Widjojo Nitisastro

Widjojo Nitisastro
Widjojo Nitisastro (1977)
Born	(1927-09-23)23 September 1927 Malang, East Java, Indonesia
Died	9 March 2012(2012-03-09) (aged 84) Jakarta, Indonesia
Residence	Jakarta, Indonesia
Nationality	Indonesian
Education	University of Indonesia and University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Economist
Known for	Work as a minister and economic adviser in Indonesia
Title	Professor of Economics

Widjojo Nitisastro (23 September 1927 – 9 March 2012) was an Indonesian economist. He was one of Indonesia's most well-known and respected economic policy-makers, both within Indonesia and overseas. Nitisastro was born in Malang in East Java, and died in Jakarta, Indonesia, aged 84.

Widjojo Nitisastro became a full professor of economics at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta at the age of 34 in 1962. In the late 1960s, after the fall of president Sukarno and the transition to the new government under president Suharto, he became one of Indonesia's most important economic policy-makers. He was generally considered to be the foremost member of the well-known 'Berkeley Mafia' group of economists who became very influential in economic policy during the period of Suharto's 'New Order' government. Other members of the group, all senior Indonesian economists, were generally regarded to include Professor Ali Wardhana, Professor Moh. Sadli, Professor Emil Salim, and Professor Subroto.

Widjojo Nitisastro held ministerial rank in successive Indonesian cabinets for most of the 1970s until 1983. He continued to be influential as one of president's most trusted advisers throughout the rest of the 1980s. He worked closely with the president until Suharto resigned from office in 1998.

A brief summary of Widjojo's career is as follows:,

During his career in government, Widjojo was the head of many Indonesian delegations to numerous international meetings such as the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia (IGGI), the Paris Club, and World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings. He was also a member of the South Commission (headed by president Julius Nyerere) as well as numerous other international committees). In 2008, the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia awarded Widjojo its most prestigious award, the Wirakarya Adhitama, for a lifetime of dedication and extraordinary achievements.