Social Sciences in Asia III: Burma, Mongolia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore. Reports and Papers in the Social Sciences, No. 35.

Part of a series which provides overviews of social science research and teaching in UNESCO member nations, the document focuses on Burma, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, and Singapore. One chapter is devoted to each of the five nations. For each country, the following information is presented: history of social science activity, institutional framework, major research interests, curriculum development, future trends, and perceived benefits from regional and international cooperation. The chapters on Burma and Singapore note long-term close contact with the Western academic world and stress the interest of social scientists from the two areas in participating in international and interdisciplinary development research. The chapter on Mongolia identifies Marxism-Leninism and medieval Mongolian social thought as major influences on the theoretical basis for social science teaching and research in the Mongolian People's Republic. New Zealand and Philippines are characterized as concentrating on those types of social scientific research which can be applied to economic production or which provide a scientific perspective on national culture. In each nation, economics is considered the most important social science discipline. (Author/DB)