Labor allocation dynamics, problem, and strategy for plantation development in Indonesia

Women have important role in farming activities they have and running their household. This paper aims to analyze gender-based working time allocation in farming plantation to support the fifth SDGs “gender equality”. The data source was from a micro panel data survey of the National Farmers Panel (PATANAS) done by the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Socio Economic and Policy Studies, Ministry of Agriculture, in 2009 and 2018. The qualitative research was adopted, data analyzed descriptively by comparing results in 2009 and 2018. The results showed that the time allocation for female workers outside the family per hectare in 2018 increased compared to 2009 for sugarcane, rubber, and cacao commodities. The allocation of labor time in women’s families also increased in sugarcane (+ 37%) and rubber (+ 33%) but decreased for cacao (-55%) and oil palm (-42%) because were replaced by labor from outside the family. The allocation of time for labor within the family and outside the family in both 2009 and 2018 was dominated by male workers. Male and female laborer have certain activity in plantation farming and in general wages of male laborers are higher than those of women. In 2009 the labor wage difference was IDR 5,163 and getting higher in 2018 ranging from IDR 6,048 (cacao) to IDR 9,302 (sugarcane). Suggested that to increase the participation of women in plantation farming, special improvement should be addressed to women’s capacities in technical, managerial, wages system and problems of women’s working on plantations which showed increasing labor.

Assessing the Cost of Populism to Global Trade

This chapter assesses the cost of populist protectionism, beginning with the traditional measures of welfare cost from trade restrictions, as well as the institutional disruption it often entails, which amplifies these costs. One distinctive impact of Trump’s trade policies as well as from Brexit, for example, is the uncertainty it creates in the business environment, which itself tends to diminish business investment and trade. Populist protectionism, by flouting established rules, also tends to provoke retaliation, further compounding its cost. The systemic cost of eroding long-standing trade practices and norms also diminishes trust between populist governments and other countries, which may move global trade toward discriminatory, defensive trade blocs. Reduced trust may spill over into nontrade issues in which cooperation is required to solve cross-border or global problems, such as with the coronavirus crisis. Populist restrictions on immigration also have negative trade effects in terms of inefficient labor allocation, reduced output, and diminished trade opportunities.