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Australia's new government is committed to delivering the next defence white paper in 2015. The two previous white papers took a predominantly risk-management approach to Southeast Asia, generally ignored the strategic opportunities in the region, treated it as a stand-alone region largely unrelated to developments in East Asia and failed to link Australia's policies in Southeast Asia with the broader goal of helping to ensure greater strategic stability in Asia by putting constraints on Chinese assertiveness and encouraging its peaceful rise. After offering a summary of recent Australian defence thinking on Southeast Asia, this paper outlines why managing China is the key variable when it comes to strategic stability in the region. It then examines how China's strategy and behaviour can be shaped and influenced by events and relationships in Southeast Asia, and offers some suggestions as to the role Australia can seek to play in Southeast Asia that relates to Canberra's China-focused objectives and strategic stability in Asia more broadly If that can be achieved in the 2015 defence white paper, Australia - which is often criticized for being preoccupied primarily with managing the relationship with its superpower ally the United States - will demonstrate to itself and Asia that its heavy reliance on the ANZUS treaty is no barrier to strategic creativity in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China announced a shift towards green infrastructure, green investment and green financing at the 2019 Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in response to criticisms of the negative environmental impact of some earlier BRI infrastructure projects. The objective of this paper is to explore whether there has been a shift in Malaysia towards the new green-aspired goals of the BRI in terms of green governance and projects. The key findings of this paper suggest that there is no discernible shift to green projects as nongreen investments are also accepted. Malaysia has requirements for green governance, but implementation can be an issue. Host economies, like Malaysia, must take ownership of green requirements for there to be a sustained shift towards green governance. Likewise, China’s investments have to comply with local laws, which can improve the environmental impact when local laws and regulations are judiciously implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the growth of local-currency bond markets in Emerging Asia and the institutional and policy challenges facing the region's economies for their further development. It presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between local-currency government bond (LCGB) market development and the components of financial development, using panel data for selected Emerging Asian economies. The analysis seeks to identify the key determinants for the development of LCGB markets. The results show that the depth of and access to both financial markets and financial institutions have a significantly positive impact on LCGB market development. Critical factors associated with local-currency bond market depth include macroeconomic variables, the exchange-rate regime, capital account openness and creditor rights. Based on these results, the paper offers policy directions for fostering the development of local-currency bond markets in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the mobility restrictions implemented by Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, this paper relies on detailed data on employment patterns and on the possibility to work from home and without physical proximity to estimate the extent and distribution of jobs most vulnerable to mobility restrictions. It finds that about 64.5 per cent of jobs in Malaysia cannot be pedormed from home, after adjusting for Internet access. while about 50.9 per cent of jobs require high levels of physical proximity. These are the jobs that are most vulnerable to strict mobility restrictions, such as those imposed during the pandemic. Workers most at risk are primarily those with relatively low education, low level of income and advanced or very young age. Jobs in less developed regions of Malaysia are also particularly vulnerable. Against this backdrop, the paper argues that Malaysia's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic provides some vital lessons in supporting those who are most vulnerable to job losses during mobility restrictions. These lessons include improving the targeting of cash transfers, scaling up wage subsidies in supporting worker retention and hiring and leveraging upskilling/reskilling initiatives with a focus on non-routine cognitive analytical and interpersonal skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid ever-growing global value chains (GVCs). a major controversial topic relates to the extent to which developing economies benefit from participating in such value chains. To measure these gains, this paper examines data pertaining to value-added in exports from three Southeast Asian economies-Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The study estimates the sectoral income elasticities of the export demand of each country over the period 1980-2017, revealing that the highest income elasticities are observed in low value-adding sectors such as primary products, resource-based goods and low-tech industries. This implies that the three countries have been involved in simple and not high-skill tasks within GVCs. The paper also examines the sectoral domestic share of value-added (DVA) and foreign share of value-added (FVA) of exports of the three economies using the OECD Trade in Value-added (TiVA) database over the period 2005-15. We find that DVA in the medium- and high-tech industries that add greater value is smaller than FVA in atl three countries. Overall, these results suggest that developing nations need to step up their participation in GVCs through process and/or function upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an update on the BRI projects in Indonesia. It discusses the progress and challenges of China’s outbound investment and infrastructure projects under the Initiative and outlines how perceptions about the BRI have evolved in Indonesia. Moreover, some case studies highlight the issues and problems associated with BRI implementation, along with future prospects and necessary readjustments. It is argued that, by learning from previous projects, the government should create a clear legal and institutional framework to improve future BRI projects. The state should rigorously assess the viability and financial sustainability of the projects. Furthermore, proper environmental and ecological assessments by independent parties are critical to prevent conflict of interest. The central government authorities should work with various stakeholders, including NGOs and local communities, to address the issues they face. Finally, stricter regulations should be in place for the Indonesian government and Chinese investors to comply with, in order to ensure that locals also benefit from the projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rural landscape of the Malay Peninsula has been symbolically represented as a site of Malay traditions. As such, it has been marked by the dominant image of a homogenous Malay community and the hidden presence of 'other Malays'. This paper discusses the rural representation and village-making practices of the Bugis Malays who work to create a place-identity in the rural landscape. It argues that despite the racialization of the rural landscape, the creation of Bugis place in the rural Malay Peninsula affirms and advances the cultural dimension of Malay rurality. Drawing from sixty in-depth interviews and participant observation, this paper sheds light on the culturally distinctive imaginations of Malay rurality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An education system needs valid and objective information on student learning outcomes at a sufficiently disaggregated geographical level. Such data can inform policymakers on specific aspects in each geographical area that require attention and provide ati indication Of the returns to public investments in educatioti. They are the starting point for a, ty eff~rt to improve the performance of an education system. Without inforniation on learning outcomes, policy reforms or higher public investments in education are unlikely to be effective. Indonesia's education system does not currently have such information. In this paper, we take advantage of a government policy to change the mode Of the national examination administration, from paper-based to computer-based testing. to estimate the quality of education in Indonesia at the district level. Our results indicate that education quality across the country's districts is highly heterogeneous. The gap in results between the highest-scoring and lowest-scoring districts shows that children in the latter hare been attending schools for nine years with mininial learning outcomes. We find that, over the course of one year, the average quality of education has increased slightly and the variation in quality has declined slightly. However, these national averages mask signijicant heterogeneities across and within districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether logistics upgrading activities undertaken by firms can compensate for the poor quality of logistics infrastructure at the national level. To do so, the study makes use of the World Bank's Enterprises Surveys (ESs) of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand for the 2015-16 period. This is the first study to analyse the logistics upgrading efforts of firms across multiple Southeast Asian countries. The key finding is that, while Indonesia lags behind the other two ASEAN members in terms of physical infrastructure investment, cumbersome regulatory procedures are the common challenge in all three countries. The inter-country, firm-level cross-sectional econometric analysis suggests that there is ample room for firms to improve their logistics capabilities to mitigate related bottlenecks at the national level. Moreover, certain forms of subsidies or tax incentives might be needed to offset the additional costs incurred by the firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the impact of COVID-19 on different demographic groups in the Thai labour market using the Labour Force Surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019. We construct a new set of COVID-19 impact indicators capturing both the degree of risk in industries and the degree of occupational flexibility in the Thai context. The results show that the effect of COVID-19 is highly divergent across demographic groups, which may further worsen the pre-existing inequality in the Thai labour market, given the composition of industrial sectors and occupations. The results also indicate that education attainments and income levels play a significant role in protecting individuals, suggesting the key contribution of human capital. In addition, marriage affects men and women workers differently during the crisis, with married women appearing to suffer more. Finally, this study highlights the need for targeted government support to vulnerable groups, including workers with low education, informal sector workers, private employees, older women and the young, who are more likely to be affected by COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-developed services supply chain is crucial for regional integration. In the context of East Asia and ASEAN, it will allow countries at varying development stages to effectively participate in regional as well as global supply chains. This paper examines services from a supply chain perspective and discusses policy implications for liberalization of the sector in East Asian economies. In particular, the study focuses on global value chain (GVC) activities for services that are independent of linkages to the manufacturing sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to empirically explore the nexus between foreign direct investment (FDI) and other factors for global value chain (GVC) participation (backward and forward) in Vietnam, a transitional economy. The estimation shows that the economic size and market development of Vietnam and its trading partners are the main determinants of the nation's GVC participation. Inward FDI flows into the country have a positive impact on its GVC participation in both forward and backward linkages. Geographical distance is an impediment to Vietnam's backward GVC participation, whilst engagement in free trade agreements is advantageous to its GVC participation in both backward and forward linkages. We find that the logistics performance of Vietnam and its trading partners also positively affects the country's GVC participation. The paper provides policy implications for Vietnam to better use FDI and other factors to enhance its GVC participation, such as by attracting large supplier firms in upstream industries across the multinational enterprises' (MNEs) value chains, promoting trade liberalization and improving logistical efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the finance-specific factors that help domestic companies operating in Thailand receive foreign direct investment (FDI) related to mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The three main objectives of this paper are to: analyse whether the firms receiving FDI differ from those that do not; identify significant finance-specific determinants that make Thai companies more likely to receive foreign investment; and explore the heterogeneity (different responses to investment decisions) at the firm-level, and the impact of financial constraints. This research makes use of the operational and financial data of both listed and unlisted Thai companies over the 2012-20 period and finds that larger as well as younger firms draw more foreign attention and have a higher probability of receiving M&A type of FDI. Moreover, companies with substantial intangible assets attract more investments from abroad. These findings have practical implications for business policies related to the accumulation of intangible assets. Specifically, developing flexible formal/informal linkages with potential M&A partners is key to promoting M&A-type FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Indonesian government's policy response under the PEN (National Economic Recovery) programme aimed at assisting MSMEs during the COVID-19 crisis. The findings show that the scheme significantly benefited the enterprises. Credit restructuring and interest subsidy programmes offered critical assistance to the beneficiaries and improved their access to credit options. Moreover, the Productive Government Assistance for Micro Businesses (BPUM) initiative enabled the beneficiary enterprises to address emergency working capital needs required during the pandemic. However, this study also identifies several hurdles that reduced the effectiveness of the PEN programme. These challenges could have been overcome by striking a balance between banked and unbanked MSMEs, maintaining reliable databases for targeted recipients, and strengthening coordination between the various agencies involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) benefits significantly from investments in transport infrastructure such as road, railway and port, but not as much from investments in non-transport infrastructure such as real estate. However, using data collected from several sources, including secondary data on the number of infrastructure projects already invested and earmarked to be invested as well as China's direct foreign investment to Southeast Asia, this analysis shows that non-transport infrastructure constitutes a substantially higher proportion of the total infrastructure investments in Southeast Asia than transport infrastructure since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This points to a suboptimization polemic emanating from the mismatch between the injlows of the diferent types of infrastructure investments and ASEAN's need for these inputs for sustainable economic growth. Domestic disharmony, regional rivalry and political conflicts between China and ASEAN as well as other obstacles such as the debt-trap worries reduce the total investment flows to Southeast Asia, exacerbating the suboptimization problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapters on economic cooperation are increasingly evident in trade agreements. The principles are clear but the mechanics are not. This paper presents a case study of a relevant project linked to the IA-CEPA which focuses on impediments to trade associated with differences in regulatory systems. It explains the procedures adopted and identifies a number of outcomes. Implications are identified for the design of future projects relevant to cooperation chapters, and for the application of concepts discussed elsewhere in the literature that are relevant for reducing impediments to trade in the context of global value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades. agriculture in Southeast Asia has experienced robust growth and undergone a significant structural transformation, albeit at a different pace in different countries in the region. This paper aims to understand the process of agricultural transformation and growth in Southeast Asia. The findings of this study show that, driven by technological change, area expansion and diversification, agriculture has grown faster in low income countries in the region. In contrast. agricultural growth in high-income countries has been slow and driven by price increases. mainly of export-oriented commercial crops such. as oil palm, rubber and coconut-alongside expansion of cropped area under these crops. In view of the fixed supply of land and high volatility in global food prices, the area- and price-driven growth is not sustainable in the long run. For efficient, sustainable and inclusive growth, exploiting the potential of existing and frontier technologies and diversification of production portfolio holds greater promise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Income inequality affects substantive outcomes such as redistribution and voter turnout. Nevertheless, a country's level of income inequality has a differential impact on citizens' evaluation of the same because individuals have different normative values about inequality. This paper shifts the analytical focus from objective income inequality--commonly measured by the Gini ratio--to subjective dimensions of income inequality, namely individual tolerance for income inequality. Using the Philippines as a case, this paper argues that a country's level of objective income inequality does not systematically affect a person's level of tolerance for income inequality. This argument is counter-intuitive because most extant studies implicitly assume that a country's level of income inequality affects a person's values on the same. By focusing on a person's redistributive preference, this paper also shows that subjective dimensions of income inequality can affect substantive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper quantifies the disutility of labour migration, characterize the migration contribution to labour supply elasticity, and estimate the effect of migration frictions on spatial earnings differentials and labour misallocation in Thailand. The study structurally estimates a spatial equilibrium model using commodity prices as instruments for local earnings to overcome endogeneity and selection, and to identify the net present value returns to potential migration. The findings show that migration contributes 9.5 percentage points to labour supply elasticity at the extensive margin, which is 25-50 per cent as large as existing intensive-margin estimates among non-movers. The disutility from migration is 1.0-1.2 times annual earnings; alleviating this friction would induce a quarter of the population to relocate and lower spatial earnings variation by 20 per cent. However, gains would be realized primarily in non-wage utility with a modest 3 per cent increase in national product, suggesting migration frictions play a limited role relative to preference heterogeneity in productive misallocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the actual impact of import tariffs and of ASEAN membership on trade flows of ASEAN member countries and non-member countries. The Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) econometric model is used to obtain consistent estimates in the presence of heteroscedasticity. Three groups of fixed effect variables are used to address concerns related to omitted control variables. The findings show that, while low import tariffs promote imports of the member countries, they also boost exports from the member countries. More interestingly, the effect spills over to the non-member major trade partners even though the impact is more prominent for member countries, which can be attributed to ASEAN's recent efficiency improvements. This study also sheds light on the prospect of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on account of the overlap between RCEP and ASEAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between economic integration and income inequality is extremely contentious due to its complicated impact across key channels of globalization. This paper analyses the distributional effects of globalization through foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow and foreign trade (FT) volume. Data collected from Vietnam over the 2006–16 period provide evidence in support of the government’s advocacy efforts to join the global economy. The two-step system generalized method of moments is used to construct the key estimate for this analysis with two cases: simultaneous effect and single causal effect. The findings show that while FDI worsens inequality, FT counteracts this effect to a greater magnitude, and the aggregate impact of globalization on inequality is negative. As openness is found to be generally beneficial to Vietnam’s economy in terms of income distribution, this study also examines potential policies related to the country’s globalization ambitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reassesses the impact of the residential electricity tariff reform implemented in 2012 on the distributional equity and fiscal cost of electricity subsidies in Brunei. Using data from the latest Household Expenditure Survey (HES) conducted in 2015/16, the study estimates that the poorest 20 per cent of households receive 18 per cent of total electricity subsidies, which is considerably larger than the previously estimated share of 11 per cent based on the 2010/11 HES data. This, in part, reflects behavioural changes induced by the reform to an increasing block tariff (IBT), as wealthier households reduce their electricity usage due to higher per-unit costs at higher levels of consumption while poorer households increase their usage as the tariff cost is cheaper in the first consumption block. Concomitantly, the fiscal cost of electricity subsidies has declined by more than 20 per cent following the tariff change. Yet, simulations of alternative reform scenarios show that there are substantial welfare gains and cost savings from refining the IBT structure, using a volume-differentiated tariff, or providing targeted cash transfers. The overarching message is that improving the design of subsidy schemes or introducing targeted transfers can achieve distributional equity and fiscal objectives more efficiently than existing electricity subsidies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the importance of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development and introduces the theoretical concept of productive value for qualitative analysis of firms. Vietnam's industrial development experience is used as a case stildy. Although the Vietnamese government has channelled rents and business opportunities towards the state sector, the domestic private sector has been cmcial to the country's indilstrial development. Given this context. this study analyses how Vietnamese SMEs in the private sector generate productive value and overcome marketfailures that constrain their groft 'th. Researchfuidings demonstrate tliat most local SMEs in the industrial sectors rely on low pricing strategy to attract buyers. However, those that grow in size frequently go beyond price competition and concentrate on creating new productive value in their production and services. Furthermore, unlike SMEs in developed countries. in Vietnam, frm size is an indicator of productive value and strength. From this perspective, SME development policies in emerging economies must focus on promoting tile growth of doniestic firms over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether Vietnam's experience in reforming its land law supports or contradicts the view that institutional change, in particular the formalization of institutions. is a prerequisite to successful economic growth. The paper explores the reasons for slow, incremental and partial land lah reform mid analyses the complex interaction between formal and informal institittions oil land rights in Vietnam. Using the country as a case study. the paper argues that effective institutions are not preconditions for economic growth: rather institittions evolve alongside economic change in a non - linear. uneven process shaped by interactions between formal and informal institutions. The policy iniplication is that calls for "good governance" reform or for "strengthening the rule of law" are usually too broad be helpful or even realistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies social inequality in contemporary Thailand on the basis of a critical reading of Pierre Bourdieu's sociology. It argues that pre-capitalist social structures combine with a capitalist structure of social classes to form a peculiar double-faced hierarchy. The study discerns seven habitus types; one being rooted in the village, two in the sakdina structure, three in capitalism and one cutting across the dividing line between sakdina and capitalist structures. The paper draws on sixty-two qualitative interviews that were conducted and interpreted on the basis of a methodology inspired by the documentary method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops robust measures of core inflation for Vietnam that can be used in policymaking. These core inflation measures (CIMs) are based on an analytical evaluation of the inflation process in the country, and use a filtering approach to narrow down potential measures that satisfy certain empirically desirable criteria. The study finds that commonly used exclusion-based measures (EBMs) do not perform well against these empirical criteria; trimmed mean measures (TMMs) do better. Among TMMs, "one trim does not fit all periods" -- periods of high and variable inflation require larger trims, and vice versa. The econometric computer programmes employed in the paper allow for quick and timely replication of CIMs as new data become available, making them valuable tools for the State Bank of Vietnam. These procedures and programmes can also be helpful to other central banks in their policy making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Malaysia, multiple discourses of Indigenous rights have long existed in different forms: Malay, Orang Asli, bumiputera, natives, pribumi, Orang Asal, aboriginal—these are all terms that can be translated as ‘Indigenous’. New international Indigenous rights discourses are layered upon these existing discourses and become reworked, as do local forms of Indigenous identity claims. In this paper, I examine and explore the potential and limits of the claims to indigeneity in peninsular Malaysia as different groups at times align and clash in their claims for the Indigenous slot. In Malaysia, multiple discourses of Indigenous rights have long existed in different forms: Malay, Orang Asli, bumiputera, natives, pribumi, Orang Asal, aboriginal—these are all terms that can be translated as ‘Indigenous’. New international Indigenous rights discourses are layered upon these existing discourses and become reworked, as do local forms of Indigenous identity claims. In this paper, I examine and explore the potential and limits of the claims to indigeneity in peninsular Malaysia as different groups at times align and clash in their claims for the Indigenous slot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a seminar in relation to the culture of markets is presented. Yao Souchou presents the boundary of market expansion. Chua Beng Huat has mentioned the transformation of Singapore from a city of material privation to excessive consumption of goods. Solvay Gerke reports on the emergence of middle class in Indonesia.

This study offers an analysis of the rapidly increasing volume of science and engineering knowledge production among ASEAN member states. It explores the extent to which regional economic integration has influenced research profiles (areas of specialization) and international research collaboration. The study utilizes an open-source dataset of nationally aggregated scientometric indicators extracted from the Scopus database. Revealed comparative advantage and scientific co-authorship methodologies are applied to analyse changes in research profiles and international research collaboration. The concept of revealed comparative advantage has not previously been applied to ASEAN research output. The findings show that ASEAN countries have increased their research profile in manufacturing-linked technologies and have become less regional and more global in their scientific collaborations. Malaysia, Vietnam and especially Singapore have increased their average research quality, while Indonesia has seen a notable decline in research quality amid a large quantitative increase in research output. The research profiles and collaboration networks of ASEAN members are diverging, which runs counter to the converging trend observed in the European Union. The international research collaborations of ASEAN member states increasingly take place outside of the ASEAN region itself and with other countries in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to review digital transformation in Thailand. It describes and assesses key policies which have been introduced and modified to enhance the country's digital economy. Digital services and other service sectors involving digital technology such as health and logistics show promising trends. Evidence from surveys reveals some concerns in terms of relatively low investment in the country's digital economy, modest penetration of digital technology in manufacturing and agriculture sectors, and the small proportion of advanced IT-skilled workers. A review of investment promotion certificates showed that investment is more intense in the Eastern Economic Corridor. Other concerns include unequal access to and relatively high prices of digital-related technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to elucidate Vietnam's strategies and policies for fostering digital transformation. Vietnam has made some progress in the digital transformation of its economy but there are challenges to achieving further progress. Business enterprises struggle to adopt digital technologies due to technical, financial and regulatory constraints. These constraints include conversion costs, internal infrastructure resources, data leakages and ineffective regulations. The government has provided support for the digital transformation of enterprises through improvements in its å framework for the digital economy, promotion of science and technology, taxation regime and SME assistance. The government should undertake further legal reforms to support digital transformation, strengthen digital human resources and enhance e-government capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out to examine what has happened to the multinational enterprises from Thailand after the crisis. The paper sets the context by discussing the three distinct phases of Thai outward investment: early development (1977-88), rapid rise (1989-97), and post-crisis decline (1998 - present). It then points out the four different trends of Thai multinationals' post-crisis behaviours: decline, replication of pre-crisis behaviour, reform and refocus, and new emergence. While the first trend involves Thai multinationals that reduced or withdrew from international activities, the second group looks set to repeat its pre-crisis hasty and opportunistic international expansion. The third pattern observed among Thai multinationals shows firms that became more focused in their international expansion strategy, and the fourth trend introduces a new set of Thai multinationals that enjoyed their growth after the crisis. Theoretical explanations of the four trends are then discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the objectives of Indonesia's 2001 decentralization reform was to enable the country's subnational regions (provinces, cities and regencies) to realize their unique potential and, thus, implicitly, maximize their competitive advantage. While we have seen some improvenients in socio-economic development and democratic accountability. stark variations in economic outcomes across regions reniain. Why are some more successful than others in achieving competitiveness? Focusing primarily on district-level data from 1998 to 2016, this paper systematically examines the factors that may influence variations in std, national competitiveness in Indonesia. We found significant correlations between competitiveness and fiscal decentralization measures and, separately. between competitiveness at the province level and elements of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that fostering economic activity and facilitating investment in new and more productive industries will best advance inclusive economic growth in Myanmar. With a focus on the role of structural transformation, this paper presents a model describing how this can best be facilitated. We emphasize the use of strategies that push towards diversification, particularly in the direction of more productive economic activities. This paper also presents a methodology to identify diversification opportunities based on trade data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Paper examines the Indonesian government's new microcredit programme, the Ultra Microcredit (UMi) scheme, designed to provide cheap, hassle-free loans to micro businesses (MBs) owned by the poor and vulnerable. Based on UMi's loan disbursement, the number of participating non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), the number of borrowers and its impact on the borrowers' business performance, this paper shows that the programme has so far been significantly promising in supporting the development of MBs. This study not only highlights the ways in which UMi has addressed various problems that MBs face, but also details the scheme's limitations in achieving its large-scale anti-poverty objectives. The results show that UMi's main policy challenges can be overcome by: first, shifting its distribution away from Jakarta and towards the less prosperous provinces of the country; second, improving business facilitation services; and third, complementing the scheme with other non-financial programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social protection has become part and parcel of the development response in Southeast Asia and across the globe and is likely to gain even greater prominence in light of the post-2015 development agenda. Its set of objectives has steadily widened with social protection now expected to fulfil a plethora of functions ranging from household-level consumption smoothing to macro-level economic stabilization. Notwithstanding the many achievements of social protection to date, this paper aims to inject a healthy dose of realism into current debates about its appropriate roles. This paper particularly reflects on the productivity-enhancing and growth-inducing focus within social protection -- a particularly strong feature in Southeast Asia -- and how this undermines principles of inclusivity, human rights and social justice. As an antidote to this Machiavellian type of social protection, this paper argues for "Inclusive Social Protection", focusing on equitable coverage, realistic expectations and better integration of policies and programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs a five-variable monetary policy transmission model within a structural vector error correction (SVEC) modelling framework for Thailand to examine the relative contributions of the policy interest rate and a monetary aggregate of real output and prices. The model is estimated using quarterly data for the 2000Q2-2019Q4 period after imposing both short- and long-term restrictions. The empirical results suggest that the policy interest rate and the monetary aggregate contribute significantly to the forecast-error-variances of real output and prices, irrespective of whether the policy interest rate or the monetary aggregate appears to be the lead variable. That a shock to the money stock contributes to real output and to prices, whether treated as a policy instrument or as an endogenously determined variable within a generalized macroeconomic system, is consistent with the implication of classical monetary theory, which suggests the existence of a long-run equilibrium relation among money, real output, prices, interest rates and exchange rates. The results also support a co-integral relation among the four variables in Thailand. A major policy implication is that an injtation-targeting central bank such as the Bank of Thailand can deploy a monetary aggregate as a monetary policy instrument, particularly in a low inflation environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition has two possible contrasting effects on jirm innovation. On one hand, it can force businesses to innovate to become more competitive. On the other competition can shrink a firm's market share, revenues and proft, making it difftcult to implement costly innovations. Applying logistic regression on data from a survey of 480 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines, this paper found evidence that there is a generally positive relationship between competition and innovation. The magnitude of the relationship, however, depends on the type of innovation. The form of innovation most strongly associated with competition is improvement in the production process, followed by improvement in marketing. It is most weakly associated with introduction of a product new to the market and with improvement of an existing product. There is also some evidence that the magnitude of the competition-innovation relationship varies across sectors and across firms of different sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the topic of sea nomads in Southeast Asia, focusing on three distinct groups: the Moken/Moklen, the Orang Suku Laut, and the Sama-Bajau. It highlights the lack of extensive academic literature on the Moken and other sea-dependent peoples compared to the Sama-Bajau and Orang Suku Laut. The article delves into the linguistic, historical, and anthropological aspects of these communities and their interactions with land-based societies. It challenges the notion that physical mobility is the defining characteristic of nomadism and emphasizes the unique relationship sea nomads have with the sea. The article also discusses differences between the various sea nomadic groups and suggests the need for further comparative studies. [Extracted from the article]

Over the last two decades there has been a proliferation of highrise building around mass transit stations in Bangkok, Thailand. But there is a lack of empirical research on how these new landscapes have been and are being shaped. This paper thus seeks to understand this further by exploring the interplay between the various stakeholders involved in these developments. By drawing on Bourdieu's notions of 'fields' and 'capitals', I conceptualize the condominium market in Bangkok as a hierarchical social space in which agents operate and compete. Interviews with the property-development stakeholders reveal that the private sector is dominant in structuring space at the expense of the state, and it maintains this dominance by deploying a variety of capital. Developers' practices can be seen as dynamic in nature as they adapt to the differing demands and realities of the specific contexts in which they operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional income per capita disparity has become a crucial topic in Indonesia since the beginning of the 1990s. However, the main reasons for the existence of this income disparity remain a puzzle. This paper utilizes a panel data technique and the general specification growth model to estimate the provincial growth of income per capita in Indonesia for the 1993-2002 period to investigate the determinants of the country's regional income disparity. The main findings are, first, despite the existence of regional income disparity, there is a conditional regional income per capita growth convergence; and second, saving of physical capital, trade openness and the contribution of the gas and oil sectors are the determinants of this provincial income per capita growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]