonesia Finally Stops Making Workers Buy Someone Else’s House
Tapera promised affordable housing. Instead, workers paid without benefits. MK strikes it down. What happened? What’s next?
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Leigh McKiernon
Indonesia Loves Innovation Talk. So, Where’s the Innovation?
Indonesia ranks 55th in the 2025 Global Innovation Index. Why is a G20 country still stuck in the middle, and what’s holding it back?
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Leigh McKiernon
The $100K KITAS and Other Hot Takes From the Trump–Prabowo Bromance... 😲
Trump praises Prabowo at the UN. What follows is a descent into military optics, expat fears, budget blowouts, and the $100K KITAS nobody asked for.
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Leigh McKiernon
High School, High Office: Indonesia’s Surprisingly Exclusive Low Bar for Parliament
Indonesia requires a high school diploma to join parliament. Most countries require even less. So what should we expect from our lawmakers?
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Leigh McKiernon
“Reclaiming” BCA: A Billion-Dollar Idea or a Billion-Dollar Mistake?
Behind the push to reclaim BCA lies a risky cocktail of legal uncertainty, political nostalgia, and market-moving consequences.
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Leigh McKiernon
Indonesia’s Most Underutilized Brainpower Rides a Motorbike in Flip-Flops
Jakarta’s ojek riders manage chaos, risk, and real-time decisions daily. What if we treated them like the high-performance operators they already are?
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Leigh McKiernon
Indonesia’s Human Capital Index: Halfway There, But Going Where?
Indonesia scores 0.54 on the Human Capital Index. What does that mean for its future workforce and how does it compare to Southeast Asia?
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Leigh McKiernon
ICOR, Weda Bay, and the Math of Making Things Work in Indonesia
Discover how Weda Bay defies Indonesia’s investment inefficiency, what drives its success, and the challenges of scaling it.
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Leigh McKiernon
Indonesia’s Stock Market: The Most Liquid Illusion You'll Ever Try to Trade
The IHSG is rising, but only a handful of stocks carry the index. Here's why Indonesia’s market may look open, but isn’t built for serious capital.
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Leigh McKiernon
“Jangan Malu!”: How Indonesia’s Shame Culture Tanked Its Entire Startup Ecosystem
Indonesia’s startup scandals aren’t just about ethics. They’re about shame, silence, and fear. Here’s why nobody speaks up until it’s far too late.
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Leigh McKiernon
Radical Candour: The Management Theory That Sounds Amazing Until You Actually Try It
Feedback is a gift, until it causes cultural breakdown. Explore the messy reality of Radical Candour in Southeast Asia and how to adapt it smartly.
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Leigh McKiernon
SMK: The School Everyone Needs, But Nobody Wants Their Kid In
Indonesia depends on vocational workers, yet treats them like second-class citizens. Here's why that's a massive economic mistake.
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Leigh McKiernon
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