This thesis tracks two major policy events that have occurred in Indonesia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first policy is the passing of Law number 11 year 2020 on Job Creation (Undang-undang Cipta Kerja) which aims to improve the overall ease of doing business in Indonesia and attract more investment into the country. The drafting process of this law began before the pandemic hit and it faced huge resistance from labour, environmental, and civil society groups. Believing that the law is necessary for economic recovery from the pandemic, the government pushed ahead with it despite various protests.
The second major policy of interest is the mass COVID-19 vaccination drive. Since the early days of the pandemic, the Indonesian government has decided against any form of lockdowns, be it on a local or national level. This has resulted in a “giant wave” of the outbreak, where Indonesia caseloads continue to rise with little sign of slowing down. The government now hangs its hope on one of the largest mass vaccination drive in its recent history. Committing to deliver free vaccines for 70% of its population, the program faces huge challenges of low trust, lack of communication, anemic healthcare capacity, and deficient infrastructure.