Governing Asia

Asian countries are among the largest contributors to climate change. China, India, Japan and South Korea are among the top ten largest carbon emitters in the world, with South Korea, Japan and Taiwan also some of the largest on a per capita basis. At the same time, many Asian countries, notably India, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand are among those most affected by climate change, in terms of economic losses attributed to climate-related disasters. Asia is an extremely diverse region, in terms of the political regimes of its constituent countries, and of their level of development and the nature of their civil societies. As such, its countries are producing a wide range of governance approaches to climate change. Covering the diversity of climate change governance in Asia, this book presents cosmopolitan governance from the perspective of urban and rural communities, local and central governments, state-society relations and international relations. In doing so it offers both a valuable overview of individual Asian countries’ approaches to climate change governance, and a series of case studies for finding solutions to climate change challenges.

This volume showcases the diversity of the politics and practices of climate change governance across Southeast Asia. Through a series of country-level case studies and regional perspectives, the authors in this volume explore the complexities and contested nature of climate governance in what can be considered as one of the most dynamic and multi-faceted regions of the world. They reflect upon the tensions between authoritarian and democratic climate change governance, the multiple roles of civil society and non-state interventions, and the conflicts between state planning and market-driven climate change governance. Shedding light on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in Southeast Asia, this book presents the various formal and informal institutions of climate change governance, their relevant actors, procedures, and policies. Empirical findings from a diverse set of environments are merged into a cross-country comparison that allows for elaborating on similar patterns whilst at the same time highlighting the distinct features of climate change governance in Southeast Asia. Drawing on case studies from all Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners dealing with climate change and environmental governance.

These thirty-eight essays by the professors and research fellows of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the School. The core theme of the essays is governance in Asia and what its governments and peoples are doing for the public good. As Asia rises, its policymakers and citizens, and indeed the rest of the world, are increasingly asking how this dynamic region is making public policy, what we can learn from that exciting, often turbulent process, and how Asians can do better. The School's diverse and international group of scholars have written a set of informal, provocative, and passionate essays about governance in Asia — its past, present, and future — and why they study it. The volume — a candid, engaging act of transparency and disclosure — is also an invitation to join the conversation on the problems and promise of Asia and the larger dialogue on public policy and policy research in a globalized world. Contents:In Search of Good Public Administration and Governance (Naomi AOKI)A Third Generation Theory of Collective Action (Eduardo ARARAL)Growing Importance and Increasing Complexity: Research in Public Financial Management in Asia (Mukul G ASHER)India on My Mind (Kanti BAJPAI)New Mindsets: Solving the World's Water and Wastewater Problems (Asit K BISWAS)How Did I Get Here? Where am I Going? Thinking on a Bicycle (Joost BUURMAN)Is There a Macroeconomic Policy Regime in China? (CHEN Kang)The Story of Missing Women (Yvonne J CHEN)Why Public Policy Needs to Take a Broader View on Well-Being (Namrata CHINDARKAR)From Slobodan Milosevic to Doraemon (HENG Yee Kuang)The Poetry of Politics: What I Research and Why (Selina HO)Tracing How Governments Think (Michael HOWLETT)The Challenge for Labour Market Policy Research (HUI Weng Tat)The Price of the Invaluable: The Role of Companies and Markets in Water Supply (Olivia JENSEN)From Gangnam Apartments to Urban Development Policy in Asia — A Personal Journey (JOO Yu Min)Research Passion for Excellence in Teaching (Suzaina KADIR)Population Ageing in the East and West (KIM Erin Hye-Won)Coincidences or Opportunities? (Ashish LALL)Water Narratives: Caricature of a General Theory of Institutional Change (LEONG Ching)Local Government Fiscal Disparities in China (LI Hui)New Ideas for a 'New Normal' Singapore (Donald LOW)Is Humanity Rational? (Kishore MAHBUBANI)First, Ask the Right Question (NG Kok Hoe)Of Mice and Man: A Personal Research Journey (Tikki PANG)Health for All, All for Health — Public Policy Research for Global Health (PHUA Kai Hong)Bureaucracy, I Love You (Ora-orn POOCHAROEN)Capital Flows, Crises, and Exchange Rate Management in Emerging Asia (Ramkishen S RAJAN)Destiny, Detachment, and Public Policy (M RAMESH)My "Research Passion" — Securing the Survival and Well-Being of Our Species (John RICHARDSON)The Big Picture and the Small, the Long View and the Short (Razeen SALLY)The Professorial Life: Seamlessness, Synergy, and Significance (Kenneth Paul TAN)The Need for a Serious Rethink on Economics (Dodo J THAMPAPILLAI)Any Progress Towards Sustainable Development or at Least Sustained Development? (Cecilia TORTAJADA)Making Research a Fulfilling Mission (VU Minh Khuong)What Drives Public Managers in Tough Governance Settings? (Zeger van der WAL)Dirty Boots and Polished Shoes (Robert J WASSON)Warming up the Cold Bench (WU Xun)Building an Asian Scholarship of Public Administration and Policy (Wai-Hang YEE) Readership: Academics, policy makers, LKY School students, alumni and faculty, and anyone interested in the development and management of universities and other institutions of higher education. Keywords:Public Policy;Education;University;Management;Leadership;Institution-Building;Lee Kuan Yew;Singapore;ResearchReviews: “In ten short years, the LKY School has achieved a certain international reputation. This is partly due to the inimitable leadership of Kishore Mahbubani and partly because the work of the School meets a crying need for better governance in Asia. The 38 essays in the book are snapshots of what the School has been doing from different perspectives, giving the reader a sense of where the School is heading as it rides a current of history.” George Yeo Chairman, Kerry Logistics Former Singapore Foreign Minister “This volume of essays by the faculty and research fellows of the LKY School is a series of succinct and candid reflections on public policy research — it is also an insightful guide to rising Asia.” Pascal Lamy Former Director General of the World Trade Organization “Kishore Mahbubani and his colleagues draw us into the exciting world of Asian governance and the making of public policy for development in this most dynamic region.” Helen Clark UNDP Administrator and Chair of the United Nations Development Group “Ever wonder what public policy schools do and why? Here is a place to find out. This volume is a biography of Asia's premier school and also an encounter with a burgeoning academic field. The Lee Kuan Yew School has accomplished so very much in an incredibly short period of time.” Merit E Janow Dean, School of International and Public Affairs Professor of Practice, International Economic Law & International Affairs Columbia University “Is there a Singapore 'school' of public policy thinking and research? These essays suggest that the LKY School may be laying the groundwork.” Justin Lin Professor, Peking University Former Chief Economist, the World Bank “The School shares its intellectual passions and ambitions with a directness and clarity which justifies the international attention it so well deserves.” Lim Siong Guan Group President, GIC

This book documents experimentation with various policy and governance approaches that produce structural differences in the composition and organisation of Asia’s higher education systems. In view of the wide variation in the public and private provision of higher education, it showcases how issues of access, equity and modes of participation are addressed, how institutional and programme quality are managed and how academic labour is treated and developed. The book both maps these differences and analyses the country-level dynamics, policy approaches and the problems faced by a variety of states in Asia in the race to develop competitive higher education systems. Focusing on the intersection of governance and higher education policy, it addresses the challenges facing higher education in Asia and the national responses of governments in terms of the organisation of the sector.

This book presents the latest research on three issues of crucial importance to Asian cities: governance, livability, and sustainability. Together, these issues canvass the salient trends defining Asian urbanization and are explored through an eclectic compendium of studies that represent the many voices of this diverse region. Examining the processes and implications of Asian urbanization, the book interweaves practical cases with theories and empirical rigor while lending insight and complexity into the towering challenges of urban governance. The book targets a broad audience including thinkers, practitioners, and students.

In an era of rapid and extensive globalisation, the world faces a wide range of transboundary problems that require effective collective action. Key among these are threats to human health that do not recognise national borders, and include emerging and re-emerging infections, rising rates of chronic diseases, inadequate access to affordable and safe medicines, spreading anti-microbial resistance and the health effects of climate change. These threats require a transnational response and thus pose significant challenges to global health governance, as well as to long established notions of national sovereignty. This book investigates the neglected question of the impact of a rising Asia on the management of transboundary health problems. The chapters examine the role played by Asia in the governance of a range of global health issues, from development assistance in health, to global health instruments dealing with tobacco control and disease outbreaks, to health research and knowledge products, and the book concludes by examining the broad themes of a rising Asia’s role in the complexity of global health governance. The various analyses are tied together by a common focus on Asian countries’ use of the sovereignty principle, and seek to understand how traditional notions of national sovereignty can both clash with, and enhance, governance objectives in global health. In addition, the contributors examine the interaction between global, regional and domestic institutions, and present current ideas in Asia on the challenge of governing global health. With an inter-disciplinary approach that combines international relations, public policy and public health, this book will be invaluable to both scholars and policy makers working in these fields, as well as Asian politics, social policy and governance more generally.

The field of knowledge for development now occupies a top position on the agenda of all Asian governments as well as large development organizations. This book reflects this mega-trend of development towards KBEs (Knowledge Based Economies). For this 2nd edition all chapters have been thoroughly edited and data, tables and graphs have been updated to reflect the latest available statistics. Trends have been re-evaluated and adjusted to reflect recent developments in the fast-moving scene of knowledge governance and knowledge management.

Over the last twenty-five years, there has been an acceleration in the move from government regulation towards privatization. Governance, Regulation, and Privatization in the Asia-Pacific Region is the first thoroughgoing account of the relative success of the different approaches to privatization as undertaken in Korea, China, Australia, and Japan. In most contexts, privatization is expected to yield greater efficiency and cost effectiveness while avoiding the corruption and bloated budgets of government regulation or monopoly control. But broad-scale privatization, if ill designed, has also yielded its share of difficulties in East Asia. Privatization sometimes has created a vacuum in corporate governance for some of the region's most important industries and in some cases merely reinstated the monopoly-like configurations. The papers presented in this book discuss the experiences of privatization in several industries, including railroad and telecom, corporate governance problems, accounting issues, and challenges for the future in East Asian countries. The first section is theoretical in nature and proposes boundaries among government protection, market freedom, and shareholder expectations. The second part is constituted by country case studies, beginning with an analysis of both the Korean financial crisis that followed its 1997 law to privatize large, public sector corporations and the new ways Korean corporations finance themselves. Following is an evaluation of China's approach to privatization, with an in-depth look at the financial transitions of companies slated for initial public offering. Providing provocative examples of the methods of privatization in the Asia-Pacific region specifically, these papers will be of huge import to any economist or policymaker interested in transposing those successes for their own region.