Asian Examples Research Articles

Catching up: understanding the pursuit of major games by rising developmental states

As a category, Developmental States (DS) in the world political economy express a distinctive set of ideological practices that give them specific incentives to host sporting mega-events. Asian DSs, or ‘late(r) developers’, in particular offer interesting case studies by which to explore the symbolic value such states attach to hosting Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and other major sporting events. This paper examines five Asian examples (Tokyo Olympic Games 1964, Seoul Olympic Games 1988, Beijing Olympic Games 2008, Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games 1998, and Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010) from the past half century which, despite their variations, illustrate the role of mega-event hosting among DSs and, specifically, the effect these events are intended to have in signalling conceptions of modernity and legitimacy to the international community and world society on behalf of their host cities/countries. Despite thenearly ubiquitous claims to economic growth and development, which accompany the bidding and preparation for major games, it is the symbolic representations of modernity and national ‘success’ that are most commonly pursued among this class of hosts.

Genealogy, history, nation

This article uses Central Asian examples to challenge theories of ethnic nationalism that locate its origins in intellectual activism (Hroch), state modernization processes (Gellner), or the rise of mass media (Anderson). Modern Uyghur cultural politics and traditional Central Asian dynastic genealogies reveal related processes used in constructing modern nationalist symbols and pre-modern ideologies of descent. Modern territorial states with ideals of social unification and bureaucratic organization rely upon nationalist discourses to elaborate and rework cultural forms into evidence for the ethnic nation. The state links citizens to institutions through nationalist content used in political discourse, schooling, and public performances. Because such content is presented as authentic but used instrumentally, its contingency and fabrication have to be concealed from view: the culturally intimate spaces of bureaucratic production of culture and narratives are separated from public performances. The creation of genealogies used to legitimate pre-modern states are similar: compositional processes and goals are kept offstage, and little is disclosed in the public historical narratives and performances.

Shopping, tourism and retailing in Singapore

The paper discusses aspects of the relationship between shopping and tourism with particular reference to city destinations. The East Asian example of Singapore, a popular centre for shopping, is used as a case study and shopping is shown to be a lucrative tourist activity in the city state where there is a large and varied supply of retailers. Official tourism marketing and development strategies acknowledge the contribution of shopping which plays an important role in plans for future growth. Singapore also displays some weaknesses as a shopping destination, however, and the question of competition emerges as critical. Although highly distinctive, the Singapore experience yields insights into shopping as a tourist attraction which has wider implications and a model of factors determining success in attracting and satisfying shopping tourists is presented.

Organic carbon in soils of Central Asia—status quo and potentials for sequestration

Expectations have been raised that carbon sequestration in soils could provide a short-term bridge to reduce the impacts of increasing carbon emissions until low-carbon technologies are available. To assess the role of Central Asia in this regard, the organic carbon in soils of Central Asia and losses in response to land use were quantified in a spatially explicit way. Based on literature information on soil organic carbon contents and in combination with the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the Word, the organic carbon stocks in the upper 30 cm of native soils of Central Asia were estimated to amount to 20,17 ± 4,03 Pg. The extent of conversion of native land into agricultural land and the degradation of rangelands was assessed by a land use land cover change map of the region. This type of land use (change) was responsible for a reduction of the soil organic carbon by about 828 ± 166 Tg C, or on average 4.1% of the total stocks. To this reduction, degradation of rangeland (observed on 4.9 Mha) with 50 Tg contributed only 6%. Most of the losses resulted from past conversion of rangelands into rainfed or irrigated agricultural land in the north of Kazakhstan. Hotspots of high soil organic matter depletion were former wetlands, drained for cultivation during the last decades. Assuming that improved agronomic and grazing management could be put in place and that therewith SOC levels in all of Central Asia’s cropland and degraded rangeland could be brought back to native levels in the next 50 years, each year 16.6 Tg C could be sequestered. This is equal to the sizeable amount of 15.5% of the 2004 annual anthropogenic C-emissions of the five Central Asian countries (107 Tg C yr−1). However, Central Asia contributed only 1.4% of CO2 that is set free worldwide by fossil fuel burning. Therefore, the mitigation effect on rising atmospheric CO2 levels and climate change of such ambitious sequestration plans, if put into practice, would be hardly notable. The central Asian example shows that, unfortunately, the strategy of soil C sequestration as a stand-alone measure is not a viable bridge to a future in which alternative energy source can substitute fossil fuel burning, but can only be part of a set of mitigating measures.

Beyond Guns, Germs, and Steel: European Expansion and Maritime Asia, 1400-1750

AbstractWhy did Europeans rather than other Eurasians build the world’s first global empires, extending a measure of control, however fragile and contingent, over the oceans of the world? This article suggests that the best place to find an answer to the question is not in Europe but in Asia. Europeans were not alone in creating overseas empires in the early modern period, but the Asian counterparts to the Portuguese, Dutch, and English Empires are little known. Focusing on two of those Asian examples—the Ya’rubi Dynasty of Oman and the Zheng maritime empire of China—the author suggests that although European technology did confer an advantage on European mariners, it was not an insuperable advantage. Asian powers could adopt and adapt European cannons, ships, and nautical charts and beat the Europeans at their own game. Indeed, he suggests, this intra-Eurasian borrowing is a key process of history over the longue durée.

Rethinking Industrial Policy for Low Income Countries

Abstract: The governments of low income countries should be giving more attention to ‘industrial policy’ than they and the aid donors have given in the past quarter century. (‘Industrial policy’ means any sectorally or activity‐targeted interventions, including in agriculture and services.) The first step is to discard the common assumption that industrial policy is about ‘picking winners’. The second step is to realize that industrial policy can be done ‘big’ or ‘small’, and by ‘leading the market’ or by ‘following the market’. It can be tailored to the available resources and state capacity. The third step is to see that the key issues of industrial policy are less to do with ‘what activities should be encouraged?’, or ‘what sorts of policy instruments are best?’, and more to do with, ‘how do we organize a process of discovery of sensible objectives and policies?’, and ‘how do we organize a constant nudging of producers to upgrade, diversify, link up with foreign firms?’ (where the nudging effort has to be targeted at some activities and sectors more than others). The paper illustrates with East Asian examples. One of the good effects of the current global crisis is that it has shaken confidence in the virtues of lightly regulated markets and free capital movements, and opened the way to a less ideologically charged debate about the role of the state in development—in which thinking is not precluded by easy jeers like ‘governments can't pick winners’ or ‘maybe the East Asians can do it but you can’t, so you have nothing to learn about industrial policy from them’.

POVERTY, POLICY REFORMS FOR RESOURCE-USE AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY: NEGLECTED ISSUES

It is widely believed that in developing countries, open-access to natural resources, inadequate private property rights, and lack of development of market systems add to the incidence of poverty. Increased economic efficiency is seen as a powerful force for reducing the extent of poverty in developing countries in the long run. While this may be so, it ignores the depth and incidence of poverty that can be generated during adjustments to policy reforms. This possibility constrains policy choices as shown theoretically on natural resource policies and agricultural adjustment policies with Asian examples. Social, behavioral, and institutional features are also considered as they may result in the poverty lock-in of some groups. It is essential to consider dynamic processes and not to rely solely on comparative statics when assessing economic policies to reduce poverty and increase economic efficiency. It is also important to take into account the institutional constraints on policy choices.

Global population decline of the Great Slaty Woodpecker ( Mulleripicus pulverulentus)

The Great Slaty Woodpecker ( Mulleripicus pulverulentus) of South and Southeast Asia, the third largest woodpecker species in the world, is currently in the IUCN Red List category of Least Concern. This woodpecker appears associated with old-growth forests, and the rapid reductions in forest cover and old-growth area in Southeast Asia urged examination of its global population trends. We assessed population densities, tree diameter use by the woodpecker, and logging disturbance at 21 transects in four regions across the range of the species: west Borneo, Lingga Island (Riau Archipelago, Indonesia), Tenasserim (Myanmar), and west-central Myanmar. Transect survey effort was 937 km. We assessed rates of deforestation and loss of old-growth forest in the range of the species from expert review reports. By combining population density and forest cover data sets we calculated the global population trend of the species. We found a preference for large diameter trees by foraging and nesting Great Slaty Woodpeckers, and a reduction of the frequency of such trees in logged forests. Across the four study regions, between old-growth forests and logged forests, densities of Great Slaty Woodpeckers were reduced by 80–94%. Although Great Slaty Woodpeckers occur in 15 countries, ca. 70% of the global population occurs in just four countries (Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia), three of which have high annual rates of deforestation and loss of old-growth forest. Our population calculations show that over the past century at least 90% of the global population of the Great Slaty Woodpecker has been lost. At present 26,000–550,000 individuals remain. The current global decline rate of ca. 59% ± SD 17% in three generations justifies IUCN Vulnerable or Endangered status. Contributing factors to the steep decline rate of the species are a long generation time of 5.9–8.2 years and an association with old-growth, lower elevation forests. The Great Slaty Woodpecker case adds an Asian example to a global pattern of specialized woodpeckers that are associated with old or natural forests.

Kitaro Nishida's Philosophy of Emptiness and its Architectural Significance

In order to reconcile the breach between the “typologist” and the “populationist” in contemporary architecture, this article discusses Kitaro Nishida's philosophy of emptiness. The article first introduces Asian artistic examples to illustrate the significance of emptiness in art. It then discusses Nishida's emptiness as the ultimate foundation of reality from which being and nonbeing coemerge. The article also summarizes three interrelated lessons from Nishida's emptiness pertaining to architecture: the dialectic of opposites, the bodily subject of immersion, and the dialectic between the ideal and the real. The article finally explicates these concepts by discussing Asian and Western architectural examples.

Introduction

Building on Southeast Asian examples, this series argues in favour of a dynamic and relational approach to ethnicity, which breaks with the simplifying opposition between relations of meaning and power struggles, as well as with the shortcomings of the primordialist and instrumentalist theories. Contrary to these paradigms, the various contributions presented here assume 1) that ethnicity, to be understood as series of interethnic processes, partly systematized in their ideational and relational dimensions, can be either an end in itself or a means to achieve other ends ; 2) that the manipulation of shared symbols and concepts, related to cultural interfaces, is frequently associated with ethnicity ; 3) that the ends pursued by the interacting groups are not necessarily in competition ; 4) that ethnicity is a process of constantly renewed compromises between cultural dispositions and unprecedented situations ; 5) and that collective mobilizations and competitions may oppose segments or fractions of the society, as much as a whole society against its neighbours.

Introduction to the special issue on the role of nonfarm income in poverty reduction: evidence from Asia and East Africa

AbstractIn this special issue, we present seven studies that collectively attempt to investigate the role of non‐farm income in long‐term and short‐term poverty reduction in Asia and Africa. The first four studies out of the seven use long‐term panel data over two decades in the Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, and India. These studies show drastic increases in non‐farm income shares and corresponding declines in poverty levels over time, especially in the Philippines and Thailand. Education levels of household members and returns to education also increased significantly in these countries. The remaining three studies use cross‐sectional and short‐term panel data from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. These African studies show high proportions of poor households and low shares of non‐farm income that are somewhat comparable to the situation in the 1980s described in the Asian studies. Without the Green Revolution that provided stable farm income and potential financial resources to invest in children' education in Asia, it is not clear if African farm households can follow the Asian examples.

Hubris and hybrids: a cultural history of technology and science

Human societies have not always taken on new technology in appropriate ways. Innovations are double-edged swords that transform relationships among people, as well as between human societies and the natural world. Only through successful cultural appropriation can we manage to control the hubris that is fundamental to the innovative, enterprising human spirit; and only by becoming hybrids, combining the human and the technological, will we be able to make effective use of our scientific and technological achievements.This broad cultural history of technology and science provides a range of stories and reflections about the past, discussing areas such as film, industrial design, and alternative environmental technologies, and including not only European and North American, but also Asian examples, to help resolve the contradictions of contemporary high-tech civilization.

LINKING POLICIES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION WITH ADVANCES IN BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS

Global biodiversity loss and its consequences for human welfare and sustainable development have become major concerns. Economists have, therefore, given increasing attention to the policy issues involved in the management of genetic resources. To do so, they often apply empirical methods developed in behavioral and experimental economics to estimate economic values placed on genetic resources. This trend away from almost exclusive dependence on axiomatic methods is welcomed. However, major valuation methods used in behavioral economics raise new scientific challenges. Possibly the most important of these include deficiencies in the knowledge of the public (and researchers) about genetic resources, implications for the formation of values of supplying information to focal individuals, and limits to rationality.These issues are explored for stated-preference techniques of valuation (e.g., contingent valuation) as well as revealed preference techniques, especially the travel cost method. They are illustrated by Australian and Asian examples. Taking into account behavioral and psychological models and empirical evidence, particular attention is given to how elicitation of preferences, and supply of information to individuals, influences their preferences about biodiversity. Policy consequences are outlined.

"Visible and Visitable": The Role of History in Gita Mehta's Raj and Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance

The title of this essay derives from Henry James' comments in his preface to The Aspern Papers about the qualities of the novel. He liked to read about a past that was both visible and visitable, i.e., a past which was alive, relevant, and the creation of its author. Recent post-modern discussion of historiography has also taken a similar approach to the nature of historical narrative and the kinds of meaning historical writing produces. Hayden White, the leader in this debate, argues that there is little difference between historical narrative and the type of prose narrative associated with fictions. As is now well-known, he posits that the historian's point of view towards the material used in historical writing is equivalent to the fiction writer's point of view when creating a plot for a novel. Whether or not White is right in his analysis is beyond the scope of this essay, but what is of interest in his work is the idea that history is an authorial creation: history is a text shaped by its writer's intention and interpretation of what should be fact. The implications of White's ideas bear on the name and nature of historical fiction of which Raj and A Fine Balance are two recent South Asian examples.

Property Cycles in a Global Economy

Property cycles are varied in terms of their amplitude, their periodicity and the impact they exert on the wider economy. In periods of domestic macroeconomic stability, property cycles tend to be endogenous-i.e. caused by disequilibria in the sector — and they are relatively subdued. In periods of domestic macroeconomic instability, property cycles tend to be exogenous-i.e. caused by various conditions in the macroeconomy-and sometimes feature exceptional fluctuations. The exceptional cycles, with heightened amplitudes and longer periodicity, exert relatively deep and protracted impact on the wider economy. But, the international 'non-system' which has developed since the breakdown of Bretton Woods has placed the property sector in a wider context in the sense that, in addition to influences of domestic macroeconomic conditions, major property cycles are now influenced by various conditions in the international economy. The post-Bretton-Woods period is characterised with deregulation, integration of diverse economies, structural/spatial changes and the very high and still growing capital mobility supported by the rapid progress of financial technology in a multipolar world economy. Two important consequences of these changes have had direct and indirect impacts on property markets. First, deregulation and the ensuing intensification of competition between the banking sector and capital markets narrowed margins and led to excessive lending to the property sector. But, the overinvestment in the property sector in the upturn was unsustainable and turned into non-performing loans in the inevitable downturn, thus increasing risks to the banking sector and threatening the stability of financial systems. This has drastically curtailed the ability of the banking sector to provide capital to finance recovery. Secondly, rapid and voluminous movement of international finance capital increased liquidity in domestic markets and led to rises in asset prices, including property. So, the two-way interdependence between the property sector and the macroeconomy has become more significant in the post-Bretton-Woods period. Accordingly the IMF and the World Bank, through their adjusted policies, are now playing increasingly important roles in international property development, albeit in an indirect way. The purpose of this article is to examine the post-1980 international property cycles in the context of the 'non-system' global economy with particular reference to some Asian examples.

Facilities management development in Hong Kong

The area of facilities management (FM) has grown significantly in recent years. The principles of FM were initially developed in the United States and then exported world‐wide. The UK and parts of Europe are beginning to reap rewards in terms of better industrial practices and efficiency. These have been made possible by the use of benchmarking and the identification of best practices; both within a particular industry and also outside them. FM has only recently been adopted in Asia. This paper will analyse the development of practice, research and education, particularly in Hong Kong. Comparisons will also be drawn between the Asian examples and the UK.

Book Reviews

Regulation for Chemical Safety in Europe: Analysis, Comment and Criticism, Veerle Heyvaert The Biosphere, Maxwell Bruce Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainable Development: Principles and Practices with Asian Examples, Thomas Mosedale Smart Regulation. Designing Environmental Policy, Eva KruzÏíková Listening to the Sea: The Politics of Improving Environmental Protection, Mohammed A. Bekhechi

A zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East: A political project

The history of the Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone proposal, originally advanced by Iran and Egypt in 1974, is described, as well as the extension of the concept in 1990 to include all weapons of mass destruction, and the UN Secretary General's 1990 expert report on the subject. The possible geographic scope of the Middle East for a zone purpose is discussed, concluding that such a zone should include all League of Arab States members and Israel and Iran. The elements and design of a potential treaty for a zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMDFZ) are then considered, including a proposed definition of the concept of weapons of mass destruction, standard features and aspects of such zones, and the issue of sea areas adjacent to the zone. Finally, recent developments are analyzed, particularly the possible effects of the May 1998 Indian and Pakistani nuclear test explosions on the Middle East peace process. It is concluded that Israel, the third nuclear threshold state, will most probably not follow the South Asian example; and that the principal obstacle to progress on the WMDFZ proposal is the delay in implementing the peace process.

Men's work, masculinities and gender divisions of labour

Gender analysis with an explicit focus on men and masculinities has yet to be applied to many developing country contexts or to issues of gender divisions of labour. This article explores the shape that such analyses might take, arguing for a greater conceptual emphasis, in studies of gender divisions of labour, on embodied subjectivities, on agency and on the complexity of gender domination, and for further methodological critique of definitions and measurement of work. Through a discussion of mainly south Asian examples it is suggested that specific groups of men experience well‐being threats as a consequence of high work intensity. It is also proposed that we gain a better understanding of gender divisions of labour, including how women might make use of codes of manliness, through greater analytical attention to men's work and masculinities, since women's investments in subject positions, and agency, develops in relation to men's.

Regulating network communication in Asia: a different balancing act?

Because of often conflicting policy objectives, whether, and how, to regulate network communication has become an art of seeking the best balance. One of the most notable controversies has been balancing between freedom of expression and the need to protect the public from harmful materials. As policy objectives and priorities are set by the political, economic, social and cultural contexts in which laws and regulations are formulated and carried out, policymakers may be caught by different sets of conflicting concerns and end up with solutions which are unique to a particular situation. Using China and Singapore, this article examines two East Asian examples of balancing between economic growth, national sovereignty and social harmony, and the implications of such measures for policy research.