１．Aiming at proposing a social design for developing ASEAN countries
The world is currently taking note of the potential of Southeast Asia. In 2015, the ASEAN Economic Community was launched in a move toward economic integration in the region. Interdependence within the region and political and economic relations between the world and the region are set to deepen in the future. Nevertheless, despite the optimistic forecasts for the future of ASEAN states, the developing ASEAN countries of Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos face the risk of following a highly unfair and unreasonably unequal political and economic development path. The conceptualization of a fairer and more equitable development is thus being demanded of civil society, including research institutes. This project, therefore, under the leadership of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University, aims to consider and present social designs that will support a more desirable political and economic development through academic exchanges among Japanese research institutes, developing ASEAN countries’ research institutes (especially in Cambodia and Myanmar), as well as research institutes in Thailand, which has already entered the ranks of the middle income countries (MICs).
２．Goals: International joint research, research collaboration network building and training of young scholars
- 1)This project develops a comprehension of the social issues that developing ASEAN countries are facing, and presents long-term social designs through academic papers and other means through discussions among Japanese Southeast Asia experts and local scholars in international joint research on themes related to politics, society and economy.
- 2)This project encourages the project members from the core institutes to attend the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA) international conferences, for which CSEAS takes a role of the secretariat, in order to connect them to the Southeast Asian Studied academic network and strengthen research foundations of the core institutes.
- 3)This project promotes field research in Southeast Asia and academic exchanges among graduate students and young researchers by holding short-term intensive “Southeast Asian Seminars” at the research base institutes in order to form a researcher community for the next generation.