This discussion paper focuses on the urban aspects of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) corridor development and the institutional framework that will be needed to implement investments that will bolster the competitiveness of the region. Much work has been done on urban development in the GMS. The GMS Urban Strategy Document sets out three areas …

FOSTERING COMPETITIVE CITIES AND URBAN AREAS IN THE GREATER MEKONG SUBREGION: BUILDING INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC CLUSTERS SUSTAINABLY Read More »

This paper presents three approaches to the evaluation of cross-border transport infrastructure in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). First, it estimates benefit-cost ratios for selected segments of economic corridors. The results indicate differing degrees of economic viability among different corridors. Second, it presents a panel data analysis on how economic corridor developments have impacted living …

EVALUATING IMPACTS OF CROSS-BORDER TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE GREATER MEKONG SUBREGION: THREE APPROACHES Read More »

The research team would like to acknowledge with thanks, the financial and technical support provided to this research project by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Phnom Penh Plan for Development Management (PPP) Project. The authors wish to express their special thanks to Cayetano Paderanga and Christopher Gan, research advisors, for their valuable contribution …

IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY OF FINANCIAL SERVICES IN THE BORDER-GATE AREAS TO FACILITATE CROSS-BORDER TRADE: THE CASE OF VIET NAM AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GREATER MEKONG SUBREGION COOPERATION Read More »

We acknowledge the funding support provided by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) of the WorldFish Center, without which the concept embodied in this study would have remained as an idea of the authors. We are thankful to Dr. Jack Knetsch for his comments and suggestions on the study design. We also …

HOW SHOULD THE VALUE OF STATISTICAL LIFE BE MEASURED? THE EFFECT OF THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THE MEASURES OF WILLINGNESS TO PAY AND WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT Read More »

This report looks at the role of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in facilitating both regional integration and local development in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The ADB defines an SEZ as a specific geographic region with economic laws that are more liberal than a country’s typical economic laws (ADB Trade Facilitation Report 2009, 132). Drawing …

DEVELOPING DEPENDENCY SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES IN THE GREATER MEKONG SUB-REGION: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Read More »

Across the Mekong region, ‘development’ has become synonymous with rapid economic growth, to be achieved through predominantly large-scale, private investments. The development model promoted by the region’s governments prioritizes trade and investment liberalization, and privatization. Private investment is sought in virtually every sector of the economy from energy, oil, minerals, agriculture and food processing to …

AN OVERVIEW OF LARGE SCALE INVESTMENTS IN THE MEKONG REGION Read More »

  In the Mekong region, the majority of people living in poverty depend on land and natural resources for their survival but lack secure rights to it. This insecurity of tenure serves as a disincentive to invest in the land and leaves communities exposed to land expropriation by the state and commercial interests, as well …

RECOGNITION OF CUSTOMARY TENURE IN THE MEKONG REGION: AN ONLINE DIALOGUE Read More »

Since its formation, ASEAN has seen an underdeveloped region grow into one of the most dynamic drivers of today’s global economy. As it marks its fiftieth anniversary in 2017, the Association’s ten member countries are a significant focus of international investment as Southeast Asia’s success story continues, following the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community …

QUICK SCAN MYANMAR: GEODATA FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER (G4AW) Read More »

Since its formation, ASEAN has seen an underdeveloped region grow into one of the most dynamic drivers of today’s global economy. As it marks its fiftieth anniversary in 2017, the Association’s ten member countries are a significant focus of international investment as Southeast Asia’s success story continues, following the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community …

INVESTING IN ASEAN: ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASAIN NATION Read More »