Why Development Becomes Harder: The Political Economy of the Possible

Dr. Muhamad Chatib Basri is a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Center for International Development. He is a former Minister of Finance of Indonesia and former Chairman of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board. He currently serves on the National Economic Council to the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

He is Co-Chair of the Pandemic Fund, co-hosted by the World Bank, and serves on the Governing Board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He also teaches at the University of Indonesia’s Department of Economics. Dr. Basri earned his PhD in Economics from the Australian National University and was named an IEA Fellow by the International Economic Association in 2024 in recognition of his contributions to research and policymaking.

In his lecture, “Why Development Becomes Harder: The Political Economy of the Possible,” Dr. Basri examines how slower growth, rising economic insecurity, and structural shifts in the labor market reshape the political foundations of reform -ultimately defining what is politically feasible in contemporary development.

Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences | Website | View More Events

Contact the organizers