Participation Without Influence in Indonesia’s Nickel Benefit Sharing
This article examines how Indonesia’s nickel downstreaming policy has driven rapid revenue and export growth without giving mining communities real influence over how benefits are shared. It argues that existing participation forums keep communities at a consultative level, treating benefit sharing as an administrative formula rather than a political question. The article traces how the 2020 Mining Law revision weakened accountability, and calls for re-politicizing participation through negotiation, independent mediation, and enforceable multi-stakeholder mechanisms.
