What the study found
The study found that the Indonesian War of Independence was associated with much more severe and longer-lasting peaks in staple food prices than earlier studies had assumed. It also found that urban unskilled wage labourers had very low nutritional status in 1946 and the first half of 1947, often below family subsistence level.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that their findings point to broader entitlement failures, which they attribute to weak market connectivity during military and economic warfare. The study suggests that food prices and wages were important to how the conflict unfolded.
What the researchers tested
The researchers compiled a dataset of more than 8,600 staple food prices from across the Indonesian archipelago for 1939–49. They used this to estimate the effects of wartime conditions and major Dutch military campaigns on prices, and they combined it with a second dataset on wartime wages to estimate nutritional standards.
What worked and what didn't
The price data showed wartime peaks that were more severe and prolonged both inside and outside Java. The authors report that Operation Product, the first large military operation, was partly motivated by high rice prices, and that these prices fell significantly across Java and Sumatra after the campaign ended.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not provide detailed limitations beyond the scope of the datasets used. The nutritional findings are based on wartime wages and estimated nutritional standards, so the summary here is limited to what the abstract states.
Key points
- More than 8,600 staple food prices were compiled for Indonesia from 1939–49.
- Wartime price peaks were more severe and lasted longer than previously assumed.
- Operation Product was partly motivated by high rice prices, according to the authors.
- Rice prices fell significantly across Java and Sumatra after that campaign ended.
- Urban unskilled wage labourers often had nutritional status below family subsistence level in 1946 and early 1947.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Wartime disrupted Indonesian staple food prices and urban nutrition
- Authors:
- Ingrid de Zwarte, Helmi Moret, Pim de Zwart
- Institutions:
- Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University & Research
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-29
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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