INDEF: Transmigration Areas Could Become New Economic Centres
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Director of Programmes at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Eisha Maghfiruha, stated that transmigration areas have the potential to become new economic growth centres outside Java, provided they are supported by research-based policies and mapping tailored to regional characteristics.
She noted that the potential for transmigration areas to develop into economic hubs is considerable, but mapping the character, potential, and capacity of each targeted transmigration area is necessary to unlock this potential.
“This requires pilot study case by case because each region has its own uniqueness and advantages and needs mapping,” Eisha told ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday.
She said the Patriot Transmigration programme initiated by the Ministry of Transmigration, which involves placing academics, could enhance development effectiveness as long as it is aligned with regional needs. The presence of academics is expected to assist the government in mapping resource potential, identifying regional advantages, and designing development strategies suited to local conditions.
Eisha also stressed that academic research findings need to be translated into local government policies to deliver tangible economic benefits. Therefore, further studies are required to ensure research recommendations can be implemented in regional development programmes.
“The placement of academics also needs to be tailored to the needs and characteristics of the region so that regions can optimise their resources and advantages, leading to more equitable development,” she said.
She stated that research-based programmes should be applied from the planning and implementation stages through to the monitoring and evaluation of transmigration programmes, so that resulting policies are better targeted and able to address the needs of each area.
According to her, the government also needs to conduct a benefit-cost analysis to measure programme effectiveness, including assessing whether the research underpinning area development aligns with conditions on the ground.
Furthermore, she considers monitoring and evaluation to be crucial factors in determining the success of the Patriot Transmigration programme. Evaluation should not only occur after the programme concludes but must take place throughout all stages of implementation so that various obstacles can be promptly identified and rectified.
“The research results need to be reviewed to determine whether they are appropriate or not, so there needs to be a monitoring and evaluation mechanism for the programme that runs throughout its duration,” she said.
According to Eisha, a monitoring and evaluation mechanism conducted throughout the programme can be translated into local government policies that provide real economic benefits for communities in transmigration areas, thereby creating new economic growth centres outside Java.