Bahwa sebagian besar penduduk Indonesia bermukim di pedesaan merupakan hal yang diketahui secara umum. Dan bahwa pembangunan pedesaan menjadi sangat penting tidak perlu diperdebatkan. Juga bahwa hasil-hasil pembangunan,terutama pembangunan pertanian, telah dapat memperbaiki kehidupan petani tidak perlu disangkal. Tapi, suatu hal yang selalu menjadi pertanyaan adalah mengapa kondisi kehidupan di pedesaan selalu tertinggal dibandingkan dengan kehidupan di perkotaan, walaupun keduanya sama-sama melaksanakan dan menikmati hasil-hasil pembangunan.

Ketidakserasian pertumbuhan pembangunan antara kota besar dan kota kecil serta daerah pedesaan telah merupakan salah satu sebab tingginya tingkat urbanisasi. Untuk Jakarta, rata-rata tingkat pertambahan penduduk karena arus migrasi (1,7%) hampir mendekati angka rata-rata laju pertumbuhan penduduk secara nasional yang 2,1% itu. Laju pertambahan penduduk yang pesat ini mau tidak mau berakibat pada peningkatan kebutuhan-kebutuhan penduduk, seperti pangan, sandang, perumahan dan fasilitas-fasilitas sosial lainnya.

Dikotomi Jawa - Luar Jawa yang sejak awal Orde Baru, bahkan sejak Indonesia merdeka, menjadi pokok bahasan yang sangat menarik, sekarang telah beralih ke dikotomi Kawasan Barat dan Kawasan Timur Indonesia. Hal ini tentu saja sangat relevan pada negara besar yang terdiri atas beribu pulau, berbagai suku bangsa dengan adat-istiadat dan tingkat perkembangan ekonomi dan teknologi yang sangat beragam. Hill (1994) menyatakan bahwa Indonesia merupakan satu negara yang paling "bhinneka' di dunia. Jawa telah mendominasi perekonomian Indonesia sejak jaman kolonial. Keadaan ini dipertajam setelah Indonesia merdeka dan semasa pemerintahan Orde Baru (Hill, 1994). Terkonsentrasinya berbagai fasilitas sosial, budaya, ekonomi, dan politik di Jawa (lebih khusus di Jakarta) menyebabkan kegiatan sosial-ekonomi dan politik terpusat di Jawa (Hill, 1994; 1996). Data yang ada menunjukkan bahwa lebih dari 60% output total dalam perekonomian Indonesia terkonsentrasi di Jawa, sekitar 20% di Sumatra, dan sisanya (sekitar 10%) di Kawasan Timur Indonesia (Muchdie, 1999).

This paper examined the impact of technological progress on poverty reduction, with unemployment rate and economic growth as moderating variables, in Indonesia during the period of 2004-2013. It was coincided with two perods of Yudhoyono administration.Technological progress was measured by total factor productivity (TFP) growth, unemployment was measuredby open unemployment rate, economic growth was measured by the growth of Gross Domestic Product based on the year of 2000 constant price, and poverty reduction was measured by the percentage of poor people. Impact analysis was conducted using SEM-Path Analysis techniques. Most data were directly gathered from the National Statistics Agency, except data on TFP growth. The results showed that first, technological progress,directly, had a not significant positive impact on poverty reduction (Path-1). Second, technological progress, indirectly, had a positive significant impact on poverty reduction (Path-2). Third, technological progress, indirectly, had a positive significant impact on poverty reduction (Path-3). Fourth, technological progress, indirectly, had positive significant impact on poverty reduction (Path-4). Technological progress was important factor for poverty reduction but it was not sufficient conditions.

This paper analysis direct and indirect impacts of economic development indicators that consist of economic growth, human development and global competitiveness, on happiness. Cross-section data on economic growth, human development, global competitiveness and happiness were collected from 123 countries and employed to a path analysis model. The result showed that directly, in Path-1 the impact of economic growth on happiness was negative and significant. Indirectly, the impacts of economic growth on happiness varied depend on the path. In Path-7, P43-P31, the impact of economic growth on happiness through global competitiveness was positive and significant. In Path-8, P43-P32-P21, the impact of economic growth on happiness through global competitiveness and human development was negative, but statistically was not significant. Finally, in Path-9, P42-P21, the impact of economic growth on happiness through humandevelopment was negative but statistically was not significant. The implication of this finding was that economic growth no longer important factor in development, especially when development aimed to make people happy.

The island of Java is significantly important for the Indonesian economy as the national economy is highly concentrated in this island. Historically, the island of Java has dominated the Indonesian economy since the colonial era. More than 60 per cent output of the Indonesian economy resulted by the island of Java. Using an inter-island input-output model, this paper shows the economic significant of manufacturing industry, the island of Java and Java's manufacturing industry in the Indonesian economy.

This paper discuss on inflation, unemployment and economic growth in Islamic State Nations. There are two types of Islamic state nations in this study, namely Islamic states that have adopted Islam as the ideological foundation and constitution (6 countries) and the other one is that Muslimmajority nation-states that have endorsed Islam as their state religion (14 countries). The Philips curve does exist in the countries as indicated by negative correlation between inflation rate and the rate of unemployment which was statistically significant, although the coefficent of determination was very small. Multiple regression analysis which inflation and unemployment were independent variables and economic growth was dependent variable showed that there were not significant simultant negative influences of the rate of inflation and the rate of unemployment toward economic growth. But, partially both inflation and unemployment have significant negative impact on economic growth in Islamic countries.

Sepanjang sejarah, teknologi telah memberikan pengaruh yang mendalam bagi perkembangan kemanusiaan dan kemajuan peradaban. Dibutuhkan waktu sekitar 2 juta tahun untuk mengubah kebiasaan manusia bercocok tanam dari peladang berpindah menjadi petani yang memanfaatkan peralatan dan menggunakan tenaga hewan. Kemajuan ini secara signifikan membawa perubahan bagi peradaban manusia. Beberapa ribu tahun kemudian telah disaksikan munculnya teknologi roda, kincir dan peralatan-peralatan mekanis. Kurang dari dua abad yang lalu mesin uap dan sistem pabrik telah mendorong dimulainya revolusi industri, Energi dihasilkan dari air, dari tenaga mekanis, listrik dan nuklir sehingga memungkinkan umat manusia untuk melakukan perubahan dalam cara hidupnya. Belum pernah ada dalam sejarah dimana teknologi mempunyai peran yang begitu besar dalam kehidupan manusia, seperti halnya sekarang ini. Teknologi telah merambah ke dalam segala aspek kehidupan manusia. Keberhasilan kegiatan pemerintah, perusahaan global, perusahaan swasta dan individual sangat bergantung kepada teknologi. Tingkat kemajuan teknologi dan ketergantungan masyarakat terhadap teknologi telah mempercepat pergerakan dunia menuju abad 21

Tulisan ini menggagas sebuah prosedur hibrida baru dalam penyusunan model input-output antardaerah pada suatu perekonomian kepulauan, dengan mengacu kepada kasus khusus Indonesia. Prosedur ini, disebut GIRIOT, merupakan kombinasi dan modifikasi dari prosedur GRIT II dan GRIT III; prosedur hibrida yang dirancang untuk perekonomian maju di negara benua. Dua prosedur hibrida dalam penyusunan model input-output antardaerah akan ditelaah. Kemudian, empat pertimbangan dasar dari prosedur hibrida baru akan dikemukakan, sebelum prosedur yang diusulkan dibahas; tahap demi tahap. Menggunakan data Indonesia, dua model input-output antardaerah kemudian dihasiikan. Pengujian validitas model menunjukkan bahwa prosedur yang digagas menghasilkan model input-output antardaerah yang dalam batas tertentu mencerminkan karakteristik perekonomian kepulauan Indonesia.

This paper analyses technical efficiency and return to scale in the Indonesia economy during the year of 1967 to 2013. These range of years covering two eras of Indonesian government; the New Order era that lasted between the year of 1966 to 1998 and the Reformation era during the year 1998 to 2014. The analysis was also based on the Indonesia economy’s business cycle those categorised as Oil Booming Phase (1967-1981), Recession Phase (1982-1986), Deregulation Phase (1987-1996), Multidimension Crisis Phase (1997-2001) and Economic Recovery Phase (2002-2013). Using data on Gross Domestic Product based on constant price of the year 2000, capital stock with the same based year and employment (1967-2013), Cobb-Douglas production functions were exercised to calculate technical efficiency and return to scale employing regression analysis tehniques. The results shows that technical effiency during the New Order Goverment were better than those during Reformation Goverment. The results also showed that technical efficiencies vary among phases in the Indonesian economy.