Ratchet and Repair
Indonesia 2026–2030: a scenario framework with quantified triggers
Indonesia to 2030: a monitorable framework of scenario probabilities, 12 indicator thresholds, event triggers and falsification tests.
Gary Dean
Articles/Essays/Notes
#hashtags (36)
Waiting for the Super Rich
The Orde Baru relaunches on Serangan Island, Bali
Bali's Serangan Island: an international financial centre rising on reclaimed land tangled in New Order dynasties, tax havens and mangrove destruction.
The Return of the Single Door
Indonesia, August 2026: current conditions and scenarios to 2030
Indonesia's 2026 crisis: record-low rupiah, disputed GDP data, and a state reasserting control via Danantara, capital controls and export monopolies.
The Soldier's Inheritance
Prabowo Subianto and the New Order Restoration
How Prabowo's New Order military formation shapes Indonesia's 2025-26 institutions: Kopassus, the 1998 abductions, Danantara and Suharto's hero decree.
"Meet Me at the Starbucks That Was Bombed"
The Thamrin attack from twelve storeys up -- Jakarta, 14 January 2016
Gary Dean recalls the 2016 Jakarta Starbucks bombing from his 12th-floor office window—eyewitness photos, messages, and Indonesia's swift aftermath.
3: In Search of Dharma
The Dharmas of the Samin of Java
An illiterate Javanese farmer built a dharma from scratch in 1890. A century on, his heirs set feet in cement to defend the same principles.
Digital Sovereignty
It's Time for Indonesia to Act
Europe built a sovereign office suite in 72 hours. Indonesia has talked digital sovereignty for 20 years. Gary Dean on why that must change now.
Kedaulatan Digital
Sudah Saatnya Indonesia Bertindak
Gary Dean: Eropa luncurkan Euro-Office berdaulat dalam tiga hari. Mengapa Indonesia, setelah dua dekade wacana, harus segera bertindak.
Doing Business in Indonesia 2026
Looking Back After 25 Years
Gary Dean's 2026 update on doing business in Indonesia: how Javanese culture, patronage, musyawarah and law shape investment 25 years after Reformasi.
Nominee Land Ownership in Bali
The Law Finally Catches Up
Bali's nominee land schemes for foreigners are now criminal offences under Indonesian law. Learn the risks and legal alternatives available.
Intergenerational Communication at Okusi Associates
A Case Study of Collaboration Across Departments Between Gen Y and Gen Z
How Gen Y and Gen Z employees at Okusi Associates in Jakarta communicate and collaborate across departments, per this qualitative case study.
Indonesia 2020: Consolidate, and Respond
An open letter to my friends and clients in Indonesia.
Indonesia's SMEs face pandemic fallout. Gary Dean urges consolidation, market pivots, and strategic responses to survive the post-COVID economy.
Where is my compassion?
Reflections 14 years after the Asian Tsunami
A journalist on compassion fatigue after Indonesia's 2004 tsunami and years of disasters—empathy, exhaustion and self-preservation.
Beringharjo Traditional Market, Yogyakarta
a way of trading that will soon disappear
Beringharjo Traditional Market, Yogyakarta
Circumcision Celebration for Rama Dean
circumcision celebration in jakarta, indonesia
Meet Gary Dean
A Jakarta Expat interview with Gary Dean
Gary Dean's journey from Australian trombonist to Jakarta business consultant, on Indonesian bureaucracy, investment and three decades in Indonesia.
Indonesian Land Law and Foreign Ownership of Land
Guide to Indonesian land law for foreigners: UUPA rules, land titles (HM, HGU, HGB, HP) and legal ways to secure property in Indonesia.
An Ungrateful Australian
A fiery 2002 polemic: an expat Australian explains why he prefers Indonesia's chaos to Australia's smug, bureaucratic certainty.
Doing Business in Indonesia
From a Western Perspective
Guide to Indonesian business culture, law, joint ventures and investment—essential context for Western entrepreneurs. Written 2001; see the 2026 update.
Culture Matters in Indonesia
An email exchange with Dennis De Tray, Indonesia country director, World Bank 1997-1999
Why understanding Javanese and Indonesian culture is vital for foreign business success, illustrated by a consultant's real case from Tasikmalaya.
Ethno-Religious Conflict in Maluku
A manufactured war
Analysis of the 1999-2000 Maluku conflict: how ethnic tension, religion and Jakarta's power struggles turned communal strife into war.
The Myth of the Jakarta Lobby
A critique of Brian Toohey's 1999 'Jakarta Lobby' article, exposing Australian ignorance towards Indonesia during the East Timor crisis.
The New Order State and the Tempo Affair
A conflict of values
How Indonesia's 1994 Tempo banning exposed a deeper clash between New Order corporatism and Western liberal individualism under Soeharto.
Indonesia's Economic Development
in comparison to South Korea and Taiwan
Comparing Indonesia, South Korea and Taiwan: how patrimonialism, Confucian values and education shaped divergent economic development paths.
Javanese Santri Islam
Same, but very different
Exploring Javanese Santri Islam: the santri-abangan divide, traditionalist vs modernist strands, and how mysticism shapes religious identity in Java.
Joint Venture, or 100% Foreign-Owned?
Weighing joint ventures against 100% foreign-owned PMA companies for investing in Indonesia: key risks, restrictions and management demands.
Analysing the end of Suharto's Indonesia
The role of culture in Indonesian politics
Javanese cosmology and aliran streams, not Western political science, explain Suharto's 1998 fall—an anthropological analysis.
A few notes on my life in Yogyakarta, March-May 1998
Reformasi and the Fall of Soeharto
A March–May 1998 Yogyakarta diary: conversion to Islam, a Javanese marriage, and eyewitness scenes from Indonesia's reformasi protests.
Siapa yang pantas menjadi Presiden Indonesia Tahun Depan?
Satu Pandangan
Analisis calon pengganti Suharto: Hartono, Sutrisno, Harmoko, Habibie, dan Megawati sebagai alternatif kepemimpinan Indonesia.
Hukum Agraria Indonesia
(Indonesian Land Law)
Pelajari sejarah Hukum Agraria Indonesia dari era kolonial Belanda hingga UUPA 1960. Pahami hak milik, HGU, HGB, dan hak pakai atas tanah.
Haruskah Indonesia menggunakan Tenaga Nuklir?
Analisis risiko pembangunan PLTN di Semenanjung Muria, Jawa dan alternatif energi terbarukan seperti geotermis dan gas alam untuk Indonesia.
