2017 Democratic Conditions Improved, Supported by the Rise of Democratic Institutional Aspects

Indonesia's democratic condition improved in 2017. This is reflected in the increase of the Indonesian Democracy Index (IDI) to 72.11 on a scale of 0-100, compared to the previous 70.09. A higher IDI indicates an improvement in democracy, and vice versa. Despite the increase, Indonesia's democracy remains in the moderate category, with the IDI falling within the 60-80 range. An IDI above 80 is considered good, while an IDI below 60 is considered poor.

This improvement in the IDI was supported by an increase in the civil liberties index by 2.3 points to 78.75 and an increase in the democratic institutions index by 10.44 points to 72.49. However, the political rights index weighed down the overall score, decreasing by 3.4 points to 66.63.

(Read Databoks: 2016, Jakarta's Democracy Index Falls the Most)

The democracy index has fluctuated from 2009-2017, indicating the dynamic nature of democracy in Indonesia. The composite IDI is calculated based on the achievement level measured by the implementation and development of aspects of democracy, namely civil liberties, political rights, and democratic institutions. The IDI calculation uses four data sources: reviews of local newspapers, document reviews (local regulations, gubernatorial regulations, etc.), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and in-depth interviews.