Development

Asia encompasses socially and economically diverse regions that have witnessed contrasting growth and development trajectories. On one hand, several Asian economies experienced high economic growth and rapid industrialisation over the past several decades, and have emerged as new economic powerhouses, leading to a reconfiguration of the world order. On the other hand, a large number of economies in the continent have not undergone a significant transformation in their economic structure despite high growth. Several economies in the region continue to struggle with issues like poverty, social exclusion, inequality, increasing precarity and informalization of workforce, low levels of education, healthcare, etc.

Further, the process of high growth has often been associated with rapid and severe degradation of the environment, raising questions about the sustainability of the growth process itself. This context poses a confounding picture of Asia as a whole, particularly given that the process of economic growth in the Asian context often seems to lead to outcomes that are contrary to the expectations in the development discourse. This opens wide-ranging questions regarding what the rise of the Asian economic powerhouses would signify for the emerging world order, and, parallelly, how to make sense of the contemporary challenges associated with the process of economic growth in other Asian economies.

In order to foster an intellectual exchange on these issues, the YSI Economic Development Working Group at the Asia Convening strives to provide a platform for research on the theme of “Political Economy of Asian Economic Development”. We invite theoretical and empirical contributions, from various methodological perspectives and theoretical paradigms, on the following broad topics: (1) Rise of Asian economic powerhouses and its implication; (2) Growth processes and challenges of economic development in Asia. Specific issues within these topics may include (but not limited to):

1. Rise of Asian economic powerhouses and its implications

• Reconfiguration of the new world order – role of and implications for Asian economic powerhouses
• Rising influence and expansion of the economic powerhouses and implications for other regional economies
• Changes in global trade regime and implications for Asian economic powerhouses
• Performance of Asian “miracle” economies post 2000s
• Recovery of Asian economies since the financial crises of 2000s
• Development strategies of the economic powerhouses and lessons for the less developed Asian economies

2. Growth processes and challenges of economic development in Asia

• Structural transformation and structural change in ‘less-developed’ economies
• Processes of economic growth and issues of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion
• Informality, precarity, and future of work
• Interaction of the growth process with social identities (e.g., gender, race, caste, ethnicity)
• Global value chains, regional trade, and economic development
• Economic growth and environmental degradation
• Green growth, green technology, and issues of livelihood

ABOUT THE economic development WORKING GROUP

The Economic Development Working Group discusses developmental challenges by studying a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, including Institutional Economics, Post-Keynesian Economics, Austrian Economics, Classical Economics, Marxian Economics, Structuralist Economics, and New-Keynesian Economics.

HOW TO APPLY

To submit your abstract to this call, go to https://ysd.ineteconomics.org/rc. In your abstract, please clearly identify your research question, to elaborate on the methodology, and to list preliminary findings and / or tentative conclusions.

Apply here: https://ysd.ineteconomics.org/rc
Note: you must be logged into the YSI website to apply.
Deadline: 17 March 2019
Contact: [email protected]