Economic Inequality, Civil Identity Exclusion, and Educational Marginalization: Evidence from the Pulogebang Slum Area, Jakarta

Muhammad Zaki Kurniawan; Fikri Mohtar Hamdilah

Authors

Muhammad Zaki Kurniawan Trisakti University, Indonesia
Fikri Mohtar Hamdilah Trisakti University, Indonesia

Keywords:

Economic Inequality, Educational Marginalization, Multidimensional Poverty, Slum Area, Urban Poverty

Abstract

This study examines the interrelation between economic inequality, civil identity exclusion, and educational marginalization in the Pulogebang slum area of East Jakarta. Despite Jakarta’s status as Indonesia’s economic growth center, pockets of extreme poverty persist, creating complex structural barriers. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach with a case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with parents and out-of-school children, community leaders, and school or government representatives. Thematic content analysis was applied to identify linkages among economic factors, civil documentation, and educational access. The findings reveal that (1) severe income disparity, where scavenger households earn only IDR 20,000–50,000 per day, intensifies multidimensional poverty, (2) the absence of official civil identity documents such as national ID cards and marriage certificates constitutes a primary barrier to accessing educational aid and public services, and (3) educational marginalization is exacerbated by indirect schooling costs and a low perceived value of formal education. The novelty lies in integrating economic inequality and civil documentation exclusion as co-determinants of urban educational marginalization, which have been largely studied separately. The study recommends integrated policies combining poverty alleviation programs, expedited civil registration, and community-based educational interventions to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, offering conceptual contributions to socio-economic sociology and urban poverty policy discourse.

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