Blue Economy and logistic connectivity through maritime identity development: a case study of Indonesia

The Blue Economy emphasises the new paradigms of conserving, sustaining, and empowering the ocean usage for a sustainable global economy. Within the concept of Blue Economy, Maritime Logistic Connectivity plays a crucial role in developing the societal identity of a nation. Developing an identity is a fundamental driver of change in coastal and marine environments. This research investigates the development of Maritime Identity as part of shaping the Blue Economy’s human capital. The sea not only provides life but also connectivity for humans, especially in the logistics sector. This study utilises the Critical Literature Review as the method to propose an elaborated framework of maritime identity development. It offers a fresh contextualization of identity study in the form of a nation as an entity, not a collection of individuals per-se. We have chosen Indonesia as the context for our case study. The country recently developed a national policy within the Blue Economic framework with maritime logistic connectivity as a major driver. This identity is essential for promoting the weak implementation of The Sea Toll (Tol Laut) Policy that aims to facilitate the delivery of substantial logistics supply to remote areas. This research offers a different perspective on policy implementation by revamping the vital existence of identity through Gee’s Framework as a lens. Maritime identity of a nation embodied a historical past, perceived present and imagined future. The research examines an active effort of the Indonesian government in developing its Affinity Identity by international engagement and contribution to the global blue economy frameworks. Then, the country has other existing Nature and Institutional Identities, in addition to the Discourse Identity that remain to be further developed through Social Learning and Education. We infer that adopting the Identity as a comprehensive framework for maritime development may improve the implementation of maritime policies, including the Sea Toll Policy.