KAWAMURA Koichi

KAWAMURA Koichi

KAWAMURA Koichi
[Belonging・Position] Area Studies Center ・Deputy Director-General
[Research Field] Indonesian Politics, Comparative Politics
[email] Koichi_Kawamura E-mail
Profile Information (Research history, education, papers & publications)

Previous research

I have studied political institutions with the aim of understanding the nature of democratic politics in Indonesia. In particular, my research has focused on the constitutional system as well as the executive and judicial institutions, which were completely reformed after democratization in 1998. I have tried to understand how those political institutions were established and how they shape interactions among political actors.

I have also studied national elections, both legislative and presidential, since the first post-democratization elections in 1999. My research has focused on how electoral institutions affect voters’ behavior as well as the electoral strategies of political parties. I have also analyzed voter behavior, using the available electoral data at the regency/city level in Indonesia.

Current research projects

In addition to my ongoing analysis of constitutional courts, I am currently conducting research on semi-judicial institutions. My main focus is on the anti-corruption agency in Indonesia, which was established after democratization and given both a high level of independence in the political system and strong powers to conduct investigations and bring forth prosecutions in corruption cases. I am attempting to understand what roles the anti-corruption agency has played in democratization, why the anti-corruption agency has been able to play its expected roles of exposing massive corruption, and what the political reactions have been to the agency as it tackles major corruption cases.

I will also continue my research on voter behavior in the upcoming Indonesian elections.