Lunds universitet/Centrum för öst- och sydöstasienstudier
Abstract
In 2012, the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), an initiative launched by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote regional integration and development between six mainland Southeast Asian countries, will reach its twentieth anniversary. Throughout the past twenty years, the GMS has been considered as highly successful, in comparison with other regional initiatives, in improving connectivity, competitiveness and development, with a particular emphasis on infrastructural development, which has facilitated trade between its member countries. Part of its success has been down to the capacity of the ADB and other external actors, such as Japan, in funding its projects. Therefore it has been the aim of this research to understand how and why Japan has funded these projects, and through using a multi-disciplinary framework, explore the various interests involved
