• STI Policy Review
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.19-40
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• 2013

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) achieved relatively rapid economic growth over the past decade. Sustainable growth among member states, however, is put into question due to macroeconomic challenges, political risk, and vulnerability to external shocks. Developed countries, in contrast, have turned into less labor-intensive technologies to further expand their economies. In this paper, we review the science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies and statuses of the scientific and technological capabilities of the ASEAN member countries. Empirical results based on STI indicators (R&D spending, publications, patents, and knowledge economy indices) reveal considerable variation between the science and technology (S&T) competence and effectiveness of STI policies of ASEAN members. We have categorized nations into clusters according their situations in their S&T productivity. Under the Korean Innovation Model, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Brunei are classified as being in the institutional-building stage, while Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam in the catch up stage, and Singapore in the post-catch up stage. Finally, policy prescriptions on how to enhance the S&T capabilities of the developing ASEAN countries, based on the South Korea development experience, are presented.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.411-420
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• 2012

This paper presents the most recent data on cancer rates and the burden of cancer in the ASEAN region. Epidemiological data were sourced from GLOBOCAN 2008 and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost were estimated using the standard methodology developed within the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease study. Overall, it was estimated there were over 700,000 new cases of cancer and 500,000 cancer deaths in ASEAN in the year 2008, leading to approximately 7.5 million DALYs lost in one year. The most commonly diagnosed cancers were lung (98,143), breast (86,842) and liver cancers (74,777). The most common causes of cancer death were lung cancer (85,772), liver cancer (69,115) and colorectal cancer (44,280). The burden of cancer in terms of DALYs lost was highest in Laos, Viet Nam and Myanmar and lowest in Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines. Significant differences in the patterns of cancer from country to country were observed. Another key finding was the major impact played by population age distribution on cancer incidence and mortality. Cancer rates in ASEAN are expected to increase with ageing of populations and changes in lifestyles associated with economic development. Therefore, ASEAN member countries are strongly encouraged to put in place cancer-control health care policies, focussed on strengthening the health systems to cope with projected increases in cancer prevention, treatment and management needs.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.43-52
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• 2021

This study is the first to scrutinize how real effective exchange rate, together with the vehicle currency exchange rate, asymmetrically influences the total trade balance between ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the EU (European Union). This research employs quarterly data between 2000Q1 and 2018Q1, which is derived from several sources. We introduce a method for constructing the double-aggregated real effective exchange rate between ASEAN and the EU that captures the roles of all their currencies. Moreover, we propose the formula to compute vehicle currency exchange rate to assess the importance of vehicle currency in ASEAN-EU trade. Additionally, as asymmetrical impacts of exchange rate on trade balance are well documented by current studies, we employ Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) model of Shin et al. (2014) to analyze the impacts of currency depreciation as well as appreciation in detail. The findings confirm the prominence of USD as vehicle currency in ASEAN-EU trade. Both depreciation and appreciation of ASEAN's currencies against USD can foster ASEAN's trade balance in the long run. Short-run asymmetrical impacts as well as J-curve effect are found in the vehicle currency models only. The results are robust for the cases of EU-28 and EU-27.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.89-110
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• 2020

Singapore and Thailand have been rapidly ageing. There has been a growing demand for eldercarers in the home-setting for which migrant domestic workers have filled the role. This paper examines the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Consensus governing women migrant workers entering the eldercare sector. It argues that because the ASEAN Consensus is not legally binding, it only serves to reinforce the sovereignty of states in the treatment of migrant workers instead of member states acting in unison to ensure labour protections for this group; as a result, Singapore and Thailand do not feel the need to step up protections for this group of workers according to national labor laws and hence low-skilled women migrant workers entering the eldercare sector continue to be vulnerable to labour abuses. Thus as with globalization, the ASEAN Economic Community manifests the paradox of borders: that while states are economically interconnected and interdependent, they are simultaneously disconnected and independent from each other.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.93-135
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• 2017

Due to their geographic proximity to Beijing, the Southeast Asian states under the fallout of the China's growing power are struggling to seek the art of diplomacy to promote their national interests. This study explores why Cambodia previously taking a pro-US strategy after the end of the Cold War has switched to a pro-China one in the context of the rise of G-2 system, the ASEAN regionalism, the country's national interest and Hun Sen's regime legitimation. Theoretically, this study takes a realist constructivist approach and tries to find how realist interests and norms have affected the Hun Sen's regime legitimation. The relationship between China and Cambodia has been deepened by mutual economic interdependence and increasingly stronger Chinese power. Especially, the Chinese massive economic aids and investment have enormously supported the regime legitimation of Hun Sen. On the other hand, The US value diplomacy promoting democracy and human rights has undermined the Hun Sen's legitimacy and strained the two nations' relationship. However, the Hun Sen's pro-China strategy is not to check and balance against US strategic interests and not to recognize the Chinese hegemonic position in Southeast Asia. It is a hedging against the US value diplomacy while maximizing economic and other gains from China. ASEAN has been playing a coordinating role to limit the scope of power politics among big powers and to mitigate its ramifications. Yet, since the US and Chinese interests are so keenly criss-crossing, Cambodia may continue to react to the G-2 system through bilateral relations with them.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.15-32
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• 2016

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) has been the most essential organization in Asia. In spite of the world economic crisis, Southeast Asian countries have shown fast economic growth since 2000, and they have been actively expanding investments and trades especially with major countries. Research on competitiveness in ASEAN market has spawned an increasingly large literature, but empirical research on the determinants of Korea's export to ASEAN is limited. The purpose of this study is to draw out the determinant of Korean fisheries export to ASEAN by carrying out a panel analysis. For achieving such a purpose, pooled OLS, Hausman Test, Fixed Effect, Random Effect are performed. The last 20 years' data over the period of 1995 to 2014 concentrated on the ASEAN 6 countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam is used in this study. Amount of aquatic products export to ASEAN is used as the dependent variable; real exchange rate, real GDP, relative price level and GDP per capita are used as the explanatory variables and FTA as dummy variable. Empirical results show that fixed-effect analysis is the best model among all the models. As the fixed effect model shows, real exchange rate, real GDP, GDP per capita and dummy variable(FTA) play positive and statistically significant roles in fisheries export to ASEAN, while price variable plays a negative and statistically significant role to the dependent variable.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.177-215
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• 2018

Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and his "America First" trade agenda ignite a second round of interest in mega-free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific. Countries are evaluating alternative trade policy actions in a post-TPP era. Using national real GDP gains estimated by a modified GTAP model to construct "preference ordering" for 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and their six regional dialogue partners, this paper comes up with several policy-oriented findings. First, when multilateral agreements are not possible, countries are better off with a regional trading agreement than without one. Second, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is likely to have higher beneficial impacts than the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Third, for dual-track countries, implementing both agreements is better than each separately. Fourth, impacts of open regionalism are likely to be higher than those of a closed and reciprocal one. Going forward, this paper argues that countries should adopt a "multi-track, multi-stage" approach to trade policy.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 2023

This research work aims to investigate the role of FDI in Economic Development by assessing its relationship with GDP per capita in Vietnam +5 from 1986-2020. Through descriptive statistical, correlation matrix analysis, and econometric models, including Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) estimation methods using Stata 15.1. The VECM estimation method results show that FDI positively impacts Economic Development in the short run while not finding a long-run relationship. In addition, it is found that a clear relationship between Exports and Economic Development in both the short run and the long run. Meanwhile, CO2 emissions and Employment Opportunities have no clear relationship with Economic Development in the short run. However, the relationship is reversed in the long run, as the empirical study in Vietnam. The results of the FGLS estimation method show that FDI, CO2 emissions, and Exports have a significant and positive impact on Economic Development in five selected Southeast Asian countries without Employment Opportunities in the long run. From these findings, the author proposes some policy implications of attaching FDI to sustainable Economic Development in Vietnam next time.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.341-357
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• 2019

Acanthamoeba, one of free-living amoebae (FLA), remains a high risk of direct contact with this protozoan parasite which is ubiquitous in nature and man-made environment. This pathogenic FLA can cause sight-threatening amoebic keratitis (AK) and fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) though these cases may not commonly be reported in our clinical settings. Acanthamoeba has been detected from different environmental sources namely; soil, water, hotspring, swimming pool, air-conditioner, or contact lens storage cases. The identification of Acanthamoeba is based on morphological appearance and molecular techniques using PCR and DNA sequencing for clinico-epidemiological purposes. Recent treatments have long been ineffective against Acanthamoeba cyst, novel anti-Acanthamoeba agents have therefore been extensively investigated. There are efforts to utilize synthetic chemicals, lead compounds from medicinal plant extracts, and animal products to combat Acanthamoeba infection. Applied nanotechnology, an advanced technology, has shown to enhance the anti-Acanthamoeba activity in the encapsulated nanoparticles leading to new therapeutic options. This review attempts to provide an overview of the available data and studies on the occurrence of pathogenic Acanthamoeba among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members with the aim of identifying some potential contributing factors such as distribution, demographic profile of the patients, possible source of the parasite, mode of transmission and treatment. Further, this review attempts to provide future direction for prevention and control of the Acanthamoeba infection.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.112-129
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• 2018

Produced by Chinese local television stations, Maritime Silk Road is a documentary which adopts ancient Maritime Silk Road as a historical nostalgia to interpret "the Belt and Road Initiative", a contemporary Chinese economic, political, and cultural strategy put forward by Chinese government mainly aiming at the countries of Southeast Asia. The main body of this article has three parts and the first part analyses how the documentary adopts computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create a historical nostalgia about ancient Maritime Silk Road in the period of Imperial China. At the same time, this part also presents a sense of diasporic nostalgia of the overseas Chinese. This historical and diasporic nostalgia is related to Chinese President Xi Jinping's political discourse: "Chinese dream" that propagandises to build a strong China put forward by Xi in 2013. The second part analyses how this historical and diasporic nostalgia legitimates Xi's "Chinese dream" and how it responds to recent territorial dispute when China continuously claims its territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea. In this light, the documentary repeatedly mentions two political rhetoric: "coexistence" (gongcun) and "mutual benefit"(huli gongying) as a practical strategy to deal with the dispute between China and some countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In the third section, the concept of "community of common destiny" (mingyun gongtongti) is adopted by the documentary to depict a convenient and effective organization of China and ASEAN, which is framed as an ultimate goal that Chinese government is depicted as the potential leader of this nostalgic community. At the same time, by providing different and even opposite viewpoints, this article discusses three controversial political rhetoric to present how historical and diasporic nostalgia is politicalized and served for Chinese diplomacy and national interest. Overall, this article argues that the documentary creates a glorious ancient Maritime Silk Road, as a sense of nostalgia, to expand China's economic and political influence, to respond to the controversial issues, and to reassert China's leadership as the centre of Asia.