2021: To answer critical policy questions on the state of Indonesia's MSMEs sector, we ran a series of tailored data dives with the Directorate of SMEs and Cooperatives Development and the Data and Information Centre within Bappenas. The underlying objective was to identify what traditional and non-traditional datasets might be relevant, in addition to surveying their availability and assessing data gaps that might exist. With growing digitalization in this sector, the process provided a practical use case on systems design to ensure integrated data flows and sustainable pipelines for data insights. This is especially crucial as there has yet to be a unified database on MSMEs in Indonesia. To start, the team sought to design an informational data analysis tool to examine the geospatial dynamics of MSMEs at the district level with the aim of identifying enablers and inhibitors of inclusive growth. The data workshops conducted were foundational for the design process, and brought together a multidisciplinary group of domain experts with experience in the MSMEs sector. As a learningby-doing collaboration, it also served as a capacity building exercise for the units within Bappenas to assess existing conditions and resources, as well as identify capacity gaps where improvements would be needed for effective design, implementation and maintenance of a unified country-wide MSMEs data system. To explore the intersection between the system and its users, a user research was also conducted with potential users and technical custodians to assess the end-to-end processes and resources (people, infrastructure and protocols) required. Through this service design approach, recommendations were developed for a systems-wide data integration strategy to support policies impacting more than 30 million MSMEs in the country. In 2022, the project will take on a futures and foresight lens to look at issues on the horizon that could potentially influence the dynamics of MSMEs in Indonesia and help nurture a broader enabling environment in the region towards their inclusive growth.

2022: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a crucial role in the Indonesian economy, yet despite their significant contributions they face a number of challenges including difficulties in marketing, accessing finance, and facing unbalanced competition. To support MSMEs during the pandemic, the government implemented support programs spread across various ministries and institutions; however, the lack of program integration limits their effectiveness. Thus, PLJ collaborated with the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to develop a data analysis tool to better understand the challenges and to inform evidence-based policy making for MSMEs. The goal is to develop a flexible dashboard system that will accommodate the dynamic needs of policymakers and allow for easy integration of new data and visualizations in the future. The tool will provide valuable insights into the spatial distribution of MSMEs and factors that support or hinder their development, and will be a useful resource for policymakers to make informed decisions to support the growth of MSMEs in Indonesia.