4. Implications for Policy and Theory
This segmentative-parallel model demands a departure from monolithic economic strategies such as "digital transformation" or "formalization." Instead, it requires:
Layer-aware interventions that respect the autonomy and logic of each layer;
Bridging infrastructure that enables soft interconnections without forced assimilation;
Recognition of economic plurality as a strength, not a problem to be homogenized.
The Indonesian economy thus functions more like an ecosystem with diverse biomes rather than a factory assembly line. A healthy system is not one where all agents are forced into one model, but one where multiple models coexist, coordinate, and adaptively evolve.
C. Four Novel Contributions of the 4-Layer Asymmetric Economy Model
The proposed 4-Layer Asymmetric Economy Model offers four key areas of novelty that address theoretical, empirical, and policy-level gaps in the current literature on development economics and digital transformation in emerging economies such as Indonesia.
1. Horizontal Stratification Beyond Formal--Informal Binary
Existing Gap: Classical models such as Lewis's dual economy, or de Soto's extralegal frameworks, tend to focus on vertical dichotomies---formal vs informal, documented vs undocumented.
 Novelty: This model introduces horizontal stratification across four overlapping but segmentative layers, where actors in different layers are not distinguished merely by legality/formality, but by mode of operation, transaction system, market orientation, and technological embedding.
Each layer has:
ts own time logic (e.g., daily cashflow vs quarterly reporting)
Its own spatial embeddedness (mobile vendor vs cloud-based seller)
Its own trust mechanism (personal credit vs algorithmic credit scoring)
This nuanced mapping allows for better understanding of frictional zones where digital policies fail to touch informal actors---not due to resistance, but due to systemic misfit.
2. Decentralized and Non-Hierarchical Value Creation
Existing Assumption: Most development frameworks implicitly prioritize upward mobility---"moving up" from Layer 1 to Layer 4 is assumed desirable and linear.
 Novelty: Our model recognizes that value can be generated in all layers, with no single layer inherently superior. For example:
