Paradiplomacy of Indonesian Sub-State Actor: Digital Diplomacy of Jakarta Government in Response to Covid-19

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused challenges to international affairs in term of health, economy, politics and security in addition to the changes of interaction between actors. Jakarta, one of the regional governments within the unitary state of Indonesia and a capital city of the state, projected its paradiplomacy in response to the pandemic. Its status as a lower administration below the national government did not prevent it from paying active efforts taking advantage of internet and digital technology development. The paper aims to describe Jakarta government’s paradiplomatic practice in responding to the COVID-19. The study applies the qualitative method with a descriptive analysis. In order to describe the regional government’s paradiplomacy, the study utilizes the concept of paradiplomacy and digital diplomacy. The findings show that Jakarta government carried out digital diplomacy as the form of its paradiplomacy in a number of activities such as providing reliable information, collaborating with foreign communities, participating in global forum, releasing gubernatorial message, improving data platform capability and initiating an international forum at home. Such internet-supported activities were meant to share experience, collaborate and provide transparency. Paradiplomacy through digital diplomacy activities was mainly conducted to gain trust to the regional government from its international audiences and create an image that Jakarta was a crisis-proof city and the part of global community. The paper argues that sub-national governments’ roles in international affairs are becoming important thanks to a new room for diplomacy practices, strengthened by unprecedented global crises.

City Leadership in Para-Diplomacy: Drivers of Jakarta’s International Engagement in Addressing Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Para-diplomacy studies on how regions, including cities have responded to the show us that sub-national or regional governments become important actors during the difficult times other than states and international organizations. The studies cover a variety of cases coming across the world, such as Maranhão (Alvarenga et al, 2020), Cape Town (Maziwisa, 2021), the Euroregion (Böhm, 2021;Casula & Pazos-Vidal, 2021), Jakarta (Luerdi, 2021(Luerdi, , 2022, West Java (Suhendrik et al, 2021), Seoul (Shon, 2021), and the US, Chinese and Taiwanese cities (Rudakowska & Simon, 2020).…”

“…Similarly, the city initiated the Jakarta Development Collaboration Network (JDCN) Forum in December 2020 (Jakarta Regional Government, 2020b). The Jakarta regional government also collaborated with foreign communities in response to the pandemic impacts, released a gubernatorial message for international communities in the city, and improved the data platform capability in collaboration with the British embassy (Luerdi, 2021). Though the latter was the initiatives generated in the local level, they could be the attempts to engage internationally as the target audiences were international communities, especially those residing in the city.…”

Indonesia Digital Economic Diplomacy during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic

“…Another study said that the trend of cyberspace as a place for diplomacy provides greater space for the role of sub-state actors. In this case, External Affairs see the effectiveness of paradiplomacy in various foreign affairs (Luerdi, 2021).…”

Para-Diplomacy: Covid-19 and Regional Governments’ Responses

“…Initiating Jakarta Development Collaboration Network Forum 2020. (Luerdi, 2021) The purpose? Sharing experience, collaborating, and providing transparency and openness to international communities.…”

“…In return to reserve trust to the regional government in handling the crisis and present a positive image to the region as a crisis-proof city as well as the part of global community (Luerdi, 2021).…”