Asian Sector Research Articles

Pacific Region Equatorial Anomaly Studies in Asia (PREASA): Part 1 introduction and overview of the program

Abstract This paper introduces the Pacific Region Equatorial Anomaly Studies in Asia program which began in February 1996 and will continue throughout a solar cycle (approximately to the year 2006). The PREASA program aims to improve the understanding of the electrodynamics and atmospheric dynamics in the regions where the ionospheric equatorial anomaly causes disruptions in the ground based and ground to satellite communication links. The program is based on mutual cooperation among the institutes in countries around the South-East Asian sector for the improvement to the telecommunications industry. The program has sponsored three campaigns, one in 1996, 1997 and 1998, producing several new and interesting results, of which some will be discussed in this paper.

Asian Summer Monsoon—ENSO Feedback on the Cane–Zebiak Model ENSO

Abstract The Asian summer monsoon heating anomalies are parameterized in terms of the concurrent ENSO SST anomalies and used as additional forcing in the Cane–Zebiak (CZ) Pacific ocean–atmosphere anomaly model. The Asian heating parameterization is developed from the rotated principal component analysis of combined interannual variability of the tropical Pacific SSTs, residually diagnosed tropical diabatic heating at 400 mb (from ECMWF’s analyses), and the 1000-mb tropical winds during the 1979–97 summer months of June, July, and August. Analysis of the 95 000-yr-long model integrations conducted with and without the interactive Asian sector heating anomalies reveals that their influence on the Pacific surface winds leads to increased ENSO occurrence—an extra ENSO event every 20 yr or so. An examination of the ENSO distribution w.r.t. the peak SST anomaly in the eastern equatorial Pacific shows increased El Nino occurrence in the 2.2–3.6 K range (and −1.0 to −1.6 K range in case of cold events) along with...

Attaining food security in Central Asia—emerging issues and challenges for policy research

Developing long-term strategies for improving food security, alleviating poverty and encouraging sound use of natural resources is fundamental for sustained economic growth in Central Asia. However, the process of policy and institutional reforms has been complex and slow. This paper, based on several rounds of client consultation, attempts to synthesize emerging issues and challenges that confront food and agricultural sectors in Central Asia. It argues that developing institutions that will foster a policy dialogue on long-term issues related to food, agriculture and the environment within and among the Central Asian countries is fundamental to identify development strategies for the next 10 to 15 years. This will require setting priorities for future food, agriculture, and natural resource policy research and analysis that will help in generating and sharing information on the policy challenges and solutions useful for Central Asia in its quest to reduce malnutrition, eradicate poverty and protect the natural resource base.

First observations of quasi‐periodic radar echoes from Stanford, California

We present first results from a search for quasi‐periodic (QP) radar echoes in the American sector. These echoes, which are produced by underdense backscatter from field‐aligned irregularities in nighttime midlatitude sporadic E (Es), have been observed in the Asian sector but never before at other longitudes. Using radar data collected during the summer in 1998 from Stanford, California, we show that QP echoes can indeed be detected in the American sector and that they resemble those found in central and southern Japan. We then show that the invariance of a feature in the pattern of QP echoes, which persisted for five hours on 3 August 1998, raises questions regarding the existing models for QP echoes.

Shipping and Trade in Java, c. 1775: A Quantitative Analysis

Since the 1930s shipping and trade in Southeast Asia during the early modern period have attracted much attention from historians. The pioneer in this field was the Dutch scholar, J. C. van Leur, whose original work was translated into English during the 1950s (Van Leur 1955). Van Leur's interest was heavily weighted toward what he labelled ‘old Asian trade,’ and as such he was one of the first who called for an Asia-centric perspective. He drew attention to the fact that the maritime sector of Southeast Asia had its own dynamics. In the 1960s, M. A. P. Meilink-Roelofsz carried on the work of analyzing the indigenous maritime sector as well as the effects of the Portuguese and Dutch onslaughts on it up to the 1630s (Meilink-Roelofsz 1962). Limiting our perspective to the Malayo-Indonesian Archipelago, in the last decade several regional case studies have further enhanced our knowledge of the subject, such as those on Sulu (Warren 1981), Batavia (Blussé 1986), Amboina (Knaap 1987), Central and East Java (Nagtegaal 1988), and the Straits of Malacca (Vos 1993). Furthermore, Anthony Reid has recently tried to create a synthesis for the entire region of Southeast Asia up to 1680 (Reid 1993).

Sectorial Macroeconomic Interdependences: Evidence for Latin America, East Asia and Europe

This paper analyzes common economic patterns across countries and economic sectors in Latin America, East Asia and Europe for the period 1970-94 by means of an error-components model that decomposes real value added growth in each country into common international effects, sector-specific effects and country-specific effects. We find significant comovements in the European and East Asian samples. In the Latin American sample, however, we find country-specific components to be more important than common patterns. These results are robust to different sub-sample time spans and different sub-sample country groups.

Sectorial Macroeconomic Interdependencies: Evidence for Latin America, East Asia and Europe

This paper analyzes common economic patterns across countries and economic sectors in Latin America, East Asia and Europe for the period 1970–94 by means of an error-components model that decomposes real value added growth in each country into common international effects, sector-specific effects and country-specific effects. We find significant comovements in the European and East Asian samples. In the Latin American sample, however, we find country-specific components to be more important than common patterns. These results are robust to different sub-sample time spans and different sub-sample country groups.

The Rural Non-Farm Sector in Asia

The Rural Non-Farm Sector in Asia

Globalization and construction industry development: implications of recent developments in the construction sector in Asia

Recent developments in the construction sector in the Asian region demonstrate three trends: (1) larger private sector participation in infrastructure projects, (2) increasing vertical integration in the packaging of construction projects, and (3) increased foreign participation in domestic construction. This paper attributes the trends to the globalization and deregulation of markets necessitated by fiscal, technological and managerial constraints. Although these trends present intra-Asian opportunities, there are also areas of concern. The trends have helped polarize the financial and technical superiority of the developed countries and the corresponding inferiority of the developed countries in the region of the developing ones. In the long term, this gap could be filled through technology transfer. In the short term, however, there are concerns that imported construction services could grow at the expense of the indigenous sectors of the developing countries. This paper illustrates this dilemma with the case of Japan as a world leader in international construction services. Its dominance has apparently come through the orchestration of industrial and corporate policies, implemented in a highly regulated and protected domestic market. However, construction industries in other Asian economies (such as China) will have to leapfrog in technology, finance and management know-how (e.g. through joint ventures with developed countries' construction companies) before they can become formidable powers in an environment that has become much more global, more de-regulated, more open and more competitive than before.

Book Reviews : ARIF A. WAQIF, Cooperative Development of Transport and Communications Sectors in South Asia. Delhi: Macmillan, 1997, pp. 92, Rs. 175

Book Reviews : ARIF A. WAQIF, Cooperative Development of Transport and Communications Sectors in South Asia. Delhi: Macmillan, 1997, pp. 92, Rs. 175

Tele-Teaching

As computers and telecommunications stretch across the globe and merge into compunications, new opportunities arise for activities that cross national boundaries and become transformed into something never before possible. This chapter provides an overview of one of these activities, which is poised to undergo a fundamental transformation within the next decade — information technology (IT) in education. This chapter first presents an overview of the literature on IT in education, distance education, and the potential convergence of on- and off-campus education. A characterisation of the higher education sectors in Australia and Asia is then presented, as well as the current trend of Australian universities to establish off-shore ties with organisations in Asia to deliver international, “information-age†education. The impacts and opportunities of IT for education in general, for Asia’s emerging economies, and for Australia (as an education provider) will also be examined, along with some initial strategy recommendations.

Learning in understructured environments: lessons from power sector development in Asia

How does one learn in an understructured environment? What should one learn in such an environment? There is no obvious answer to these questions; nevertheless this is a challenge confronting business development managers in the energy sector. In recent years huge markets have opened up in much of Asia; however, the art of developing or tapping these markets is as yet not well understood. This is exemplified in the slow progress that has been made in bringing projects to a final closure. The Asian market is fundamentally an understructured environment and it is this characteristic which has slowed down the development of projects. Institutions, be they political, regulatory, or social, function ever so imperfectly. Although the countries are in the midst of developing a stable institutional framework for conducting transactions, this is a long‐term process where progress is likely to be slow and volatile. Poses a central dilemma for business development managers; How should they operate in markets where institutions are still in the process of evolution? Addresses the issue of learning in understructured environments, using the development of the power sector in Asia as the core example.

Development and implementation of quality assurance in public construction works in Singapore and Hong Kong

Quality assurance (QA) has been adopted by the public construction sectors in Asia since the introduction of ISO 9000 quality standards in 1987. The Governments of Singapore and Hong Kong have designed a series of quality infrastructure to promote, develop and improve the quality management system in the construction industry. Highlights the rapid development of quality systems in Singapore and Hong Kong, and the implementation of the construction quality assessment system (CONQUAS) in Singapore. Examines the performance assessment scoring system (PASS) in Hong Kong to assess the quality of building works. Discusses and compares the incentives for the construction sectors to achieve the ISO 9000 certification in both cities.

Aquaculture and the environment: the supply of and demand for environmental goods and services by Asian aquaculture and the implications for sustainability

billion) (FAO 1996). Nevertheless, the sustainability The present paper explores the relationships between of some aquaculture industries are increasingly aquaculture and the environment in Asia, focusing being questioned: irrespective of which indicators on the demands for environmental goods and are used ‐ resource use efficiency, financial viability, services among different sectors. Aquaculture in the operational period, social interactions ‐ sustainregion accounts for 88% of global production by ability issues are readily apparent throughout the weight and 80% by value. Nevertheless, region. Whilst the concepts of sustainability are environmental problems are increasingly apparent poorly defined for aquaculture, the consensus is and the higher the demands for environmental that sustainability incorporates social, technical, goods and services, the more negative the impacts. financial and ecological concerns and that Against a background of rapid social, economic interactions between aquaculture and its ecological and political change, the paper considers how the environment ‐ the focus of this paper ‐ are becoming sustainability of the industry is best assured. An increasingly important and the extent of the integrated view of resource use, in which problems are such that they can no longer be aquaculture is but one activity, is necessary for ignored. As an example, the Network of Aquaculture sustainable development. The roles of planning, Centres in Asia (NACA) estimates that education, research and environmental environmental problems (including disease losses) management schemes are discussed. cost the sector in Asia at least US$ 3 billion per annum in lost revenues (ADB/NACA 1996). The present paper explores the relationships

97/03427 SO 2 emission intensities of the power sector in Asia: Effects of generation-mix and fuel-intensity changes

97/03427 SO 2 emission intensities of the power sector in Asia: Effects of generation-mix and fuel-intensity changes

SO 2 emission intensities of the power sector in Asia: Effects of generation-mix and fuel-intensity changes

This paper analyzes the evolution of SO 2 emission intensities of the power sector in 12 selected Asian economies during the period 1980–1994 and the roles of fuel intensity and generation mix on changes in emission intensity using the Divisia decomposition approach. A key finding of the paper is that changes in generation mix were mainly responsible for the changes in SO 2 emission intensities in China, Thailand and South Korea, while changes in fuel intensity were influential in the case of India, Japan and Taiwan.

96/06135 Structural changes in the power sector in Asia. Improving profitability

96/06135 Structural changes in the power sector in Asia. Improving profitability

Factors affecting CO 2 intensities of power sector in Asia: A Divisia decomposition analysis

This paper analyses the evolution of CO 2 intensity of the electricity sector in 12 selected Asian countries during the period 1980–1990. The roles of changes in generation mix and fuel intensity in CO 2 intensity changes during the period have been examined using Divisia index decomposition approach. A key finding of this study is that power sector CO 2 intensities of most Asian countries were mainly influenced by changes in fuel intensities during 1980–1990.

Equatorial ionospheric response to isolated auroral substorms over a solar cycle (1980−85): evidence of longitudinal anomaly

Abstract. The equatorial ionospheric response to 228 isolated, rapid-onset auroral substorms (as defined from the auroral electrojet index AE) was found from enhancements of the virtual (minimum) height of the F-region (∆h$^\\prime$F) in the declining phase of a solar cycle (1980–85). The responses, found for three longitudinal sectors at the equator: Africa (Ouagadougou and Dakar), Asia (Manila) and America (Huancayo), were compared with the response close to the auroral source region at Yakutsk (northern Siberia). The auroral substorm onsets were centered at 17 and 15 UT at sunspot maximum (1980–82) and minimum (1983–85), preceding by 3–5 h the period of post-sunset height rise in the African sector whereas other sectors were in the early afternoon (Huancayo) and morning (Manila). The African response, particularly at Ouagadougou, was distinctly different from other sectors. In the sunspot maximum years (1980–81) the auroral surges were followed after about 3 h by a sharp depression (∆h$^\\prime$F<0) in the post-sunset height rise, with a period of little or no response (∆h$^\\prime$F=0) in 1982. A response polarity reversal (∆h$^\\prime$F>0) was noted in this sector for sunspot minimum (1983–85) when large h$^\\prime$F enhancements were observed at the sunset region. The responses in the Asian and American sector were positive except for a case in Huancayo when response was negative, following an auroral surge before the sunset at this station. It appears that the aurorally generated large-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs), which first cause positive height enhancements in a sub-auroral location (Yakutsk), subsequently affect the unstable post-sunset ionosphere in the equatorial Africa.

Structural changes in the power sector in Asia Improving profitability

This study determined the characteristics of profitable electric utilities and those with low power rates in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region. It also examined current reforms, notably structural changes, regulation and privatization which are reshaping the power industry in Asia. The paper suggests that power industry reforms should propel electric utilities to success by also addressing the critical factors necessary for utilities to attain optimum profitability and competitive tariffs. Cross-section analysis of utilities in Asia shows that the biggest barrier to achieving higher profits is systems loss, followed by inflation, proportion of purchased power expense and fuel expense. Privately owned utilities and those in countries with a ministry of energy are also found to be more profitable. According to utilities surveyed, government can help utilities by granting them more autonomy, equity, better guidelines for IPPs, a more independent regulatory body, less frequent changes in top management, stricter laws on pilferage and tariff relief.