Global Research Report – South and East Asia

Global Research Report – South and East Asia by Jonathan Adams, David Pendlebury, Gordon Rogers & Martin Szomszor. Published by Institute for Scientific Information, Web of Science Group

INNOVATION AND INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ASIA

When looking at the different effects of institutional quality on economic development, namely control of corruption, there are two different hypotheses that explain such effects. One is the “grease the wheel” hypothesis, which predicts that corruption is beneficial for growth, and the other one is the “sand the wheel” hypothesis, which says the opposite. Corruption is normally blamed for the slow economic growths in some countries, but some Asian countries’ exponential growths have proven the “grease the wheel” hypothesis otherwise. The “Asian experience”1 phenomenon occurs when corruption does not seem to hamper business activities in some Asian countries. This research will focus on finding how institutional quality variables, such as corruption control and government effectiveness, can correlate with innovation variables to contribute to economic growth. Using data and examples from Asian countries, this study finds a positive correlation between corruption and economic growth in some developed countries, such as China and South Korea

Internationalization As A Strategy To Enhance Higher Education Quality In Vietnam – Reflections from university leaders

Internationalization is viewed as an important strategy in the context of a country in transition from central planning to market orientation. Efforts to internationalize universities are being carried out at both national and institutional levels. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there has been no study to investigate how individual institutions approach internationalization and what they gain from that process. This paper aims to investigate the enhancement of teachers’ and students’ knowledge and skills using internationalization in Vietnam universities as a strategy

International Scientific Collaboration Links of Central Eastern European Countries Measured Through Publications

The countries of Central Eastern Europe (CEE) are lagging behind Western-Europe regarding scientific performance in the field of economics. A way to improve the quantity and quality of scientific output is to establish international scientific links with developed countries. The aim of this study is to analyze the international cooperation of Central and Eastern European countries in the field of economics. International scientific collaborations are measured through publications. The analyzed time period is 1996-2014. The used database is Scopus. Using network theory tools, it is shown that researchers from the CEE countries tend to publish more with researchers from Western Europe or the USA, rather than with researchers from the CEE region. It appears that geographical distance does not play a significant role in choosing international scientific collaboration partners. Policy decision makers should focus more on supporting and promoting research and educational mobility as these can help the CEE countries in the scientific catching-up process. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Historical and contemporary manifestations of ‘Global Britain’::A case study of Thailand

After the European referendum in 2016, the UK government promoted the concept of ‘Global Britain’ to represent British foreign policy ambitions throughout the Brexit and post-Brexit periods. However, there has been much debate over what 'Global Britain' means for the UK's post-Brexit position in the world, and how the UK government would establish or preserve relationships with the EU and other countries in the Brexit and post-Brexit periods.This study aims to explore historical and contemporary foreign policy relations between the UK and Thailand. A case study approach has been applied to analyse if and how foreign policy relations between the UK and Thailand have changed as the UK departs the EU within the ‘Global Britain’ narrative. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with thirty-four participants representing Thai elites and experts with specialised knowledge and expertise in Thai and UK relations, examining their perspectives and experiences related to the ‘Global Britain’ narrative and how the post-Brexit ‘Global Britain’ concept has influenced the relationship between the UK and Thailand. These narratives are then analysed with respect to historically located and realised in contemporary manifestations of concepts of informal empire. It demonstrates that the ‘Global Britain’ narrative in Thailand means cementing elite networks that have developed over the last four-hundred years as mutually beneficial relationships. These perspectives have dominated the ‘Global Britain’ concept, which focus on the legacy of British imperialism being both historically rooted and currently relevant in Thailand. The result of these partnerships is described by Evans (1979) as ‘dependent development’ within neo-colonialism. These dynamics were characteristic of semi-peripheral nations that still had relations with dominant countries and were able to pursue and accomplish intensive industrial development through local elites. The research findings illustrate that the ‘Global Britain’ concept is failing. It is inconsistent with the British government’s ambition for a radical shift in relations with Thailand and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It appears to be just a continuation of the concept of an ‘informal empire’, which is arguably the same approach the UK government has always wanted to adopt but could not achieve inside the EU. Therefore, the ‘Global Britain’ concept is shaped by informal imperial thinking. However, there is nothing new going on in Thai-UK relations beyond trade agreements. The findings suggest that the ‘Global Britain’ concept can be used in Thailand to strengthen Thai and British relations through cultural and social development but with little economic and political influence. This study contributed to knowledge and practice by demonstrating the legacy of the informal imperial approach as a model for Anglo-Thai foreign policy relationships. The incorporation of informal imperial legacy and dependent development into the post-Brexit concept of ‘Global Britain’ will help Thai and British policymakers and stakeholders, as well as those from other developing nations, in their study and understanding of contemporary and modern British policy

Food Security, Agricultural Sector Resilience, and Economic Integration: Case Study of ASEAN+3

The issue of food security has been increasingly critical in many parts of the world. In many countries people are facing food crisis and it has severe impact on their economies. Ensuring food security has become a global challenge with various dimensions. This study aims to examine the impact of intraregional trade on food security in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and three additional countries (China, Japan, South Korea), known as ASEAN+3. Using panel data regression analysis, the results show that intraregional trade and the level of trade openness have positive and significant effect to increase food security as it increases food production level in ASEAN+3 countries. In pursuing food security, ASEAN needs to enhance and accelerate its future cooperation agenda. The ASEAN member countries need to support the realization of ASEAN vision 2025, which will create a more dynamic and resilient ASEAN, capable of responding and adapting to various challenges through robust national and regional mechanisms to overcome various issues, including food security

Collaboration Opportunities with the Society to Enhance Indonesian Citizenry by Furthering Higher Education with the Liberal Arts (SEICHE)

The Society for the Enhancement of Indonesian Citizenry through Higher Education (SEICHE) is an Indonesian organization analogous to The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) in the United States. SEICHE and ASHE use similar organizational structures and promote scholarly research and debate about issues and possibilities in the advancement of higher education. SEICHE was launched on November 22, 2014, in Bandung, Indonesia, with representatives from seven universities and one non-profit organization. The SEICHE vision is to help achieve international recognition of Indonesia’s higher education system, accomplished principally through collaboration and engagement with research in curriculum, instruction, service, and program evaluation. SEICHE aspires to become Indonesia’s academic society for the study of research, policy, and practice in all areas of Indonesian higher education. SEICHE advocates a renewed emphasis on “citizenship education” based on an increase in general studies / liberal studies credits in the mandated undergraduate general education curriculum for Indonesian first-year students. SEICHE values are the values of higher education, which include civic engagement, building good character, critical thinking, preparation for one’s profession, community outreach, student-centered instruction, responsibility to the public interest, and academic freedom. SEICHE provides opportunities for international collaboration among administrators, directors, instructors, and staff of public and private higher education institutions and organizations who seek to influence educational change in local and national communities

Discrimination against Women in Accessing Higher Education in Cambodia

Young women in Cambodia face challenges in accessing higher education. Social norms, financial constraints and other problems are the main root causes in the limitation of opportunities for women to pursue higher education. Social norms of the older generation in Cambodia remain from the past and they often think that it is not necessary for women to study in higher education institutions since a women’s role is to just be a housewife after marriage. Another restriction on women’s access to higher education is that they often have financial problems in supporting their education. Some women have to work in order to support their families, so they have no chance to pursue a higher education. Additionally, since most universities are located in cities, parents often feel insecure about their daughters studying far away from home. Currently there is increased enrollment of young women in higher education due to Government action, as it has ratified international conventions and enacted domestic laws. As well, there is government cooperation with NGOs to establish some strategies and action plans to promote and protect gender equality in all sectors, including the education sector, by improving scholarship opportunities or building dormitories for female students to live in while studying at university. However, these supports cannot provide access to higher education for young women in all areas in the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Cambodia has not yet enacted specific laws to promote the participation of women in higher education. This research aims to explore the opportunities that have been provided to young women to pursue higher education, particularly at the university level. After exploring the opportunities, the researcher will analyze data regarding the challenges for women in accessing higher education. Finally, the researcher will provide some possible recommendations to address these challenges. This research utilized multiple methods, including desk review and structured interviews. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and in focus group discussions (FGD). Desk review focuses on all relevant international and national laws, strategic and action plans related to the promotion of women studying at university and the de facto equality of that issue

German Cultural Diplomacy in Indonesia: Building Cooperation in a Changing World

This study examines how Germany is engaged in Indonesia through its cultural diplomacy-oriented institutions in the fields of education, science, culture and media. It aims to provide an overview for German decision makers and may also assist Indonesian actors to better understand and appreciate Germany’s principled approach to cultural diplomacy and its intentions in building an ever-stronger partnership with Indonesia. Finally, the study contains a special section focusing on bilateral cooperation in the promotion of interfaith dialogue and radicalisation prevention