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How much is hegemony and how much is self-determination in the higher education systems in Southeast Asia? This paper argues that while the question of centre and periphery is still relevant to the analysis of international university systems, the analytical frameworks from which it has arisen may lose viability in the long term. Southeast Asian states are making use of higher education to act in ways that will contribute to the altering of their peripheral position in the global economic and political system. While changes in Southeast Asian higher education are closely tied to global markets and follow what sometimes appears to be a dependent pattern of adaptations driven by Western developed economies, the paper argues that there is also a significant amount of resistance. As Southeast Asian countries adapt in ways that help embed economic globalisation within their national landscape, the manner in which the adaptation occurs is more selective, open, and democratic than before. Moreover, while global communication with core (centre) university systems has been more open and transparent, the system is closed to direct intervention from the outside, making hegemony a less plausible explanation for the manner in which the system is reacting within the new global environment of financial interdependency.

"This paper examines the growth experience of 20 states of India during 1961-91, using cross-sectional estimation and the analytical framework of the Solow-Swan neoclassical growth model. We find evidence of absolute convergence--initially poor states grew faster than their initially rich counterparts. Also, the dispersion of real per capita state incomes widened over the period 1961-91. However, relatively more grants were transferred from the central government to the poor states than to their rich counterparts. Significant barriers to population flows also exist, as net migration from poor to rich states responded only weakly to cross-state income differentials.", (excerpt)

This paper is about transnational cancer care in Asia. People with terminal diseases such as cancer increasingly escape devastating prognosis of their local regimes of clinical diagnostic truth by traveling to destinations where medicine is more advanced, yet affordable for them, and hence offers a broader scope for hope. The paper suggests that transnational cancer care provides an instructive case of the enormous geographical disparities in the availability of therapies and how this, combined with economies of hope and the marketization of health care, affects patients and their family caregivers. The primary contribution of the paper is the introduction of the concept of relational subjectivities to the health mobilities literature. The findings presented proof that the concept provides a fruitful analytical lens, yielding not only fresh empirical insights but prompting re-conceptualizations of medical travel itself as hopeful, yet risky transnational acts of family care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aggregates the state of India–China economic relations with a specific focus on trade at the borders. It explicates the potential for economic activity at the border regions to generate self-sustaining and/or externally linked local development for both countries. By an examination of the existing trade and investment policies and practices, it shows how geographical contiguity is yet to be transformed into opportunity along the India–China border, a practice consistent both with the history of these regions as well as with the blueprints being drawn up for the future of these regions. Informed by the Liberal school of IR theory, the paper studies border trade through the paradigmatic optic of being an important, yet underutilized, avenue of dyadic interaction, and makes a case for upgrading the status of border trade in the overall schema of bilateral trade relations between India and China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In both its focus and conception, much of the research on tourism remains Anglo-Western centric. The ongoing growth of Non-Western forms of travel, most notably in Asia, renders this situation unsustainable. Our understandings of 'the tourist', 'the modern tourism industry' and the conceptual paraphernalia, which surrounds these two, are all firmly rooted in the empirical histories of Western Europe and North America. English language scholarship on tourism rarely rips up these 'Western' roots to interpret 'Non-Western' practices and industries. This paper focuses on the ongoing rise of Asian tourism to argue that in its current form the field of tourism studies is institutionally and intellectually ill equipped to understand and interpret the new era we are now entering. Accordingly, it is suggested that the core-periphery dynamics which characterizes the field today should give way to cultural and political pluralism. The rapid growth in Asian tourism provides ample evidence for this position. This paper concludes by considering the future development of tourism studies in Asia. It is argued that the cultivation of critical scholarship within the region itself will not only help overcome the field's Anglo-Western centrism, but also help us better comprehend the profound societal changes now occurring through Asian mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The paper examines urbanisation in Himachal Pradesh [India] in terms of size, growth, evolution, site and functional characteristics of urban centres for [the] 1901-91 period. In addition, the role played by the changing political and administrative geography has also been considered.", (excerpt)

"This paper is an attempt to analyze the process of rural-urban migration based on the data relating to the ¿Place of Birth' for Andhra Pradesh [India]. The specific objective of this study is to present a rigorous economic analysis of the process of inter-district rural-urban male migration as seen from 1971 migration data. With the help of a simple model...the direction and magnitude of relationships between selected explanatory variables and migration have been identified.", (excerpt)

"The paper deals with...urban growth in India in general with relevance to urban agglomerations of major significance on the basis of [the] Census of 1991. In addition the urban growth during 1981-91 is viewed in accordance with the projected population and the actual count as undertaken in the 1991 Census operations. Some of the questions arising out of the contemporary trends in these areas...may be of concern for academic and planning processes. More elaborate synthesis is obviously required when the detailed tables on socio-economic parameters are given by the Census in due course to cross-classify and examine more aspects of population at various levels.", (excerpt)

"Urban concentration (or primacy) and inequality (in size distribution of income) are expected to follow bell shaped curves through the development process. Spatial convergence (through investments in transportation etc.) is expected to precede income convergence. Using longitudinal data from six Asian countries (Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India) this paper shows that (i) the bell shapes for urban concentration and income inequality generally hold, and (ii) the temporal relationship between the curve peaks is determined by geographical factors (for urban concentration); income inequality is seen to be more policy amenable.", (excerpt)

"The purpose of this paper is to review policy initiatives [concerning migrant remittances] in six major labour-exporting countries in Asia--Bangladesh, India, Korea, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Where relevant, the experience of these countries will be compared and contrasted with those of labour-exporting countries in other parts of the world....[The author concludes that] the imposition of mandatory remittance requirements on migrant workers is unlikely to enhance remittance inflows unless the government of the labour-exporting country effectively controls the migration process." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA), (excerpt)

"This paper aims to study the pattern of urbanization and the evolution of [the] relationship between rural-urban migration and the degree of economic development taking Gross National Product...into consideration. Intercensal age-specific rural net out-migration rates are also estimated from [tabulations] of the proportion of rural population of India by age through a recently developed procedure based on generalized stable population by Stupp (1989). A comparative study is also made between [the] survival column of India with a developed nation like Japan.", (excerpt)

"The post-mid-1970's picture of international migration from India...gives the impression that its 'brain drain' to the developed countries of the West, particularly the U.S.A. declined.... The impression was also consolidated by changes in the American Immigration Law wherein the emphasis had seemingly shifted from the 'occupational usefulness' of the immigrants in the American labour market to their 'family reunification.'.... The paper argues that human capital transfers through migration from India [have] not abated simply because of immigration under the 'occupational preference' categories. Rather what happened is that the brain drain has continued through alternative channels...." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA), (excerpt)

"The paper attempts to analyse the patterns of and trends in demographic development in Rajasthan state [India] by employing the indices of urbanization, literacy and occupational diversification.... An effort has also been made to define the concept of demographic development...." Demographic development is defined as improvement in the quality of the population in a given area., (excerpt)

"The main objective of the present paper is to discern the changing pattern of regional disparities in demographic development in India. The analysis pertains to the 1971-81 decade using district level data. Indicators have been selected from the demographic components of urbanisation, literacy and occupational dynamism.", (excerpt)

"This study examines the patterns of spatial mobility in India as expressed at the inter-state level for the post-Independence period. Comparing these patterns with those which had been evolving throughout the colonial period the paper probes into the processes of dislocation of people in the context of India's development strategy.... The analysis points out the complex interrelationships with the nature of socio-economic development and suggests alternatives for stemming distress migration from the backward regions.", (excerpt)

"This paper examines the impact of emergence of Haryana [India] as a new state in 1966 on its development and concomitant urbanisation process. The analysis is based on data for individual towns for all the post-Independence censuses of 1951 to 1981. It was found that urban growth in the state was far more rapid during the post-1966 period than that during the pre-1966 phase. The spatial picture of urban growth also changed somewhat.", (excerpt)

The authors examine the relationship between population growth and agricultural change using a village-level study of the Warli tribal community in Maharashtra, India. "This paper tries to highlight the relationship that exists between the two factors and the relative changes in the structural character of the two factors. It also focuses on the complications brought about by the juxtaposition of a market economy of the nontribals on the subsistence peasant agriculture of the Warli tribals. Methodology is empirical. Suitable statistical aids have been used on available census material [for the years 1901-1971], substantiated with fieldwork.", (excerpt)

This paper assesses the feasibility of sustainable development for various low-income countries in the context of prospective population growth. In that context, development that is sustainable is development that does not endanger the natural systems that support life on earth. Since a short time has elapsed since the Mexico City Conference, not all the developmental goals highlighted at that meeting could be reviewed. Emphasis in this paper is placed on an assessment of recent trends in food production and availability, employment and poverty issues, with an emphasis on India, China, and a few other Asian countries on which the author has had access to information. In the view of the author, the key to sustained development in the face of likely continued population growth up to the end of the 21st century lies in technological change and effective use of the human and physical resources in developing countries. Adequate planning and judicious adaptation of the institutional framework can help to avoid the suffering and misery of millions of people currently alive and also those who will be born during further decades.

"This paper aims at analysing the economic contribution of children and its effect on parental decisions. It is shown that, under conditions of [India's agricultural structure,] the children's contribution towards family resources is highly valued by parents, and this acts as an incentive to raise more...children. Thus, high fertility in rural areas of India can be justified in so far as the positive net economic contribution of children is highly valued by parents.", (excerpt)

Tracing the origin of political economy as a class-science, this paper focuses on the political economy of population growth. Exposing the limitations of Malthusian ideas and their invalidity even for the capitalist economies, it discusses the subsequent revival of the Malthusian model during the period of de-colonization and the misinterpretation of the relationship between population growth and development in the developing and developed countries. Taking India, China, and Japan as some case studies, the paper examines the relationship between birth rate levels and some correlates. It elaborates on the Indian experience, emphasizing the association of population growth with poverty and unemployment and lays bare some of the hidden causes of these phenomena. The authors examine some interstate variations in India and identify constraints and prospects of the existing population policy. The paper proposes outlines of a democratic population policy as an integral part of India's development strategy which should recognize human beings not simply as consumers but also as producers of material values. It pleads for 1) restructuring of property relations; 2) bringing down the mortality rates and raising of the literacy levels, especially among females; and 3) improving nutritional levels, as prerequisites for bringing down birth rates.

Introduction: The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in India in 2005 to address the health needs of under-served populations in rural areas, and to support universal access to care. Despite this initiative, unaccredited informal providers (IPs) often remain patients’ first point of contact, which has led to inconsistencies in treatment, and has compromised the quality of care. Aim: To explore the factors that influence patients’ decisions about healthcare providers in rural areas of central India. Methods: Nine focus group discussions (FGDs) were held in nine villages in central India. Framework analysis using an inductive approach was used to analyse the data. Results: The crosscutting theme across the discussions was not choice but need—the need for affordable and accessible health care regardless of the provider’s qualification. Results highlighted that IPs play a pivotal role in villagers’ lives. Formal healthcare services were accessed infrequently, and mainly when a condition was judged severe or possibly even fatal. Even then, affordability was carefully weighed. Villagers’ distance from formal providers contributed to high cost and low preference of formal providers. When opting for IPs, familiarity and trust were more important to villagers than qualifications. IPs have operated in rural communities in India for a long time and have adapted their services to meet the needs, preferences, social norms, and economic conditions of villagers. Conclusion: IPs have captured a niche and are often the first contact point in rural settings even when patients ultimately are diagnosed and treated by trained doctors. Merely tackling the undersupply of qualified doctors is not effective or sufficient to impact on the rural healthcare system: the strong and prevalent influence of IPs needs to be addressed also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on more recent science spending developments in countries such as China, Korea, India and Brazil, there is a growing sense that the world’s scientific deck of cards is in the midst of a major reshuffle. But it is not clear if this reordering is limited to just the top spenders, or, indeed, how these changes have been playing out over the longer term. The new, more comprehensive research and development (R&D) spending estimates presented and discussed here reveal that we are in the midst of a possibly game-changing, albeit partial and perhaps irregular, reshuffle of the global R&D deck. These changes have potentially profound domestic and international economic development implications over the medium to long term. Notably, the fortunes of many of the world’s poorer countries continue to look bleak. Using the evolving structure of past R&D spending to project forward, and absent marked changes in science policies and spending priorities, we foresee a continuing and substantial shift in the geography of R&D towards parts of Asia, along with a continuing large, and in many respects growing, gap between the world’s scientific haves and have-nots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial surrogacy in emerging countries such as India is often associated with exploitation of vulnerable women, the assumption being that it is performed by poor and uneducated women for rich intended parents. However, the hypothesis that surrogates are poor women has rarely been confronted with field data. The objective was to compare the socioeconomic characteristics of Indian surrogates interviewed in social studies with those of Indian women in the general population in order to provide preliminary data on whether surrogates have a specific profile and are indeed disadvantaged compared with their counterparts. The study analyzes the data from four cross-sectional studies carried out in India among surrogates between 2006 and 2014. Surrogates were recruited through clinics, agencies and agents. Data were collected during face-to-face interviews. The resulting convenience sample included 96 Indian surrogates. Their sociodemographic characteristics were compared with those of the general population extracted from Indian national surveys. The surrogates interviewed had their first child at a younger age than women in the general population, but they tended to have a smaller family. Their social situation tended to be better than that of the general population in terms of education, employment and family income. These results provide first empirical evidence moderating the common assumption that Indian surrogates are the poorest and least educated women. This does not mean, however, that exploitation does not exist. More studies are needed to confirm these results and to explore the issue in new international destinations for surrogacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the subprime-induced financial crisis broke out in the U.S. housing sector in the summer of 2007 and mushroomed into a global financial crisis by September 2008, it was widely believed that the Asian economies, especially the 'big four'-Japan, China, South Korea, and India-would remain largely immune from the worst of the crisis. However, this assumption has proven to be false. All four countries have felt the negative impact of the financial contagion-albeit differently. Whereas China and India have been moderately impacted, Japan and South Korea have experienced heightened financial instability, sharp economic contraction, and a deep recession. What explains the big four's vulnerability to the crisis, and why have Japan and South Korea been affected more negatively than China and India? How have the four countries responded to the crisis, and what can they do to further insulate their economies from the vagaries of the global financial markets? In this article, the author addresses these interrelated issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of Asia's remarkable economic performance since the 1980s, some observers have predicted Asia's rise and the coming of a Pacific Century. We doubt this optimistic view. In the knowledge-based economy, ways of amassing wealth have changed, and better criteria for evaluating economic development are needed. This study compares research and development activities of four Asian developing countries - China, India, South Korea and Taiwan - with those of two advanced economies - the USA and Japan - to emphasise a neglected trend. The Asian cases do succeed in the information technology industry, a typical sector in the knowledge-based economy. None the less, Asia may be lagging further behind in relative terms. We show that this may not be the Asian century. In addition, it is possible that the battlefield between multinationals will switch from markets to intellectual property courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses problems of economic growth in the poorer nations that became a major foreign policy concern of the wealthy and powerful nations of the world. The relative progress in the development of the two countries, India and China, is of great significance. There were strong parallels in their preplan structure and strong contrasts between China's totalitarian and India's democratic programs. Their performance relative to one another may influence the programs adopted by other, now less advanced, countries. It will certainly bear upon the United States and Soviet foreign policies. Furthermore, the record of the course of development in these two lands provides a unique opportunity for examining the process of development as such. Structural unemployment, underutilized resources, overurbanization, nonmonetized savings and investment flows-these are illustrative of the types of problems that must be understood and treated if there are to be steady output gains in most of today's underdeveloped areas.