• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.269-303
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• 2022

Since the creation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967, the main objective of creating a "prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations" through regional integration remains slow. While the aims and purposes of the ASEAN include accelerating, promoting active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters concerning culture and cultural development, the desired ASEAN Integration through culture is still in question. As a multicultural region, the richness and diversity of cultures constitute both prospects and challenges. This paper discusses 1) the concept of integration vis-a-vis the ASEAN; 2) the ASEAN's goals, policies, and initiatives, concerning culture as stipulated in the key documents of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community-Culture and Arts sector; and 3) the ASEAN identity and community vis-a-vis culture. In the end, this paper proposes a framework on the ASEAN integration through culture in the context of a single identity amidst cultural diversity.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.139-203
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• 2011

This paper attempts to review of recent development of ASEAN financial integration and to evaluate it and predict its future aspect. For this purpose, we first examine the historic aspect of ASEAN financial integration such as ASEAN financial service open agreement or ASEAN capital market forum report and currently agreed integration plan. In addition, we study the development stages of ASEAM member countries in terms of its economic size or income level. Finally, we look at the financial market and institutional aspect of ASEAN member countries and the recent development of global financial market. From these analyses, we find several important facts. First, it is true that ASEAN, in general, will enjoy the effect of expanding regional investment and improving the quality of financial service through the financial integration. We think that its long term benefit is too large for ASEAN member states to avoid. Second, as a result, it is certain that ASEAN will corporate further to make its financial market to be integrated in the future. Third, however, despite these benefits and continuing efforts, we expect that it will be very difficult for ASEAN to reach a stage of financial integration as suggested in the Blueprint of ASEAN Economic Community by the year of 2015. The large difference among member states in term of economic and financial development will not allow for them to reach a single goal within a short time. Instead, we expect the following scenario for the integration process will hold. First, ASEAN will reach an agreement on the institutional framework by 2015 and afterwards, slowly the markets will begin to integrate. Second, at the earlier stage, not all but some countries will start the integration process. We expect that the financial market of ASEAN 5 will first be integrated and other 5 will join to it later.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.40-62
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• 2015

The main objective of this study was to investigate the awareness and perception of young professionals in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam countries on the ASEAN Economic Community (hereafter, AEC). Data from a survey of 575 young professionals, with approximately equal distribution from each country, were collected in June and July 2015. Research findings revealed that the knowledge and understanding of the AEC among the Gen Y professionals were still marginal. Although they lack awareness, young professionals had a good impression and perception of the AEC in connection with important benefits for them individually as well as for their country. Finally, the study revealed that the Gen Y professionals showed some level of optimistic attitude that they could succeed in the AEC as they thought that they were quite well prepared, having sufficient skills to work or to do business in other ASEAN countries.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.33-38
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• 2016

Purpose - This study purposes to analyze the impact of regional economic integration and macroeconomic on Indonesian FDI inflows. Research design, data, and methodology - Data were collected from bilateral relation between Indonesia and 21 home countries whose dominant share FDI to Indonesia from 2005 to 2013. Analysis method was conducted by panel gravity modeI to find the impact of regional economic integration and macroeconomic on Indonesian FDI inflows. Results - The empirical results show that GDP of the home country and Indonesia have a positive impact on Indonesia FDI. Distance and home country real interest rate have a negative impact on Indonesia FDI. Economic integration of European Union (EU) and Indonesia's cooperation with Japan in ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) have created impact of investment creation on Indonesia FDI, unfortunately, economic integration of ASEAN has created impact of investment diversion on Indonesian FDI. Conclusions - In order to increase FDI inflow to Indonesia, Indonesia government should improve the physical and social infrastructures to drive the productivity and economic efficiency. It will increase the GDP and also attract more investors. Low interest rate policy should be considered.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2023

Purpose: Research on attracting foreign direct investment plays an important role in ASEAN countries. ASEAN has needed FDI capital for development and integration with many developing countries. Research design, data and methodology: This study is conducted to assess the impact of factors: inflation (INF), economic growth (GDP), population (POP), and trade (TRADE) on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) of ASEAN countries. The study will find out how factors distribution contributes to FDI attraction. The study collects data from 10 ASEAN countries from 2010 to 2020. With data collected for ten countries from 2010 to 2020, data analysis with panel data will be used in this study. The Regression with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors correction model will be used in the study. Results: Panel data analysis shows that economic growth and population positively impact FDI attraction in ASEAN countries. However, two factors: INF and TRADE, do not affect FDI. Conclusions: Countries need to focus on economic development, create many good conditions for people and domestic enterprises and create opportunities for foreign investors to pay more attention. improving the quality of domestic human resources will help to better improve the working quality factor when the demand for high-quality human resources increases.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2005

Association of South East Asian Nations(ASEAN) has recently decided to develop ASEAN Highway Network to connect member countries by road in an attempt to achieve a goal of closer economic integration in the region. This entailed the necessity to newly construct or upgrade some 5,481 km of road sections to make ASEAN Highway Network functional. This study offers haw we can prioritize development of these road sections using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Particularly, it shows how individual road sections can be prioritized considering the importance of corridor or road group where the individual road section lies. It also develops how values of different evaluation criteria can be compared in the same scale. This new approach can be useful in prioritizing highway development in such cases where candidate road sections are widely scattered around the region, so detailed benefit and cost analysis is practically too demanding to carry out.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.35-79
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• 2014

This study examines the measures for the activation and the growth of intra-regional trade in Southeast Asia taking a look at the four dimensions of tariff rates, non-tariff barriers, trade facilitations, and trade infrastructures. Utilizing a gravity model, we performed empirical analysis and discussed the policy implications with the priorities to implement. To expand the intra-regional trade in Southeast Asia it would be necessary to enhance the level of trade facilitations and provide trade infrastructures, such as ports and airports as well as cutting the tariff rates and eliminating the non-trade barriers. In particular, in the case of exports of ASEAN6 to ASEAN6 the infrastructure is the important factor. Also, in the case of the exports of ASEAN6 to CLMV(Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam), it is expected that eliminating non-tariff barriers and enhancing trade facilitations may play important roles in the progress of intra-regional trade. These results may provide the important implications for Southeast Asian countries, which are trying to promote intra-regional trade ahead of the constitution of ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. Southeast Asian countries could be evaluated to achieve a certain level of trade liberalization and economic integration through the formation of AFTA. But in order for Southeast Asia to develop to advanced economic integrated region it requires mutual cooperations and policy harmonizations among regional countries. Also, for the elimination of non-tariff barriers, promoting trade facilitations, and providing infrastructures, the administrative, legal, and institutional measures would have to be fulfilled in advance. In addition, capital investment for constructing infrastructures would be necessary to realize the intra-regional trade expansion. However, to achieve the goal, it would require a large capital investment and highly mandated policy considerations and harmonizations among Southeast Asian countries in terms of further trade liberalization and economic integration.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.11
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• pp.41-46
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between unemployment and shadow economy for 7 selected ASEAN countries using panel data from 2000-2017. This study uses a sample of 7 ASEAN countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam covering the 2000-2017 period. The stationarity of the variables is determined by Pesaran panel unit-root tests. The Westerlund panel co-integration technique is used to examine the long-run relationship among the variables. In addition, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) methods are also employed. The DOLS and FMOLS results indicate that unemployment acts as an important driver for the increase in the shadow economy. In addition, the study results also reveal that GDP per capita has a negative impact on the shadow economy. Moreover, government expenditure, bank credit, and inflation are positively related to the shadow economy. The empirical results indicate that the size of the shadow economy is boosted by unemployment in the selected ASEAN economies. In addition, it is also evident that an increase of GDP per capita in the sample countries results in a lower shadow economy. Besides, government expenditure, bank credit, and inflation play a crucial role in the shadow economy.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.3-25
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• 2022

East Asia's Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into force in 2022 as the world's largest free trade agreement. RCEP was concluded, signed and brought into force in the face of major international uncertainty and is a significant boost to the global trading system. RCEP brings Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand into the same agreement with the ten member ASEAN group at its centre. It keeps markets open and updates trade and investment rules in East Asia, a major centre of global economic activity, at a time of rising protectionism when the WTO itself is under threat. The agreement builds on ASEAN's free trade agreements and strengthens ASEAN centrality. One of the pillars of RCEP is an economic cooperation agenda which has its antecedents in ASEAN's approach to bringing along its least developed members and builds on the experience of capacity building in APEC and technical cooperation under the ASEAN Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. There is an opportunity to create a framework that facilitates deeper economic cooperation that involves experience-sharing, extending RCEP's rules and membership at the same time as strengthening political cooperation. The paper suggests some areas that might be best suited to cooperation - that is confidence and trust building instead of or before negotiation - and discusses how non-members may be engaged and the membership expanded. Options such as multilateralising provisions and becoming a platform for policy convergence and coordinating unilateral reforms are canvassed.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.19-28
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• 2024

Purpose: In the era of global economic integration, China's doors of openness have widened, leading to increasingly frequent economic and trade exchanges between countries. Exchange rates, as a crucial economic lever for regulating foreign markets, play a vital role in the balanced development of a nation's international trade. Therefore, the relationship between exchange rate fluctuations and foreign trade has garnered widespread attention. Research design, data and methodology: This study utilizes import and export trade data between China and five ASEAN countries from 1998 to 2019. It employs regression analysis to examine the specific impact of the real effective exchange rate of the Renminbi on China's import and export trade with these ASEAN nations. Results: The empirical analysis yields the following conclusions: Firstly, the real effective exchange rate of the Renminbi exhibits a long-term stable relationship with China's import and export trade with the five ASEAN countries. Renminbi appreciation contributes to an increase in export trade volume but is detrimental to import trade. While this conclusion may deviate from classical trade theories, it aligns with the practical realities of China's foreign trade. Secondly, the coefficients before Gross Domestic Product (GDP) all display positive values, indicating that the growth of total economic demand has a stimulating effect on China's import and export trade.