"How far has Indonesian democracy regressed during the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), 2014 - present, after stagnating during the two terms (2004 - 2014) of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)?

This is the central question of this book, based on papers presented at the 2019 annual Indonesia Update at the Australian National University. Answering it requires us to accept many premises, some or all of which may be false. Comparative and historical introductory chapters by Allen Hicken and Dan Slater are a helpful start. Hicken assesses Indonesia's democracy as 'generally healthy', but warns of two vulnerabilities: 'weak political parties and high levels of electoral clientelism' and, most troubling, 'the increasingly polarized political and social environment' (p.43).

Slater reminds us of 'the egalitarian version of the nation that the country's revolutionary generation first defined ... which takes a long time to build.' .... Slater's case is powerfully made by Power in his signature chapter 'Assailing accountability.'