Prof. Suharko, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has published a study examining the challenges of Indonesia’s electric vehicle (EV) transition. The work highlights tensions between industrial downstreaming strategies and emerging risks of delocalization within the broader energy transformation agenda.
Adopting a sociological perspective, the study critically assesses EV policies framed as part of green development and industrial modernization. It argues that downstreaming—while aimed at increasing resource value—may generate new inequalities if local communities and workers across the supply chain are not adequately protected.
The research emphasizes that energy transition is not merely a technological or economic issue, but also a matter of power relations, distribution, and social justice. It calls for a multidisciplinary policy approach to ensure that green development is both inclusive and equitable.
Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), the study contributes to critical discourse on sustainable and just energy transitions in Indonesia.