Wartime food prices rose sharply during the Indonesian War of Independence

What the study found: Wartime conditions during the Indonesian War of Independence were associated with much more severe and prolonged staple food price peaks than previous studies had assumed, both on and outside Java. The study also found that urban unskilled wage laborers had very low nutritional status in 1946 and the first half of 1947, often below family subsistence level.
Why the authors say this matters: The authors conclude that these findings point to broader entitlement failures, which they attribute to weak market connectivity amid military and economic warfare. The study suggests that food prices and wartime conditions were central to how the conflict developed.
What the researchers tested: The researchers compiled a dataset of more than 8,600 staple food prices across the Indonesian archipelago from 1939 to 1949. They used these data to estimate the effects of wartime conditions and major Dutch military campaigns on food prices, and they combined them with a second dataset on wartime wages to estimate nutritional standards.
What worked and what didn't: The study found that the first major military operation, Operation Product, was partly motivated by high rice prices. It also found that rice prices fell significantly across Java and Sumatra after that campaign ended. The wage-and-price data together indicate very low nutritional status for urban unskilled wage laborers in 1946 and early 1947.
What to keep in mind: The summary does not describe specific limitations beyond the scope of the datasets used. The findings are based on staple food prices and wartime wages from 1939 to 1949, and the nutritional estimates are described for urban unskilled wage laborers.

Key points

• More than 8,600 staple food prices were compiled across the Indonesian archipelago from 1939 to 1949.
• Wartime price peaks were more severe and prolonged than previous studies had assumed.
• Operation Product was partly motivated by high rice prices, according to the study.
• Rice prices fell significantly across Java and Sumatra after the military campaign ended.
• Urban unskilled wage laborers often had nutritional status below family subsistence level in 1946 and early 1947.