The evolution of Jakarta’s flood policy over the past 400 years: The lock-in of infrastructural solutions

Octavianti, Thanti; Charles, Katrina

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the evolution of flood policy in a city in the developing world. Jakarta was selected in order to analyse the role of colonialisation on water policy. Drawing data from historical sources and interviews of key informants, we mapped the history of flood-related investments made in the city for the past 400 years. Using analysis informed by historical institutionalism, we argue that Jakarta’s flood management institutions have been locked-in to infrastructural measures. Some major flood events were able to create critical junctures, resulting in the implementation of old policies and the instigation of flood research. However, they were not able to introduce institutional changes. The persistence of engineering-driven solutions to cope with flooding can be explained by the positive feedback mechanisms taking place after major floods. Infrastructure, albeit expensive, provides a fast relief to flooding, which is ideal to short political cycles. Scientific knowledge introduced by the colonial government plays an important role in sustaining this persistence. The current massive seawall proposal to alleviate increasing flood risks due to land subsidence and sea level rise exacerbates the path dependency of infrastructural measures.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 26, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Nov 28, 2018
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Feb 8, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 8, 2019
• Journal: Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space
• Print ISSN: 2399-6544
• Electronic ISSN: 2399-6552
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1102-1125
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2399654418813578
• Keywords: flood policy, postcolonial city, Jakarta, historical institutionalism, positive feedback
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/856754
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2399654418813578
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Copyright(c)2018 Reprinted by permission of SAGE publications.
• Contract Date: Feb 8, 2019