Leveraging on its proximity to Singapore, the Riau Islands—and particularly Batam—have been a key part of Indonesia’s strategy to develop its manufacturing sector since the 1990s. In addition to generating a large number of formal sector jobs and earning foreign exchange, this reorientation opened the way for a number of far-reaching political and social developments. This book explores three issues: what have been the social, political, and environmental effects of the rapid economic change set in motion in the Riau Islands; to what extent can or should the province seek to reconfigure its manufacturing -based economy; and how have the decentralization reforms implemented across Indonesia affected the Riau Islands.