| "Berkeley Project" and the resulting "Berkeley Mafia" in Indonesia are typical cases of American intervention in the development of third world countries through knowledge production and technical assistance during the Cold War.In 1950 s,in the face of the expansion of the influence of Soviet communism in the third world,how to deal with the Soviet offensive and compete for the attraction of the development road became an urgent problem for the US government.Under the guidance of "modernization theory",the United States launched technical assistance to Indonesia,and trained a group of modern elites-"Berkeley Mafia" for Indonesia through "Berkeley Project".A group of Indonesian intellectual elites,represented by Widjojo Nitisastro,accepted American modernization theory and economic development ideas through systematic study at the University of California,Berkeley,and actively publicized and popularized American development ideas after returning home.They either worked in the Army Staff and Commanders College,or controlled the economic curriculum reform of Indonesian universities,were active in the national economic forums in Indonesia,and formed the influential "Berkeley Mafia".After 1965,with the implementation of the new order policy of Suharto regime,Berkeley School gradually entered the economic decision-making level of Indonesian government,and promoted the government to formulate and implement a series of development strategies.In 1966,the "Stabilization and Recovery Plan" launched by "Berkeley Mafia" became the watershed of Indonesia’s economic development.Indonesia changed from state interventionism to free and open economy in a short time,and launched the first five-year development plan in 1969.In the middle and late 1970 s,Indonesia’s economic development experienced great changes.Increasingly serious corruption and dependence on foreign capital led to a sharp increase in social discontent,and finally the Malary riots broke out in 1974.Since then,the government has abandoned the liberalization macroeconomic policy of "Berkeley Mafia" and turned to more conservative state interventionism.However,the oil price decline since 1982 has caused a series of economic problems such as Indonesia’s national finance and debt,which severely limited the role of the state as the main promoter of economic development.The government began to look for new economic solutions,and the free and open reform path of "Berkeley Mafia" was reused again.They pushed the government to implement deregulation measures,reformed Indonesia’s trade,finance and industrial sectors,promoted the further liberalization of Indonesia’s economy,and opened a new stage of Indonesia’s modernization. |
