Widya Naseva Tuslian is a Ph.D. candidate at Leiden Law School, jointly appointed by the KITLV (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) and the VVI (Van Vollenhoven Institute) of Leiden Law School. Her research focuses on water governance and citizenship in Jakarta's urban poor coastal areas, examining the complex interactions between law, governance, and marginalized communities in rapidly urbanizing cities.

Under the supervision of Prof. Diana Suhardiman (KITLV) and Prof. Adriaan Bedner (VVI), Widya’s interdisciplinary approach combines socio-legal studies with a focus on state-citizen relations, governance mechanisms, and water access rights.

Her academic journey includes a law degree (LL.B/SH) from the University of Indonesia, an LL.M. in Globalization and Law: Human Rights Specialization from Maastricht University, and an MSc in Law and Society from Leiden University. Her research interests span water governance, citizenship, land tenure security, the rule of law, human rights, and democratic governance.

Widya also brings a strong and diverse professional background. She began her career as a lawyer in Indonesia, where she primarily managed public-private partnerships, working on projects that spanned infrastructure development and smart city initiatives. This legal experience, coupled with her academic work, deepened her understanding of governance challenges in rapidly urbanizing environments. Her legal experience was further complemented by her work in academia, where she taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia and contributed as a legal analyst at its leading legal think tank.

A native speaker of Indonesian, Widya is fluent in English and French and is currently learning Dutch.

Selected Publications

Tuslian, Widya, ‘In pursuit of water justice in Jakarta’ , Indonesia Journal of Socio Legal Studies 3-2, 2024.

Tuslian, Widya, ‘Unravel persistent land tenure insecurity behind Indonesia’s palm oil industry: Study case Kinipan indigenous community in Central Kalimantan’, Indonesia Law Review 11-2, 2021.

Tuslian, Widya, Benedict Sheehy & Luther Lie, ‘The use of international soft law for corporate social responsibility reporting in retail industry: A study of four major retailers in Asia Pacific’, Canberra Law Review, 2021. 

Tuslian, Widya, 'Assessing development of access to justice in Indonesia through capability approach', Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, Atlantis Press, 2020.

Tuslian, Widya,  'Elimination of cultural based discrimination against women', Indonesia Law Review 9-1, 2019.

Web articles

Tuslian, Widya & Ward Berenschot, ‘ Jokowi weakens civil society Prabowo should reverse course’, The Jakarta Post, 13 September 2024. 

Tuslian, Widya, ‘Democracy flow through the world and people’s water forum’, The Jakarta Post’s Academia, 25 May 2024. 

Tuslian, Widya & Anggita Chaerani,  ‘Beyond the surface: Public-private partnership in Indonesia’s drinking water sector’, The Jakarta Post’s Academia, 21 March  2024.

Tuslian, Widya, ‘ Indonesia’s Valentine: Vote buying and democratic backsliding’, The Jakarta Post’s Academia, 21 February 2024. 

Tuslian, Widya, ‘Does ideological politics resonates only with upper middle class’, The Jakarta Post’s Academia, 2 February 2024. 

Tuslian, Widya, ‘Capturing regulatory capture: A closer look on Indonesian PERPPU on job creation’, Leiden Law Blog, 4 April 2023.