ASEAN’s science,technology and innovation policy: tension and integration between intergovernmentalism and sub-regional cooperation

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we research the role of the ASEAN level for science, technology and innovation (STI) in Southeast Asia. The key question is how the intergovernmental STI system relates to the diversity and traditional linkages in the region. Empirically, we address this question with data on STI inputs and outputs as well as qualitative evidence from interviews and participatory observation. We highlight a mismatch between national and intergovernmental dynamics in STI. Intra-ASEAN STI cooperation remains weak. We discuss multilateral research funding and increased cooperation in patent regimes as examples of new types of regional cooperation.     

ASEAN between globalization and regionalization

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to test the hypothesis that the ‘ASEAN way’ is different from other regional integration schemes, as measured by the relative importance of its de facto regionalization patterns, the importance of its ASEAN+ frameworks, and its globalization-regionalization nexus. A set of indicators using intra- and extra-regional flow data of various sorts are explored and used to compare the ASEAN integration experience with some benchmark cases worldwide. Four aspects are thereby considered: (1) globalization and economic openness, (2) trade liberalization, (3) regional production sharing, and (4) foreign investment promotion.     

Varieties of regional integration,international trade networks and risk

This paper explores the relationship between regional integration models and trade network structures. The paper further investigates the implications of these trade relationship configurations on risk. The exploratory study models the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as networks: countries in each region are nodes connected by lines representing commodity trade flows. The study compares the evolution of the two regional networks over a 25‐year period (1990–2014). The results confirm that different regional integration models lead to differently structured economic relationships. The findings show that loosely coupled networks are vulnerable to the failure of a few connected nodes (concentrated vulnerability), but that tightly coupled regional networks are vulnerable to the failure of any of its nodes (random vulnerability). These unique differences in vulnerability have critical implications for managing economic risk.     

Revisiting the effect of regional integration on African trade: evidence from meta-analysis and gravity model

Two main shortcomings flaw the estimation of gravity model in previous studies that examined the trade-creating effects of African Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). First, these studies fail to account for the multilateral resistance term. This omission makes the estimates from standard gravity model bias and inconsistent. Second, there is a significant proportion of zero trade flows, however, these studies also fail to account for them properly. They use either the Tobit model or replace zero flows with arbitrary small values. Apart from these problems, they also exhibit considerable heterogeneity in the RTA effects on trade. In this paper, a meta-analysis of previous empirical studies is conducted to derive a combined effect size and also to explain the heterogeneity. In addition, I use the gravity model to compare the trade-creating effect of the main African RTAs. Using the gravity model, I compare the estimation methods of previous studies to the Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood estimator that tackles the zero flows. From the meta-analysis, I find a general positive effect of African RTAs of about 27%–32%. A comparative assessment of the RTAs using gravity model shows a striking heterogeneity.     

越南对外贸易现状的实证研究——兼论一体化对越南贸易的影响

1993年开始越南对外贸易发展迅速,但也存在一些问题,如贸易连年逆差、市场过于集中以及出口商品层次低等。越南是东盟和亚太经合组织成员,这两个国际经济组织也在一定程度上促进了越南对外贸易的发展,但是其影响力发生了不同的变化。     

The ‘ASEAN Way’ and ASEAN’s development gap with Cambodia,Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam: a critical view

ABSTRACT

The ‘ASEAN Way’, as an approach to interstate relations within ASEAN, is analysed in relation to the ‘reduction of the development gap’ (RDG) with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV). It is found that convergence of income per capita and development levels of CLMV is only to a limited extend the result of RDG and its pace is too slow. With the help of the Asian Development Bank and other regional and multilateral financial institutions, the development cooperation funds thus assembled, could leverage a multitude of loans and funds from donor organizations and countries, including the EU and its member countries.     

Understanding the ASEAN economic community: pragmatism versus conceptualism

ABSTRACT

The ASEAN Economic Community, born in 2003 and developed over the next 12 years, aims to build a ‘single market’ whilst ‘enhancing the production base’ in ASEAN for global and regional value-chains. The paper attempts to understand the AEC via a conceptual as well as a pragmatic approach. It summarizes achievements up to 2015 and assesses the 2025 Blueprint in some detail. At times the latter reads like a Roadmap full of details but measures often remain open-ended or somewhat vague, a typical ASEAN characteristic. What ultimately matters to ASEAN is economic growth and the AEC may well serve as a handmaiden to sustained high growth.     

Uganda's policy reforms,industry competitiveness and regional integration: a comparison with Kenya

The paper reviews, first, Uganda's economic policies affecting the industrial sector and analyses the international competitiveness of Uganda's manufacturing industries, using a sample of 21 firms in 12 industries. It computes indices of comparative advantage, export and domestic competitiveness and compares the Ugandan indicators with those of Kenyan firms. It also identifies the main sources and obstacles to competitiveness using a decomposition method, which breaks the unit cost indices down into their main components. The study is timely as Uganda is re-establishing a free trade zone with Kenya and Tanzania, and also faces liberalized trade with the rest of the world. The numerical results of the study suggest that Ugandan firms, although not generally cost-competitive with Kenyan and other international firms, due to the country's land-locked geography and its de-industrialization under the preceding political regimes, have benefited from a recently established business-friendly environment and are more competitive in several industries than is generally assumed. This means that they may not be able to export internationally, but they are likely to hold their ground against Kenyan imports under regional free trade.     

Does forced migration increase regional human rights commitment? The cases of Malaysia and Thailand in ASEAN

ABSTRACT

Why do non-democratic governments commit to human rights on a regional level? We argue that the negative externalities of political repression, operationalized as large amounts of transnational refugee flows, affect states’ willingness to commit to human rights. Neighbouring governments commit to human rights to send a signal to their repressive neighbours that repression will no longer be tolerated. We use official UNCHR data, a number of other secondary sources, as well as congruence analysis and process tracing to demonstrate the relevance of the theory for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Malaysia and Thailand in particular.     

我国水果产品在东盟市场的竞争力研究

运用市场占有率、贸易竞争力指数、显性比较优势指数对我国与东盟主要水果出口国在东盟市场的竞争状况进行了测算和比较分析。研究结果表明:在总体上,我国水果在东盟市场上具有一定优势,但在多数水果品目上并不具有竞争优势;研究结论可为有针对性地增强我国水果在东盟的竞争力提供借鉴。     

全球化进程中的中国与东盟经济关系

20世纪90年代以来,中国与东盟的合作关系在经济全球化浪潮的推动下不断升级,迈向了全面经济合作的新阶段.在21世纪,中国与东盟之间无论在贸易、投资领域,还是在其他领域,都进行了卓有成效的合作.未来,双方继续为"面向和平与繁荣的战略伙伴关系"充实合作内容,在互惠双赢基础上的全面经贸合作前景更加广阔.     

The development trinity: How regional integration impacts growth,inequality and poverty

Developing countries today have become more active participants in regional trade agreements. This raises questions about how the benefits of integration are distributed, and the extent to which lower‐income countries are able to capture development gains. Historically, such impacts have been difficult to identify with precision. This paper seeks to address this gap by empirically analysing the impact of regional integration on development, particularly the effects on growth and welfare. Using both bilateral and regional integration measures, we show that the ability to capture gains from integration varies across developing country regional groups, with developing Asia benefiting on par with developed countries. The findings in the paper indicate that trade and trade policy play an important role in reducing inequality and poverty in developing countries. It also shows that regionalism can function as a channel to make multilateralism a more adept way of addressing national challenges.     

Good global citizen? ASEAN’s image building in the United Nations

ABSTRACT

Based on role theory, the article examines the images that ASEAN member governments project of their organization. It rests on a discourse analysis of 198 speeches in the United Nations General Assembly between 1998 and 2017. Findings suggest that ASEAN does not figure as a top priority for delegates and that an overarching ASEAN role conception is missing. However, their addresses reveal parameters on which a collective role conception can be built. Individual ASEAN countries undertake great efforts to project themselves as ‘good global citizens,’ a role conception that could also be applied to ASEAN.     

贸易自由化下东盟国家关税政策的新进展

近年来,随着经济全球化进程的加快,东盟国家(本文主要指印度尼西亚、马来西亚、菲律宾、新加坡和泰国)加快了贸易自由化的步伐,积极改革与调整关税政策,本文对东盟五国关税水平和关税结构呈现的新变化进行分析,总结出其调整的特点与趋势,这对中国-东盟自由贸易区的建立具有重要的现实意义。     

中国与东盟五国出口相似性研究

中国与东盟国家是经济发展程度和地理位置接近、外向型经济都十分活跃的发展中国家。本文对双方在出口结构上的相似性程度进行实证,分析结果表明双方在总体出口、工业品出口以及对美国市场出口等方面都具有很大的相似性,这反映相互间存在很强的竞争关系。对此,本文认为双方应该建立竞争与合作共存的一体化制度,从而实现共赢的局面。     

东盟农产品在我国市场的表现及竞争力研究

本文运用市场占有率和排名、贸易强度指数、贸易相似度指数对东盟在我国市场的表现及竞争状况进行了分析。研究表明:近年来,东盟在我国市场的开发程度达到了较高水平、东盟主要国家的农产品在我国市场上具有较强的竞争力,其市场占有率位居前十位。文章的研究结论可为今后我国与东盟农产品贸易提供借鉴。     

Effects of the Regional Trading Arrangements on Trade: Evidence from the NAFTA,ANZCER and ASEAN Countries, 1989 – 2000

Using the modified gravity model, this study examines whether the free trade areas of NAFTA, ANZCER and ASEAN would result in trade creation among the member countries and trade diversion with the non-member countries. Further, it applies Linder's income similarity concept to explain the trade patterns in the developed and developing countries within these free trade areas. First, the results suggest that the implementations of the free trade areas have facilitated higher trade among the member countries, particularly the ANZCER and ASEAN countries. However, among all three free trade areas, the formation of the ANZCER free trade area has resulted in trade diversion with non-member countries, whereas that of the ASEAN free trade area has resulted in a trade increase with non-member countries. Surprisingly, the formation of the NAFTA free trade area has no significant effect on trade with non-member countries as their trade flows remain quite low even before its implementation. Second, the result indicates that the trade-enhancing effect of income similarity is confirmed for the developing rather than developed member countries. The developing member countries with similar incomes would trade extensively more with each other. This result can be partly explained by Hanink's income threshold concept, which argues that the income similarity effect is only applicable to developed countries with very small difference in incomes. Given the heterogeneous country sample in this study, the substantial income differences among the developed member countries would probably account for the lack of income similarity effect in these countries.     

中国与东盟贸易条件变化和波动情况的经验分析

依据在联合国统计司Comtrade数据库,对中国与东盟贸易条件的变化情况和波动情况进行经验分析,结果发现：在1987～2006年期间,中国与东盟的整体贸易条件和初级产品贸易条件都有一定程度的改善,而制成品贸易条件则出现了一定程度的恶化：中国与东盟初级产品进出口贸易发展的不稳定、资源型制成品进出口贸易发展的不平衡以及初级产品贸易条件大的波动对中国与东盟整体贸易条件的波动起了主导作用。     

浙江纺织服装企业投资东盟的SWOT分析

纺织品配额取消以后,我国纺织服装出口反而处于前所未有的困境,为了化解出口压力,浙江纺织服装企业应该借助中国东盟自由贸易区(CAFTA)建设的机遇。对东盟国家进行直接投资。应针对浙江纺织服装企业在投资东盟方面的优势、劣势、机遇和挑战,提出相应的对策建议。     

东盟宪章与中国-东盟经贸关系发展

东盟宪章是东盟成立40多年来第一份对所有成员国具有普遍法律约束力的文件,它的生效会对中国-东盟经贸关系的发展产生重大影响。本文在对东盟宪章评析的基础上,重点分析东盟宪章生效对中国-东盟经贸关系的积极作用和消极影响,提出在东盟宪章生效后我国应采取强化政治互信、增强贸易互补性、实施投资东盟战略和主动推动CAFTA发展的应对措施。