Yogyakarta, August 6, 2025 — The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK)’s policy of freezing “idle” bank accounts has stirred controversy among the public. Tens of millions of accounts that have shown no activity in the past three months have been categorized as dormant or inactive. The freeze, according to PPATK, aims to prevent criminal misuse of inactive accounts for illegal activities such as money laundering and account trading.

Professor Dr. Wahyudi Kumorotomo, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL), Universitas Gadjah Mada, described PPATK’s decision as a form of “brute-force” policy — a trial-and-error approach that fails to account for many important aspects. He noted that this is not the first time the government has issued underdeveloped policies. “Time and again, the people have witnessed that policies issued by the current administration are lacking in professionalism, and if such actions are allowed to recur, they risk further eroding the President’s legitimacy,” he stated. read more

Yogyakarta, 5 August 2025 — The Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada conducted a series of special meetings with each department on 4–5 August 2025. Held in the respective department rooms, the initiative followed an evaluation carried out by the University’s Quality Assurance and Reputation Unit (SPMRU) together with the faculty’s Human Resources team, which highlighted urgent issues related to the determination of lecturer homebase and the acceleration of academic career progression. read more

Monday, 4 August 2025 — The Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), Dr. Wawan Mas’udi, warmly welcomed the parents and guardians of the 2025 cohort at FISIPOINT, FISIPOL UGM. This gathering served as an important moment to strengthen the relationship between the faculty and students’ families, positioning them as partners in supporting the students’ educational journey.

In his remarks, the Dean extended a heartfelt welcome and expressed gratitude for the trust placed in FISIPOL UGM as the academic home for their sons and daughters. read more

Desintha Dwi Asriani, a lecturer at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), has recently published her latest scholarly article titled “A Bodily Capital: The Practice of Body Modification and Gender Performativity Among Asian Young Women and Men” in the Journal of Applied Youth Studies, published by Springer Nature.

This study delves into the practices of body modification — such as tattoos, piercings, and cosmetic surgery — among young people in South Korea and Indonesia, and examines their connection to gender performativity and social mobility. Using a qualitative approach through interviews and observations, the article presents a comparative analysis of how the body is perceived as both symbolic and economic capital within the rapidly growing consumer cultures of Asia. read more

Professor Poppy S. Winanti from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM), reaffirms her contribution to the global development discourse through her latest scholarly publication titled “International Development Cooperation and Domestic Support: Strategies of TIKA and TICA as Emerging Donors”. The article appears in Jurnal Penelitian Politik published by BRIN, Volume 21, No. 1, 2024.

In this work, Prof. Winanti critically examines the growing involvement of developing countries in the Global South as new actors in international development cooperation. The focus lies on how countries such as Thailand and Turkey — each with their dedicated agencies, the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) — play their roles as emerging donors, providing foreign aid despite still being classified as developing nations. read more

FISIPOL UGM lecturers Ratna Noviani, Heru Nugroho, and Elok Santi Jesica have published their latest research article titled “Grab It Fast! Entrepreneurial Self and Hyper-Consumerism in the Students’ Prosumption of Online Lending Services in Indonesia” in the July–September 2025 edition of the international journal SAGE Open.

The article examines the practice of prosumption — the simultaneous production and consumption of services — in online lending among Indonesian university students, with a specific focus on the Cicil platform. Within the framework of the sharing economy and prosumerism, this platform not only offers educational loans but also encourages students to act as both “digital workers” and active consumers. read more

The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada organized a consignment meeting to finalize the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) as part of the international accreditation process with ACQUIN (Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute). The activity was attended by representatives from six study programs currently preparing for accreditation.

The event began with an opening speech by Joash Tapiheru, Secretary of the Quality Assurance Unit (UJM), who emphasized the importance of this accreditation process as part of FISIPOL UGM’s continuous efforts to enhance the quality of higher education. read more

Megashift FISIPOL UGM has released a new article titled “Seeking Alternatives to the Dominance of Economic Logic in Indonesia’s Development.” The piece offers a critical reflection on Indonesia’s national development agenda, which has long been centered on economic growth, investment, and macro-financial indicators.

The article emphasizes the importance of pursuing alternative development approaches that prioritize social welfare and environmental sustainability. Rather than relying solely on economic logic, it advocates for an integrative approach that incorporates social values, local wisdom, and participatory democracy into policy formulation. read more

The Pre-Employment Card (Kartu Prakerja) Program, initiated by President Joko Widodo as a response to the surge in unemployment during the pandemic, now faces uncertainty at the beginning of 2025. According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), open unemployment remains high, reaching 7.28 million people in early 2025, with 26,455 cases of layoffs recorded.

Since its launch in 2020 until 2024, the program has supported 18.9 million beneficiaries, including 1.4 million workers in 2024 alone. The program provides digital-based training and financial incentives amounting to IDR 4,200,000 per participant, aiming to enhance skills and productivity among job seekers. read more

Two lecturers from the Department of Politics and Government (DPP), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) Universitas Gadjah Mada, Arie Ruhyanto and Amalinda Savirani, have once again achieved academic recognition through their latest publication in the reputable Asian Journal of Political Science, published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis). The article, titled “Comparing Village Politics Across Time and Space,” was co-authored with Edward Aspinall and Ward Berenschot.

The article offers a profound comparative study of village politics in Indonesia, examining not only geographical differences but also temporal changes. The authors explore how practices of power, patronage relations, and political participation at the village level have evolved across different periods and regions. read more