What We Are Reading Today: The Indonesian Economy in Transition

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Updated 08 May 2023
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What We Are Reading Today: The Indonesian Economy in Transition

Author: Hal Hill

Experts believe that Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation on earth, is a development success story. Yet years after a deep economic and political crisis, it is still in some respects an economy in transition. The book offers an insight into this journey.

Today, Indonesia is embarking on its fifth round of credible national elections in the democratic era.

The country recovered from the 1997–98 crisis and navigated the path from authoritarian to democratic rule surprisingly quickly and smoothly.

It survived the 2008–09 global financial crisis and the end of the China-driven commodity super boom in 2014 with little difficulty.

It is in the process of graduating to the upper middle-income ranks. But, as the 25 contributors to this comprehensive and compelling volume document, Indonesia also faces many daunting challenges, including how to achieve stronger growth.


What We Are Reading Today: Invisible Hands by Margaret S. Graves

Updated 14 February 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: Invisible Hands by Margaret S. Graves

In the heyday of Islamic art collecting around the turn of the 20th century, thousands of premodern ceramic objects circulated on the international antiquities market. 

“Invisible Hands” tells the story of how traditional craft skills of the Islamic world, often thought to have died out with the advent of industrialization, were redirected toward a thriving new market in the colonial era: the fabrication and fictionalizing of antiquities, especially ceramics.

In this stunning work of art history, Margaret Graves shakes the foundations of the discipline, challenging us to reconsider what is and is not art.