Blane Lewis

Blane Lewis is a Senior Fellow and Research Professor in the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics at the Australian National University (ANU), affiliated with the Crawford School of Public Policy. He also leads the Indonesia Project and serves as Lead Editor of the Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies. His academic career includes roles as Associate Professor (2014 onwards), policy advisory work with the World Bank and Research Triangle Institute, and teaching positions at Cornell University and the National University of Singapore.

Education Background: Lewis holds a BA in Mathematics from Lawrence University, and MA and PhD in Urban Economics from Cornell University.

Research Focus: His work centers on intergovernmental fiscal relations, local public finance, decentralization, public service delivery, and urban economics. Key themes include fiscal decentralization impacts, electoral dynamics, and governance in Indonesia, with a focus on improving public service efficiency and accountability.

Publications: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles, including studies on mayoral elections' fiscal effects, education spending mandates, and pandemic responses in Indonesia. Recent work emphasizes causal analysis of policy reforms and institutional changes.

• Awards: Not explicitly listed in the text.
• Projects: Leads the Indonesia Project (multi-phase research initiative), Macroeconomic Overview of Australia-Indonesia trade, and studies on fiscal decentralization.
• Labs/Teams: Coordinates the Indonesia Project team at ANU, focusing on policy-relevant research in economics and governance.