Widjojo Nitisastro, the Praxis of Development in Indonesia, and Its Comparison with Allison Ayida of Nigeria

This paper is about Widjojo Nitisastro (born in 1927) the chief architect of Suharto’s New Order economic development. It traces his intellectual and professional development as an economist-technocrat, particularly during his tenure as cabinet minister (1967-1983). Widjojo was instrumental in decisively reshaping Indonesia's development trajectory from the mid-1960s onward. Under the direction of Widjojo, Indonesia became a model for developing countries in successfully reducing poverty and boosting per capita income. Besides describing Widjojo's important role in developing a sustainable macroeconomic policy, the paper also examines his influence in two key sectoral policy areas: agricultural development and population control. It was Widjojo's conviction that economic growth could only be sustained if the rural masses could contribute to the national economy. Widjojo's role in shaping the celebrated 'rural bias' of early New Order economic policy is often overlooked today, and his reclusive personality has made him something of an enigma in the political economy of Indonesia's development miracle. As a comparison to Widjojo I took Allison Ayida (born in 1930), a well-known Nigerian economist