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Volume 11, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2050-9790
  • E-ISSN: 2050-9804

Abstract

This article is an in-depth exploration of the struggle of (abbreviated as ) drivers as who must fight hard amidst the wheels of neo-liberalism at the grassroots level. is a kind of motorized pedicab commonly found in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java. In the era of the free market, drivers are not only battling over economic resources to get passengers, but they are also fighting against structural barriers where regulations on are left deliberately unclear. The exacerbation of this condition is caused by their uncertainty in obtaining access to proper welfare as citizens. This study employs a qualitative method with a life history approach that specifically explores the journey of life and important events that have shaped the lives of drivers in Yogyakarta. The informants consisted of three categories: first, drivers from urban areas; second, from the countryside (rural); third, drivers who represent association administrators. The findings of this study indicate that drivers have to struggle to access economic resources at the grassroots level due to several factors, such as the increasing number of private vehicles leading to a decrease in demand for the use of s, increasing competition with online transportation applications; there are structural barriers related to the regulation of s which continuously being ignored; and other negative stigma attached to s. In facing these challenges, they also have a survival strategy developed from a mutual help mechanism designed within the community. Therefore, this article offers an academic debate on the battle of drivers as a in the vortex of neo-liberalism, as well as presents a critical perspective in providing an overview of how neo-liberalism works at the grassroots level.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • PIKA UGM (Award 75/UN1/PIKA/Set.PIKA/KR.01.04/2023)
  • The Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE)
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/content/journals/10.1386/jucs_00090_1
2025-01-09
2025-04-24
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/content/journals/10.1386/jucs_00090_1
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Grassroot free fight neo-liberalism: Becak motor (bentor) drivers as homo sacer in downtown Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Journal of Urban Cultural Studies 11, 241 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1386/jucs_00090_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jucs_00090_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jucs_00090_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): informal economy; labour rights; livelihood; street-level politics; survival strategies; transportation policy; urban marginalization; urban poverty

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