Central-Local Relations in Asia-Pacific


Book Description

A source of perennial tension in states is the degree to which decision-making power and authority should be concentrated in central institutions and individuals. At present the conventional wisdom of central-local relations has swung in favour of decentralisation. This book investigates whether such convergence is taking place through detailed examination in Asia-Pacific. The results of the survey reveal a complex picture in which divergence is still evident in the region's patterns of central-local relations.




Central and Local Government Relations in Asia


Book Description

Sustainable and inclusive growth in emerging Asian economies requires high levels of public investment in areas such as infrastructure, education, health, and social services. The increasing complexity and regional diversity of these investment needs, together with the trend of democratization, has led to fiscal decentralization being implemented in many Asian economies. This book takes stock of some major issues regarding fiscal decentralization, including expenditure and revenue assignments, transfer programs, and sustainability of local government finances, and develops important findings and policy recommendations.




Central-Local Relations in Asian Constitutional Systems


Book Description

This book examines territorial governance in Asia in the context of central-local relations. In an era of attempts to deal with issues such as decentralisation, conflict involving ethnic and religious enclaves, and demands for regional autonomy, it is timely to examine central-local relations in a pan-Asian perspective, assessing the attempts in a range of different constitutional systems from Japan to Myanmar to re-order constitutional structures for local government. The book looks at the constitutional systems for organising central-local relations in Asia and attempts to draw conclusions from contemporary experiences.




Global Movements in the Asia Pacific


Book Description

"This collection of papers by leading scholars, business leaders, and government officials discusses recent developments in the global movements of people, goods, services, and information in the Asia-Pacific region. Such movements are both the cause and consequence of the latest round of globalization, a process of special significance to the Asia-Pacific region. The lead paper by Professor Yuan-Tseh Lee, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry and former President of Academia Sinica, offers a personal reflection on international education and the global flow of knowledge and talent. Another lead paper by Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, one of the region's most respected business leaders and diplomats, provides insights on transnational businesses and diplomacy, especially in the ASEAN Plus-Three context and China's re-emergence as a world power.Other papers present new theoretical, policy and empirical understanding of international migration, trade and investment movements, global logistics, and transnational flows of information technology and architectural influences. The papers were made possible by the International Scientific Meetings Grant of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Ministry of Education, which encourages the involvement of young scholars in the wider dissemination of knowledge on issues of major scientific and practical importance to the international community." -- BOOK PUBLISHER WEBSITE.




Historical Dictionary of Laos


Book Description

Laos is the smallest state in terms of population, the weakest militarily, and the least developed economically in mainland Southeast Asia. Yet a glance at the map shows how strategically it is positioned, between Thailand and Vietnam and between Cambodia and China. As in the past Laos was a crossroads for trade routes, so in the future it will be a crossroads for communications in this rapidly developing region. It is even possible to anticipate that the greatness of Laos in the past may be matched by the emergence of Laos in the future as a significant partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which it is already a member. The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Laos_through its chronology, introductory essay, appendixes, maps, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects_traces Laos' history and provides a compass for the direction the country is heading.




Asian Discourses of Rule of Law


Book Description

Rule of law, one of the pillars of the modern world, has emerged in Western liberal democracies. This book considers how rule of law is viewed and implemented in the different cultural, economic and political context of Asia.




Handbook on Development Policy and Management


Book Description

'. . . this is a book one would expect to find in all libraries and on all development studies reading lists.' – John Hailey, Journal of International Development '. . . the Handbook is a unique reference tool on international development policy and management. Its format, both comprehensive in coverage and concise in content, will make it essential reading for the growing number of postgraduates studying development policy and management, as well as for public administration, foreign consultants and aid workers in low- and middle-income countries.' – Andrew Nickson, Public Administration 'This Handbook will surely prove to be an essential to the students, practitioners and others concerned with improvement of human condition in developing countries.' – Pundarik Mukhopadhaya, The Singapore Economic Review '. . . this Handbook offers a significant remedy to the scarcity of material in this important area. . . It is certainly very near the top of this reviewer's list of recommended reading for students, researchers and practitioners concerned with development policy.' – Michael Tribe, Development Policy Review '. . . the Handbook offers an excellent one volume survey of modern development policy and practice in poor countries.' – Tony Jackson, The Journal of the Institution of Economic Development 'This comprehensive collection contains an excellent introduction to all the major issues of development policy.' – Frances Stewart, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, UK This important Handbook on international development policy and management covers a broad spectrum of contemporary topics across all the major areas of interest. With over 40 chapters, the book comprehensively explores the many themes and issues of significance for both policy and implementation, and provides easily accessible reference material on current practice and research. The 42 contributors come from a diverse range of backgrounds, and enjoy international reputations in their chosen fields. The Handbook is organised in two parts, one dealing with policy issues and the other with implementation and management issues. The first part, on policy, covers a wide range of economic, social and environmental topics. The second part explores the political context of implementation and development practice and goes on to cover a range of issues relating to management in the public and non-state sectors and the management of development projects. Each individual chapter provides background information on theory and practice, describes the current 'state of play', examines prospects for the future and includes an annotated guide to further reading. This extensive handbook will become an essential reference on international development policy and management. Although primarily designed for postgraduate students and scholars of development studies, it will also be welcomed by development practitioners, NGOs and aid agencies.




Settling Self-Determination Disputes


Book Description

The study is the result of an international collaborative project supported and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This multi-year venture has involved a research team of some forty chapter authors and commentators. The research has been accompanied by three major workshops on project methodology, initial chapter reviews and final discussions. A point was made of including both scholars and practitioners involved in power-sharing settlements in the review process, in the hope that more would be learned about the actual implementation of the settlements under investigation. The project team was united in its wish to explore whether long-standing secessionist conflicts have been addressed effectively through the significant number of self-determination settlements that were generated in response to the wave of internal conflicts of the 1990s. It was also committed to testing whether consociationalist and integrative techniques of conflict settlement really are as mutually exclusive as is sometimes supposed, or whether they can in fact be mutually reinforcing. Finally, the project derives its impetus from the necessity to critically rethink the doctrine of self-determination. One may question whether its traditional, restrictive interpretation will be adequate in confronting the wide variety of future challenges to the territorial integrity of states.




Continuity and Change after Indonesia’s Reforms


Book Description

"This book addresses one of the most crucial questions in Southeast Asia: did the election in Indonesia in 2014 of a seemingly populist-oriented president alter the hegemony of the political and economic elites? Was it the end of the paradox that the basic social contradictions in the country’s substantial capitalist development were not reflected in organized politics by any independent representation of subordinated groups, in spite of democratization? Beyond simplified frameworks, grounded scholars have now come together to discuss whether and how a new Indonesian politics has evolved in a number of crucial fields. Their critical insights are a valuable contribution to the study of this question." — Professor Olle Törnquist, Department of Political Science, University of Oslo "A most valuable book for understanding the underpinnings of Indonesian politics in 2019 and beyond. A great range of themes are included: political parties, ideologies, political Islam, leadership legitimacy, the political middle class, the politics of centre–local relations, corruption, limited foreign policy reform, Papua, and youth activism. The book has eleven chapters, mostly by Indonesia-based analysts, plus a couple of wise old hands. Max Lane’s overview chapter is excellent." — Professor David Reeve, School of Humanities and Languages, University of New South Wales




Autonomy, Self Governance and Conflict Resolution


Book Description

Conflicts over the rights of self-defined population groups to determine their own destiny within the boundaries of existing states are among the most violent forms of inter-communal conflict. Many experts agree that autonomy regimes are a useful framework within which competing claims to self-determination can be accommodated. This volume explores and analyses the different options available. The contributors assess the current state of the theory and practice of institutional design for the settlement of self-determination conflicts, and also compare and contrast detailed case studies on autonomous regimes in the former Yugoslavia, the Crimea, Åland, Northern Ireland, Latin America, Indonesia and Vietnam.