Yogyakarta, November 27th 2023─Perseverance and commitment in building academic collaboration brought the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Dr. Wawan Mas’udi, S.IP., MPA to receive an award in the Collaborative Research Category of the Soshum Cluster 2023. The appreciation was given at the Awarding Night for Outstanding UGM Personnel in 2023 on Wednesday (11/15).
The UGM Achievement Award Night is an annual event organized to give appreciation to alumni, lecturers, education staff, and students. Various categories for the four clusters, namely science and technology, social science, agrocomplex, and health are given to selected academicians who have produced their best work. This year, Dr. Wawan won the award with a research work entitled “Morality Policies and the Prospect for Inclusive Citizenship in Decentralized Indonesia: A Study of West Java”. The award is certainly a proud achievement as well as an encouragement to continue producing academic works in the social and political fields.
Dr. Wawan’s research is the fruit of three years of effort, from January 2020 to March 2023. Departing from concerns about inequality and marginalization of minority groups, the research seeks to find the effect of policies on these groups. SETARA Institute research revealed that cities in West Java only had a tolerance index of 4.80 in 2018, which was a decline from 2017’s 4.97. This is the reason why West Java was chosen as the scope of the research.
The research was conducted by Dr. Wawan and five other lecturers of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM, namely Ayu Diasti Rahmawati (Lecturer in International Relations), Raras Cahyafitri (Lecturer in International Relations), Amelia Maika (Lecturer in Sociology), Mustaghfiroh Rahayu (Lecturer in Sociology), and Fuji Riang Prastowo (Lecturer in Sociology). The main issue raised is discrimination against LGBTQ+ minority groups and conservative groups with certain beliefs. Both are often not considered as part of society, and receive unfavorable treatment, up to violence. Meanwhile, the government itself has not paid attention to the issue of these minority groups.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point brought up in the research is the point to reduce inequality or the 10th point of the SDGs. Equality is an important issue, especially for developing countries like Indonesia with high social inequality. However, along with the development of information and the emergence of various disruptions, equality is no longer interpreted as limited to the economy. For this reason, the presence of research provides an overview of intolerance in society, and how the government should provide policies for marginalized groups.
This award for collaborative research is an inspiration for the academic world to be more contributive. During his tenure as Dean of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM, Dr. Wawan formulated three research focuses for the Faculty. The three are issues of climate change, digital transformation, and the substance of democracy. He always emphasizes inclusivity and sustainability aspects in any form of academic contribution. That way, it can be the first step to creating a solid, collaborative, and sustainable society in the future.