Development In Laos Research Articles

Impact of Commercial Tree Plantations on Smallholder Live-stock Farmers and Their Livelihoods in Lao PDR

We investigated how commercial tree plantations under Lao forest restoration plan toward 2035, influence socio-economic conditions of household. We also seek to calculate environmental income of rural households in Laos. The questionnaire survey was conducted at two villages (Ban Hinheup and Ban Thoulakhom) from Vientiane province (the central) and two villages (Ban Luangnamtha and Ban Viengphoukha) from Luangnamtha Province (the north). Our survey results showed that the economies of the two study villages in central Laos relied moderately on cash and subsistence value of the environment while this only contributed slightly to the other two villages in the north. Villagers around the plantation concession boundary in the plantation village tends to receive benefits from tree plantations while the richest households from Ban Thoulakhom obtained a major proportion of their total household income from rice and livestock production. Several farmers in study area select eucalypt and/or rubber species, which offer profitable and sustainable land-use choices. Our results also revealed that perception towards the effects of Eucalyptus plantation tends to differ from those towards rubber plantations. Rubber plantations in Luangnamtha Province were found to have a higher economic contribution to local livelihoods, but Eucalyptus plantations were perceived to have a less negative environmental impact and could provide more opportunity for local farmers to either inter-crop their annual crops in the plantations or obtain income from the plantation employment activities. Given the rapidly dynamic policies, executing complex policy change needs sustained effort, and the related state organisations need to be pro-actively involved in dialogue with industries and the communities to be more effective. Future policy options for sustainable planted forest development in Laos should ensure that commercial forest plantations offer the pathway for economic, environmental, and social benefits for rural communities.

Impounded rivers, compounded injustice: contesting the social impacts of hydraulic development in Laos

ABSTRACT Laos has rapidly expanded its hydraulic infrastructure, creating profound environmental, economic and social ruptures. We combine frameworks of environmental justice with political ecology to examine the multiple expressions of water injustice evident in three hydropower project case studies involving resettlement. We find that livelihood restoration measures have not ameliorated, but reproduced underlying problems of poverty, inequity, exclusion and coercive expressions of social injustice. These are viewed as the structural outcomes of political choices. We conclude that there is little potential for a water justice paradigm in Laos without significant reforms to the national frameworks for water governance and human rights.

Material Itineraries of Electric Tuk- Tuks: The Challenges of Green Urban Development in Laos

In the context of global climate change, development organizations aim to align their aid schemes with new environmental concerns. Since the transport sector is crucial to achieve carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the introduction of environmentally-friendly transportation systems and technologies to developing countries has become a major focus of development aid. This paper examines one such sustainable transport project in Laos, centering on the introduction of electric vehicles (EV). At the beginning, aid professionals envisioned the establishment of an EV network, in which batteries, hydroelectric powerplants, the CO2 market, and numerous other entities would be rolled out in the capital of Vientiane and several other towns. A few years later, it had been downscaled to introduce a small number of EVs to the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang. The article analyses this process of transformation by examining the network extensions and cuts that shaped the trajectory of the EV into Laos. It further scrutinizes how the contexts of more-or-less urban places influenced the material itineraries of the project. This process, which led to the eventual implementation of EVs in Luang Prabang, and their subsequent disappearance, provides a window of opportunity for analyzing the significant challenges of green urban development in Laos and Southeast Asia more generally.

The long-term causal effect of U.S. bombing missions on economic development: Evidence from the Ho Chi Minh Trail and Xieng Khouang Province in Lao P.D.R

This study investigates the long-term causal effects of U.S. bombing missions during the Vietnam War on later economic development in Laos. Following an instrumental variables approach, we use the distance between the centroid of village-level administrative boundaries and heavily bombed targets, namely, the Ho Chi Minh Trail in southern Laos and Xieng Khouang Province in northern Laos, as an instrument for the intensity of U.S. bombing missions. We use three datasets of mean nighttime light intensity (1992, 2005, and 2013) and two datasets of population density (1990 and 2005) as outcome variables. The estimation results show no robust long-term effects of U.S. bombing missions on economic development in southern Laos but show negative effects in northern Laos, even 40 years after the war. We also found that the results do not necessarily support the conditional convergence hypothesis within a given country, although this result could be unique to Laos.

Spatiotemporal changes of economic and social development in Laos based on nighttime light data, 1992-2020

Spatiotemporal changes of economic and social development in Laos based on nighttime light data, 1992-2020

How many human pathogens are there in Laos? An estimate of national human pathogen diversity and analysis of historical trends

ObjectiveThe emergence of infectious diseases pose major global health threats. Estimates of total in-country human pathogen diversity, and insights as to how and when species were described through history, could...

Causes of Delays in Road Construction Projects in Laos

One of the most important sectors in infrastructure development in Laos is road construction. However, many road construction projects in Laos suffer from extensive delays. This causes damage such as recurring problems in the road construction industry, and has a negative effect on the success of road construction projects in terms of schedule, cost, quality, safety and the amenity of road users. The goal of this study is to determine the main causes of these delays and to offer remedies. To identify the causes of delays, a questionnaire is designed by modifying one used to measure causes of delays in road construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine and in consultation with engineering experts with more than 10 years of experience in Laos road construction projects. A total of 53 causes of delay are identified as important in Laos. Questionnaire respondents included 35 contractors, 31 owners and 24 consultants in total. The survey results indicate that the five top factors causing road construction delays are: Contractor cash flow; Delayed payment by owner; Difficulties in financing project by contractor; Financial issues related to owner; and Insufficient equipment and vehicles for the work.

The role of animal breeding with special regard to native pigs of food supply and rural development in Laos

The present paper explored the influence of breeding native pigs on livelihood conditions and the contribution of native pigs to the rural development and rural poverty reduction in the rural areas of Lao PDR. Pig production plays an important role in meat supply for both urban and rural areas of Laos. It is clear that most of the pig products in the country come from smallholder pig farms, and more than 90 percent of those products are the native pigs mostly raised by farmers in remote areas. In general, livestock production distributed between 15–18 percent to GDP, while most of animal production still remains as the traditional methods. Rural development is always the first priority of the Laos government since its independence in 1975, however, the poverty rate in rural areas remained high at 23% in 2018. It might block the development goal of the government which will lead the country out of the least development status by 2020. The food security and malnutrition in the rural or mountainous areas are considered as the majority issue that both government and several international organizations have been thriving hard to overcome, which researchers showed that more than 45% of children under 5 years of age were stunted, and 28% of them were underweight. Inspired of more than 50 % of the households in the rural areas of Laos reported they consumed chicken and pork at least one day a week. While native pigs play an important role on meat supply, it also constituted around 9–14 % of annual income of the households in rural areas. Therefore, the increase the production of pigs and poultry is one option to promote the meat supply to households in the rural areas of Laos. This paper will be a pathway to guide and identify for the final decision to what experiment will be implemented on Lao native pig in Laos (2021–2023) to complete the comparative study on reproductive physiology and reproductive management methods of Hungarian and Lao Indigenous pig breed. Which found it still needs further afford to research and improve more about native pig performance for all areas of productive and quality management.

“They will not automatically benefit”: The politics of infrastructure development in Laos's Northern Economic Corridor

At a time when the shortcomings of neoliberal development are well known, China's Belt and Road Initiative offers both an opportunity and a requirement to revisit the question of a more inclusive, equitable approach to infrastructure development. This article examines the case of the Northern Economic Corridor, a highway-centered regional trade corridor constructed through northwestern Laos in the early-mid 2000s that was co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and the governments of China and Thailand, and that has been subsequently included in the BRI as one of a group of regional corridors following the historical trajectories of the Silk Road. By examining the discursive politics of infrastructure's formal geography – and focusing on the practices that manage how publicly funded projects address predictable, negative impacts – this paper engages with emerging research on the BRI, wider scholarship on infrastructure, and the political geography of transnational development cooperation and financing at multiple scales. Specifically, I show how vulnerable populations were excluded from the protections of infrastructure mitigation along an early BRI project, and use this to argue that scholars, community advocates, infrastructure planners, financiers, regulators and others engaged with the BRI and other new infrastructure initiatives should rethink established conventions that demote the attention paid to “indirect” impacts. I highlight the arena of formal-geographic mitigation planning as a key field of engagement in the struggle to make new infrastructure live up to expectations about inclusive and equitable development.

Hydro/Power? Politics, Discourse and Neoliberalization in Laos's Hydroelectric Development

Hydropower development is making a global resurgence due to endorsement by powerful global institutions such as the World Bank and the imperative to scale up renewable energy production to address global climate change. Employing a green governmentality lens, we analyze the debate surrounding one controversial dam in Laos, the Xayaburi. In the realm of hydropower development in the Mekong, a green governmentality approach allows for both an investigation of the macro-political influences on hydropower development, including trade liberalization and regional economic development, and the micro-political disciplining of state and non-state actors who, through legitimizing particular discourses and practices, reinforce global power relations. Our findings suggest that World Bank-style sustainable development discourses continue to shape ideas and practices relating to hydropower and sustainable development in Laos. However, we conclude that green neoliberalization does not fully explain how the Lao state is operating and that more attention to its practices as an authoritarian state is needed. This case moves the study of green governmentality forward by examining how green neoliberalization operates in a variegated, late-neoliberal world.

Firm-level human resource management and innovation activities in production networks: a case study of Lao handicraft firms

ABSTRACTThis study examines the organizational aspects of industrial development in Laos, with a focus on how human resources interact with production and innovation activities at the firm level. Relative to that seen in other industries, for handicraft firms, human capital plays a more important role in new-product development and in various interaction processes. Therefore, this study leverages both theory and data from face-to-face interviews, while considering three selected handicraft firms from various study perspectives. Both parts of the analysis shed light on the informal and formal paths that firms take to generate innovation and achieve new-product development and changes. The study looks at the impact of other factors on firm-level innovation by examining both the internal and external factors that lead firms to diversify their product offerings, upgrade their processes, transfer knowledge and access global production networks. Finally, the study provides in-depth analysis of the nature of product development ideas, and offers both concrete conclusions and general recommendations.

Dilemmas of hydropower development in Laos

ABSTRACTLaos has launched ambitious plans on poverty reduction greatly by developing hydropower in the mainstream of the Mekong River. However, upstream dam construction may result in salt water intrusion followed by ecology deterioration of downstream countries in a transboundary river context. These potential impacts could worsen economy and social growth, ecology security, and residents’ lives to downstream states. Furthermore, diplomatic crisis may be triggered if all stakeholders do not handle the conflicts properly. In this study, dilemmas of hydropower development in Laos are analyzed from policy perspective. Various factors constraining hydropower exploration are identified. Results indicate that the Lao government is confronted with numerous stressors from the mechanism of the Mekong River Commission and other organizations in hydropower development. Laos should adopt multiple approaches to shake off the current dilemmas rather than pursue a unilateral policy on dam construction in the Mekong River.

<b>Entrepreneurship, Human and Social Capital, and Government Policy in Small and Medium Enterprise Development in Laos </b>

Considering the contribution of entrepreneurship to economic development in Laos through small and medium enterprises, the paper addresses the relationship between entrepreneurial human and social capital, and successful entrepreneurship – business turnover and job creation. The analysis applies data extracted from the Enterprise Survey 2009 conducted by GIZ. The study finds that human and social capital enhances successful entrepreneurship in SMEs. The impact of entrepreneur's education on business success is largely limited to a relatively small firm size. The implementation of government policies needs an extensive improvement, if the government aims to achieve its target in promoting SME development. The findings pertain to the importance of government commitment and human resource development in the context of Laos.

(International Cooperation for Educational Development in Laos)

(International Cooperation for Educational Development in Laos)

Religious Resurgence, Authoritarianism, and “Ritual Governance”:BaciRituals, Village Meetings, and the Developmental State in Rural Laos

Much productive scholarship across Asia has considered the links between religious resurgence and authoritarian governance. However, limitations persist in conceptualizations of state authority, which I examine in the literature on Southeast Asia. Noteworthy are the assumptions that central institutions are definitive of authoritarian states, and divides between study of the sacred and secular. I propose the notion of “ritual governance” to address these conceptual issues and illustrate this with an ethnographic case study from a major development project in Laos, the Nam Theun 2 hydropower scheme. I show how Lao government officials working with ethnic minority villagers used abaciritual and village meeting to combine a persuasive sense of unity with coercive use of hierarchy. Significantly, thebaciand other Buddhist rituals were suppressed by the early socialist state, but regained prominence with ideological shifts from socialism to modern developmentalism. This case study demonstrates the contemporary significance of state-sponsored ritual for development in Laos as well as the need for more nuanced conceptions of the state in discussions of religiosity and authoritarianism across Asia.

Corporate social responsibility: Benefits for youth in hydropower development in Laos

The role of the state as regulator combined with policies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that go beyond legal requirements to establishing programmes that promote development and good international business practice is an emerging new paradigm. In this paper, the example of a state-owned company, Statkraft A.S. of Norway, and its recent hydropower investment in central Laos illustrates how policy, implementation and follow-up can lead to benefits for local communities in the impacted area of the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project (THXP). Programmes include both support for and improvement of existing government education programmes, employment opportunities and specific programmes for youth. They have been designed to mitigate possible negative effects of the influx of workers and rapid socio-economic change in the affected area. Young people continue to have a central role in the implementation of these programmes as peer educators under the supervision of project staff and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Role and Opportunities for Foreign Investment and Its Risks for Rural Development in Laos

Role and Opportunities for Foreign Investment and Its Risks for Rural Development in Laos

Human Security and Development in the Lao PDR

Development in Laos has occurred slowly, with uneven distribution and significant negative effects. This article challenges the simplistic assumption of human development and human security as mutually reinforcing processes. It suggests a holistic approach addressing simultaneously competing demands from the perspective of the most vulnerable sectors of society.

Forest and plantation development in Laos: history, development and impact for rural communities

This paper presents a historical review and overview of the Lao forest sector. Previous research and forestry related policy documents of Laos indicate that forest management has evolved through six stages. Initially, natural forests were used by local people for basic needs. Little was destroyed or degraded. The second stage was greatly influenced by French colonisation. The third was a period when natural forests made major contributions to national economic growth, when natural forests were increasingly and widely harvested. Remaining phases involved growing criticism of Lao forest management practices from international organisations and the Laos National Assembly. Recently, private investment in tree plantations has increased. Overall, ineffective policies and inefficient institutional agencies have seriously constrained Lao forest management. Policy instruments such as concessions to plantation development need to be modified and balanced by the promotion of outgrower schemes. Plantation investments should be encouraged to follow international standards, guidelines and codes of practice.

Effects of cross-border power trade between Laos and Thailand: Energy security and environmental implications

This paper analyzed the effects of hydropower development in Laos and power trade between Laos and Thailand on economy wide, energy resource mix, power generation capacity mix, energy system cost, environment, as well as, energy security. A MARKAL-based model for an integrated energy system of Laos and Thailand was developed to assess the effects of energy resource development and trade to meet the national energy demands of the two countries. Two national MARKAL-based energy system models of Laos and Thailand were formulated for the study. The results show that 80% exploitation of water resource in Laos would induce power trade between the countries. The integrated energy system cost is found to decrease marginally but it would mitigate the CO 2 emission by 2% when compared with the base case. Thailand is expected to gain benefit from the increased level of power imported from Laos in terms of the lower energy system cost, better environmental quality and, greater diversification of energy sources. As compared to the base case, Laos would become the net energy exporter, earn significant export revenue, and improve the increase in revenue of energy export per increase in total energy system cost from the maximum exploitation of hydropower resource.