Social protection responses to COVID-19 in Indonesia

This chapter examines Indonesia’s social protection policy in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesia has been hit hard, ranking thirteenth globally in a number of cases and seventh in deaths. July 2021 saw Indonesia become the global epicentre of the highly contagious and deadlier Delta variant. The pandemic increased unemployment, poverty and food insecurity. The government allocated nearly USD 50 billion to fight the pandemic and its socio-economic effects, through spending on healthcare, vaccinations, economic stimulus and social protection. The government’s crisis response to the pandemic prioritised social protection, by extending existing social assistance programmes such as conditional cash transfers for poor families, food vouchers and rice assistance, and businesses loans. The Indonesian case illustrates the benefit of strengthening social protection to preserve people’s social welfare and core economic activity during times of disaster and pandemic.