The academic community of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) UIN Sunan Kalijaga continues to demonstrate advancements in its achievements, both on an international and regional level. Achmad Nurdany, S.E.I., S.E., M.E.K., and Anggari Marya Kresnowati, S.E., M.E., lecturers of the Sharia Economics Study Program FEBI, have been honored with the best paper award at the East Java Economic (EJAVEC) Forum 2018. This event, which took place in Surabaya from Tuesday to Friday (13th to 16th), was organized through the collaboration of Bank Indonesia KPW East Java and Airlangga University.

According to the committee chairman’s report, the organization of the 2018 EJAVEC Forum showed significant improvement compared to previous years. A total of 220 papers were submitted, with 60 percent falling into the general category and 40 percent in the student category. From these submissions, 53 papers were selected for presentation in front of juries comprising practitioners, academics, and Bank Indonesia regulators. Participants came from diverse regions, including not only East Java, but also DKI Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Jember, Jambi, and even from Malaysia and US.

In a separate interview, Nurdany stated that the theme of his paper focused on the digital economy sector in East Java and its disruptive effects on the province’s economic growth. He noted that despite numerous discussions on the digital economy, there has been limited empirical research on the topic. “From this research, we found that the digital economy sector, particularly the manufacturing sub-sector, has a significant disruptive effect on the economy of East Java,” he said.

This can be seen from the analysis used, namely; first, the significant interconnection of the manufacturing sector with other sectors, both in forward and backward linkages. Second, the multiplier effect generated is also significant, impacting output, income, and employment. Third, the investment simulation in the manufacturing industry sub-sector yielded highly positive results. “Even though we didn’t win the championship, receiving the best paper award is quite fulfilling, given the challenging competition to reach this stage,” Nurdany concluded.