Impact of the INKLUSI program in Indonesia

The INKLUSI program supports marginalised groups in Indonesia – including women, people with disabilities, indigenous minorities, and people who are LGBTIQ+ – to equitably participate in and benefit from Indonesia’s social, economic, and political opportunities.

Existing ways of measuring impact often focus on the things that development organisations or other outsiders see as important, rather than what is important to marginalised people themselves. This evaluation aims to centre the perspectives of program participants in assessing the impact the INKLUSI program has had on their lives.

In 2023-2024, the CHSSC developed a comprehensive design for the evaluation and undertook initial scoping with stakeholders and program participants from marginalised groups to understand their experiences and identify key ‘domains’ of empowerment. This was used to develop a tool to capture change in people’s experiences in these domains over time.

In 2025, research teams from Saraswati and Cakra Wikara Indonesia collected data in 22 locations across 17 provinces through individual and small group interviews with over 250 program participants and 100 local government officials, service providers and community leaders.

This data will be used to develop four impact case studies as well as an overview and synthesis report outlining key findings from across the case studies and exploring the contribution that INKLUSI and its partners have made.

The findings of the evaluation will support INKLUSI and the Indonesian government to improve the effectiveness of programs to empower marginalised groups. It will also contribute valuable learning about qualitative approaches to understanding impact that centre the perspectives and experiences of marginalised groups.

The evaluation is being led by CHSSC Senior Research Fellow Elisabeth Jackson, Adjunct Associate Professor Linda Kelly, and Senior Research Fellow Thushara Dibley in collaboration with two Indonesian partners, Saraswati and Cakra Wikara Indonesia.

The approach to the impact evaluation has been presented at the Australian Evaluation Society Conference in Melbourne in October 2024 (Impact evaluation presentation available), the Australasian Aid Conference in December 2024 (Inclusive impact evaluation presentation and Measuring what matters video available), and the Australian Evaluation Society Conference in Canberra in September 2025.