IT all started in 2005. Joko Widodo, recently installed as Mayor of Surakarta (also known as Solo), formed a small team to survey the wishes of the residents by the banks of the Bengawan River. The results: most locals wanted the sidewalk vendors crowding the streets and parks in city central removed.

Joko found himself caught in a dilemma. He didn’t want to take the easy road: call the police and soldiers, get rid of the vendors. “What they