Institutionalizing environmental peacebuilding : legal and political collaboration between Japan and Indonesia in peatland restoration and transboundary haze governance

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine on how two differences in institutional designs and cooperation mechanisms can shape the ecological and peacebuilding outcomes in Indonesia’s peatland governance and transboundary haze mitigation from 2015 and 2025. This thesis’s focus is based on a comparative analysis of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) under the multilateral framework and bilateral cooperation under Japan- Indonesia cooperation through JICA and BRGM. This thesis also aims to address an important gap in the literature, whereby the existing scholarship tends to analyze these two institutional mechanisms on separately rather than comparatively. By applying core neoliberal institutionalism and environmental peacebuilding theories, this thesis develops two important hypotheses to assess how variations in implementation capacity and multi-level engagement influence on ecological effectiveness and peace-related outcomes in Southeast Asia. Methodologically, this thesis has employed a qualitative comparative case study combined with process tracing, using policy documents, institutional reports, and secondary empirical data to examine both frameworks within the same gap. The findings show that bilateral cooperation has been more effective in delivering targeted ecological outcomes. For example, peatland restoration mechanisms, fire prevention processes, and localized livelihood support have been implemented, particularly in priority regions such as Riau and Central Kalimantan in Indonesia. In contrast, the multilateral level under the AATHP played a more significant role in maintaining interstate dialogue. For example, this multilateral framework has facilitated information sharing among member states and preventing the escalation of diplomatic tensions caused by transboundary haze despite its limitations in enforcement and implementation due to a lack of enforcement. However, both institutional frameworks have exhibited structural constraints. Therefore, this bilateral initiative is geographically limited and limited in addressing broader political-economic issues, while this multilateral framework struggles to coordinate into tangible ecological improvements domestically. Therefore, this thesis concluding that institutional designs matter significantly for environmental governance outcomes and that effective environmental peacebuilding requires combining the strengths of both multilateral and bilateral approaches. Therefore, this thesis contributing to the literature by offering a systematic comparative analysis of institutional effectiveness in Southeast Asia and provides policy-relevant insights for improving peatland governance and haze mitigation strategies across the region.