Paper short abstract:

The institutional setting of Indonesian South-south Cooperation cultivates an 'Indonesian Way' of cooperation that grounded in its historical narrative and internal good governance agenda while negotiating the global development context.

Paper long abstract:

Indonesian South-south Cooperation is intrinsically grounded in its national constitution, historical perspective, and national policy. On the other hand, Southern countries understand the need to adhere to international development norms but often present a different narrative on implementation. Therefore, the question of how Indonesia negotiates and develops its South-south Cooperation mechanism within its national narrative and the global context is explored. This paper will discuss the perspective of Indonesia as a provider county expresses its national identity and its bureaucratic narrative through its South-south cooperation policy. This paper presents the findings from seven months of fieldwork through in-depth interviews with policy makers, donors, and related development partners and secondary data collection in Indonesia and Myanmar. This paper will explain the current setting of Indonesian South-south Cooperation institutional including how the bureaucrats negotiate the global development cooperation framework, balancing foreign and development policy, as well as collaborating with its partners. It will specifically explore how the government expects to bring out the 'Indonesian Way' of Indonesian South-south Cooperation policy that constitutes the political narrative and its national identity witihin the internal bureaucratic good governance reform. This paper concludes by arguing that while global institutions have shaped the framework for development cooperation, Southern countries like Indonesia negotiate and restructure the mechanism that suits their internal priorities. Thus, the future of Indonesian South-south Cooperation remains relevant as it continuously reshapes within its policy.