ENVIRONMENT
“Good food”—food that nourishes communities and sustains healthy ecologies—has been at the center of social movements around the world over the past four decades. The…
INSIGHT
- by Caroline Merrifield, Yale University
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
In an article from early 2017, titled “China’s Debt-Trap Diplomacy,” geopolitics pundit Brahma Chellaney argued that China has sought to purposely ensnare some of its…
ANALYSIS
- by Matt Ferchen, Tsinghua University
ENVIRONMENT
Energy has been in the global spotlight for some time, including in the fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia. While governments and media showcase the steps…
ANALYSIS
- by Mattijs Smits, Wageningen University and Research
CITIES
As the science around smart cities becomes ever more sophisticated, the sensibilities of their inhabitants may yet be increasingly offended. Whereas cameras with real-time facial…
ANALYSIS
- by Sun Sun Lim and Roland Bouffanais, Singapore University of Technology and Design
SECURITY
On July 27, 2018, the Japanese government updated its cybersecurity strategy, calling for the strengthening of infrastructural protection, including that of international undersea cables. Given…
ANALYSIS
- by Motohiro Tsuchiya, Keio University
SECURITY
Does technology help decide who rules the world? This question is on many minds at the moment, especially vis-à-vis China and the United States, two…
ANALYSIS
- by Eric Tagliacozzo, Cornell University
EDUCATION
We take it for granted that science always moves us forward. A cursory look at contemporary popular discussions about science, which feature, among other long-debunked…
ANALYSIS
- by Sun Kwok, The University of Hong Kong
INDUSTRY
Many Asian economies are focusing on innovation and regional emerging markets to drive growth. The economic model “Thailand 4.0,” for example, presents a broad development…
ANALYSIS
- by George Abonyi, Maxwell School (Executive Education Program), Syracuse University
ENVIRONMENT
Air pollution, and especially particulate matter, is one of the greatest threats to human health. It leads to respiratory and heart diseases, strokes, and lung…
ANALYSIS
- by Michael Greenstone, University of Chicago
ENVIRONMENT
Contaminants both obvious and subtle have made a home within our rivers. These pollutants include pesticides, fertilizers, industrial effluent, and human sewage—a mélange of chemicals…
INSIGHT
- by Xiaomei Chen, Writer
ENVIRONMENT
Many of the great cities of the modern world are intertwined with their rivers: London and the Thames, New York and the Hudson, Paris and…
ANALYSIS
- by Victor Mallet, Journalist and Author
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The Pan-Asia Railway, a marquee project in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is to be a network of contiguous track that would stretch from…
ANALYSIS
- by Will Doig, Journalist and Author
DEMOCRACY
Every organization—even a government—needs a vision. But who audits governments’ results? Political scientists would tell you that voters do. Economists would tell you that investors…
INSIGHT
- by Bryane Michael, The University of Hong Kong
ENVIRONMENT
Japan is experiencing dramatic demographic change due to rapid aging and, since 2008, depopulation. Conventionally, these are considered to be economic “problems” to be “solved,”…
ANALYSIS
- by Peter Matanle, University of Sheffield
DEMOCRACY
“Corruption is man’s inheritance.” – Anacletus Corruption is the next battleground in the development of the Asia-Pacific. It has hampered inclusive and sustainable development and…
INSIGHT
- by Masato Abe, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
INDUSTRY
Today, each person eats, on average, about twice as much fish as 50 years ago. But according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the…
ANALYSIS
- by Hongzhou Zhang, Nanyang Technological University
DEMOCRACY
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president in the United States and the result of the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote to leave the…
ANALYSIS
- by Ross Tapsell, Australian National University
INDUSTRY
The Copenhagen Fashion Summit is an annual event that takes a critical look at the apparel industry’s sustainability. The 2018 event, held on May 15-16,…
INSIGHT
- by Pamela Mar, Fung Academy
INCLUSIVENESS
Personal wealth in Asia is not only at an all-time high; it continues to grow at an unprecedented pace. Asia accounts for 30% of the…
INSIGHT
- by Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed, Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society
INDUSTRY
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) made its first official appearance in China in the 2006 Company Law. In December 2007, the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges…
ANALYSIS
- by Danqing Wang, The University of Hong Kong
INDUSTRY
The enshrining of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in China’s constitution in October 2017 ensures that it will guide vast swaths of Chinese foreign…
ANALYSIS
- by Salvatore Babones, University of Sydney
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) is a cooperation framework between Asia and Africa, led by India and Japan. In a way that mirrors the Chinese-sponsored…
ANALYSIS
- by Jagannath Panda, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
INDUSTRY
The devastating human cost of natural disasters cannot be overstated, and rightly receives the lion’s share of media and academic attention on the subject. There…
ANALYSIS
- by Hsiao-Hui Lee and Po-Hsuan Hsu, The University of Hong Kong
INCLUSIVENESS
Earlier this year, Mitsutoki Shigeta, a 28-year-old unmarried, wealthy Japanese man, gained custody of his 13 surrogate children in Thailand, having gained custody of three…
ANALYSIS
- by Izumi Nakayama, The University of Hong Kong
FINANCE
In the past few decades, the rise in prosperity in Asia has made it easier for Asians to engage in stock trading. Some do this…
ANALYSIS
- by Tse-Chun Lin, The University of Hong Kong
TRADE
When most people think of globalization, they think of Apple, Samsung, McDonald’s, Huawei—vast corporations with globally recognized brands. Yet many people experience globalization not through…
INSIGHT
- by Gordon Mathews, Chinese University of Hong Kong
INDUSTRY
It is irrefutable that China has achieved great success in economic growth. It has been the world’s second-largest economy since 2010, and is, by some…
ANALYSIS
- by Manoranjan Mohanty, Council for Social Development, New Delhi
DEMOCRACY
China is looking to restore “trust” and “sincerity” in society by making a digital “social credit system.” In this kaleidoscopic system of ratings and blacklists,…
ANALYSIS
- by Séverine Arsène, Asia Global Institute
DEMOCRACY
Politicians and regulators are focusing on how social media can be used as a weapon in polls. But Facebook undermines other parts of representative democracy,…
ANALYSIS
- by Ronan Lee, Deakin University
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or “the Quad” (US, Japan, Australia, and India), is widely regarded as a counter to China’s rising wealth, power, and ambitions.…
ANALYSIS
- by Tai Wei Lim, National University of Singapore
DEMOCRACY
Asia is the new battleground for the digitization of elections and social media use. Social networking platforms are remaking the idea of what is public…
ANALYSIS
- by Netina Tan, McMaster University
HEALTH
An unmanned aerial vehicle soars above the land, on a mission to deliver blood to a remote health center. High-resolution satellite imagery is analyzed for…
ANALYSIS
- by Robert Peckham, The University of Hong Kong
INDUSTRY
Huawei, China’s leading telecom equipment company, recently announced its intention to begin operations on a new submarine telecom system connecting Asia and Africa. The project,…
ANALYSIS
- by Iginio Gagliardone, University of the Witwatersrand
TRADE
The United States’ recent announcement of new tariffs on aluminium and steel has fueled fears of a trade war between the U.S. and the rest…
ANALYSIS
- by Vincent Mack and Christopher H Lim, Nanyang Technological University
SECURITY
In striking Syria with missiles on April 13 and 14, the US, UK, and France said the aim was to uphold international law against the…
ANALYSIS
- by Ramesh Thakur, Former United Nations assistant secretary-general
TRADE
Filmmaker Jed Rothstein’s documentary The China Hustle tracks a number of fraudulent Chinese companies that have listed on US stock markets. Despite the illegality of…
ANALYSIS
- by Bryane Michael, The University of Hong Kong
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The 50-year-old Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) prides itself on developing an open regional architecture, that brings together many more countries than just…
ANALYSIS
- by Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Indonesian Institute of Sciences
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
How does India, the “strategic fulcrum” of the Indo-Pacific, perceive the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, comprising Australia, India, Japan, and the United States?…
ANALYSIS
- by Jagannath Panda, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The first session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) ended on March 20, 2018. The meeting brought together the approximately 3000 delegates—among whom are…
ANALYSIS
- by Tai Wei Lim, National University of Singapore
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
A popular catchphrase in the Chinese government today is that the Communist Party will ensure the “great renaissance of the Chinese nation.” What this renaissance…
ANALYSIS
- by Ryan Manuel, Asia Global Institute
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, the US planted the seeds for an “Asian century” to be realized in the…
ANALYSIS
- by John West, Asian Century Institute
SECURITY
India has one of the oldest space programs in the world—in operation for more than five decades—and is considered an established spacefaring power. Today, the…
ANALYSIS
- by Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Observer Research Foundation
SECURITY
Ideally, a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) should provide intellectual guidance to military planners; reassure Americans, allies, and friends; and deter would-be adversaries. It also shapes…
ANALYSIS
- by Ramesh Thakur, Former United Nations assistant secretary-general
FINTECH
Over the past few years, China has become a global leader in cryptocurrencies. At a peak point, China was home to approximately three-quarters of global…
INSIGHT
- by Andy Yee, Public policy director for Greater China, Visa
SECURITY
Ever since oil was discovered in the Gulf area in the 20th century, the maritime route from the Gulf region to East Asia passing through…
ANALYSIS
- by Tai Wei Lim, National University of Singapore
CITIES
What could be more common than a trip to a shopping mall in any Southeast Asian city? Asian cities boast some of the largest shopping…
ANALYSIS
- by Marlyne Sahakian, University of Geneva
INDUSTRY
One hot summer day in the early 1990s, I traveled to Beijing to see a well-heeled friend, who met me at the train station holding…
ANALYSIS
- by Thomas David DuBois, historian of modern China
DEMOCRACY
The Philippines is under a dark spell. Since May 2016, it has been ruled by a strongman who has called for the “genocide” of drug…
ANALYSIS
- by Nicole Curato, University of Canberra
EDUCATION
“Forget liberal arts. If you want a job, you had better get a business or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree.” Since the time…
ANALYSIS
- by Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, The University of Hong Kong
MIGRATION
Today, we know a great deal about why rural villagers across Asia travel abroad to become migrant workers, as well as their struggles in destination…
ANALYSIS
- by Johan Lindquist, Stockholm University
INDUSTRY
In the last few decades, animal cloning has been hotly discussed in key economic sectors such as the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. More and more…
INSIGHT
- by Florencia Daud, 2017 AsiaGlobal Fellow
INDUSTRY
Today in China, technology is removing the need for service staff in the most casual of experiences. Cameras equipped with facial recognition technology are being…
INSIGHT
- by Pamela Mar, Fung Academy
INCLUSIVENESS
Lucas Chancel: Global inequality is rising. But the different trajectories between countries show there is room to manoeuver. (4’50”) Instead of basing its findings only…
ANALYSIS
- by Séverine Arsène, Asia Global Institute
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
No country has benefited economically more than Australia from China’s recent, historically unprecedented growth and development. Yet few countries are more worried about the possible…
BOOK REVIEW
- by Mark Beeson, University of Western Australia
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
On February 9, 2018, the Winter Olympic Games will officially begin in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang. But Olympics-induced games of a diplomatic sort…
ANALYSIS
- by Guoqi Xu, The University of Hong Kong
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
We are living in an age of technological revolution unlike anything humankind has experienced before. The confluence of the internet, big data, artificial intelligence (AI),…
INSIGHT
- by Andy Yee, Public policy director for Greater China, Visa
INCLUSIVENESS
Since 1980, many economies have experienced two concurrent trends: rising wealth-income ratios and increasing income inequality. These trends have been playing out particularly spectacularly in…
ANALYSIS
- by Filip Novokmet and Li Yang, Paris School of Economics
FINTECH
However problematical “global currency” may be to define, we in general know it when we use it. That currency today is the US dollar, but…
ANALYSIS
- by Peter Gordon and Juan José Morales
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
President Xi Jinping is wholly committed to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He made this clear in front of a large gathering of world…
ANALYSIS
- by Fengshi Wu, Nanyang Technological University
EDUCATION
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have sent shockwaves through higher education by opening up course content to any learner with internet access, free of charge.…
INSIGHT
- by Gina Marchetti, Aaron Han Joon Magnan-Park, and Stacilee Ford, The University of Hong Kong
MIGRATION
It was a typical Sunday for Nur Halimah. Early in the morning, she and her friends from the Hong Kong Indonesian Migrant Workers Co-op were…
INSIGHT
- by Benny Hari Juliawan, Sanata Dharma University
GENDER
What do we imagine when we refer to “the global” or “globalization”? As many scholars have pointed out, the Anglo-European experience has often been considered…
ANALYSIS
- by Michael J. Hathaway, Simon Fraser University
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
During the 19th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, much of the global attention was focused on changes to the political leadership; even after the event…
ANALYSIS
- by Srikanth Kondapalli, Jawaharlal Nehru University
CITIES
I was always told to make change, loads of change, as much change as I can muster, and make my mark on the world. Growing…
INSIGHT
- by Kat Roma Greer, Micro Galleries
INDUSTRY
What makes a country innovative? One of the many ways to delve into this question is via the Global Innovation Index (GII) report, which I…
ANALYSIS
- by Soumitra Dutta, Cornell
GENDER
With the recent collapse of the Islamic State’s headquarters in Raqqa, one is led to wonder: what will happen to those fighters who managed to…
INSIGHT
- by Noor Huda Ismail, Institute for International Peace Building and Monash University
ENVIRONMENT
Typhoon Haiyan killed over 6000 people in the Philippines in 2013. Monsoon floods claimed 1200 lives in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal in 2017, with 40…
ANALYSIS
- by Helen James, Australian National University
INCLUSIVENESS
The global economy is experiencing the first acceleration in synchronized growth in 10 years; growth is picking up in all the major economies and regions…
ANALYSIS
- by Michael Spence, Nobel Laureate, New York University
TRADE
Instances of contact between distant societies during the 16th and 17th centuries often form part of the “great narrative” of the “Westernization of the world.”…
ANALYSIS
- by Romain Bertrand, Centre for International Research and Studies, Sciences Po
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The move towards one global privacy law is not a matter of “if,” but “when.” Business is increasingly conducted online and over transnational cloud computing…
INSIGHT
- by Ryan Ko, Mark Rodrigues, Aleksey Ladur, and Craig Scoon, Data Privacy Foundation
EDUCATION
What is leadership? An adage that I like, adapted from one uttered by American politician Bob Ehrlich, is that I don’t know what leadership is,…
INSIGHT
- by Peter Mathieson, The University of Hong Kong
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