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This study examines the public’s perception of cash transfers for children in societies where children's welfare is often viewed as a private affair.

Based on 12 semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) conducted in urban Jakarta, Indonesia, we explore mothers' perspectives on cash transfer programmes for children within low-income families during fieldwork in October 2023 and January 2024. In addition to the semi-structured interview, a FGD involving parents and other related stakeholders was conducted to increase data accuracy.

Our findings reveal that cash transfers function as a “caregiving allowance” in Jakarta, allowing mothers to prioritize familial obligations while maintaining a reasonable standard of living. Contrary to the “de-familisation” focus observed in advanced welfare countries, these cash transfers for children reinforce traditional family labour division (familisation). Interestingly, despite reinforcing the familisation function, the initiative receives significant support. These results clearly highlight the influence of familisation-oriented welfare production, demonstrating a focus on enhancing family resilience in the design of child-related policies in Indonesia. Overall, these results make clear the visibility of traditional division of labour influences on welfare production, revealing a focus on the familialisation effect in the design of child-related policies in Indonesia. These findings reinforce the suitability of the term “familistic welfare regime” as an appropriate descriptor for Jakarta in particular and Indonesia in general.

This study enriches our understanding of the evolution of child-related assistance in the Global South through a defamilisation lens, shedding light on the complex interplay between gender inequalities and social policy formulation in these regions. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights into the ongoing discourse on welfare regime studies in Indonesia, suggesting that mainstream narratives of productivist transition are only partially validated. The insights garnered from this research open avenues for future studies across diverse contexts.

Ageing is a global concern that poses many challenges for governments, particularly in relation to the pressing issue of how to provide adequate social protection for the increasing number of elderly. Alongside rapid social and demographic transformation, Indonesia is especially challenged by the increasing number of elderly in need of formal care that is stretching the capacities of government and necessitates improvements in the social protection system. This study examines governance capacity in nursing homes and offers recommendations for improving the social protection system.

The research presents a qualitative case study of government aged care centres in East Java and the experiences of residents and staff of three centres managed by the Provincial Social Service of East Java. The case study is based on ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews with 32 informants comprising directors, managers, staff and elderly residents of nursing homes.

The research finds that while social protection is in place, governance capacities at the provincial and local level are thinly stretched. The research highlights the tensions between existent governance capacities – in terms of mobility, decision-making, implementation and established local structures of governance and management – and the inability to meet the increasing demands for government elder care services and resources amidst broader societal transformations such as shifts in cultural framing of familial care of elderly. The findings point to the importance of understanding the dynamic relationship between governance capacity and the shifting terrains of elderly care due to societal transformation.

The research brings attention to the pivotal role that governance capacity plays in shaping the experiences and challenges of local government level elder care provision and the growing need for elder care in the face of an ageing population and shifts in kinship and family elder care arrangements. Elder care is not simply about addressing basic needs but also the quality and dignity of elderly and this is not easy to address where social protection systems are stretched beyond capacity. Recommendations are provided for enhancing government policy and expanding the scope for building cross-sectorial partnerships.