Poverty refers to a person's inability to get a stable livelihood and provide a decent income to support his/her life in a sustainable manner. Poverty is a problem deserving undivided attention in any country. Poverty is triggered by various factors, including low investment levels, high unemployment rates, and slow economic growth. This study aims to: 1) determine the effect of inflation rate and private investment on the unemployment rate; 2) determine the effect of inflation rate and private investment on poverty level; and 3) determine the effect of unemployment rate on poverty level. This study uses time series data from 2012 to 2018 and path analysis. The findings indicate that inflation has a positive effect on unemployment and poverty, and the level of private investment has a negative effect on unemployment and poverty.

Each region has potentials and economic advantages that can be used as the source of its regional growth. The capability of each region to promote its own growth depends on its economic competitive advantages. This study is aimed to determine the centers of economic growth and regional development in West Halmahera Regency in the North Moluccas Province. The data used for analysis is secondary data which were collected using documentation method and internet browsing. The method of analysis used is scalogram analysis. The results show that among 9 subdistricts observed in this study, only 4 have the highest scores for socioeconomic infrastructures completeness. The subdistrict located in the central administrative area is the center of growth or growth pole, and the other 3 subdistricts act as the buffer areas. Based on scalogram analysis results, it is found that the growth of each subdistrict is relatively similar, with only 1 subdistrict that shows a relatively more advance growth in Hierarchy II with the highest Index of Subdistrict Growth (ISG) at 21.3433. The other 8 subdistricts are underdeveloped regions within Hierarchy III with the variable Index of Subdistrict Growth (ISG).

Sula Regency is one of the regions with the lowest welfare level in North Moluccas, based on poverty indicators, human development index, economic growth, and inflation rate. The level of welfare that Sula Regency carries is within the scope of North Moluccas. Problems faced by Sula Regency are multidimensional or multi-sectoral. In order to create macro stability, challenges arise, among others, from inflation, stability of the rupiah value, growth in exports and imports, and investment. The analysis in this study uses methods or tools, namely scalogram analysis and competitiveness analysis. Based on the analysis of the competitiveness of the four scopes and each subscope studied, the economic structure for the highly competitive sub-districts is dominated by the structure of the primary industry, except for Sanana District, which is supported by tertiary industries. Sanana District, North Sanana, North Mangoli and West Mangoli have high competitiveness in trade and services which are also the highest contributors to the region.