Journal of Contemporary Asia

Tan, Kay Kiang; Jia Yi Kam, Andrew; Asadullah, M. Niaz

doi: 10.1080/00472336.2026.2613428pmid: N/A

Abstract As countries deepen their integration into global value chains (GVCs) to pursue industrial growth and economic advancement, a critical question remains unresolved: Who truly benefits from this participation? This study examines the effects of GVC participation on income disparities within the manufacturing sector. Three measures of income inequality are employed – value-added distribution, wage distribution, and labour income share – based on the World Bank Economic Enterprise Survey data for 44 countries and 16 manufacturing industries between 2006 and 2016. The results reveal that the choice of inequality measure is crucial. GVC participation reduces income inequality in value-added and wage distribution but increases inequality in labour income share. At the country level, backward and forward linkages reduce income inequality in lower-income economies, while effects are not significant in upper-middle- and high-income countries. Regionally, Asia shows more equitable value-added through backward linkages and equitable wages through overall GVC and forward linkages. However, overall GVC participation and forward linkages are also associated with a decline in labour income share, suggesting that while GVC integration may improve wage equality, the proportion of value-added accruing to labour tends to shrink.

Ho, Lawrence Ka-ki; Mao, KuoRay; Chan, Henry Hin-Yan; Hagan, Alexander

doi: 10.1080/00472336.2026.2620487pmid: N/A

Abstract This article applies institutional and media content analysis to investigate the legitimation and criminalisation of cross-border trade within the “Southern Chinese Seaboard,” specifically between Taiwan and China and between Hong Kong and mainland China, a region characterised by diverse taxation and legal jurisdictions, as well as rapidly evolving political-economic and regional geo-political dynamics. This study re-evaluates common media portrayals and simplistic perceptions of “illicit” and “parallel trading” as merely spontaneous actions by individuals embedded in criminal networks. Instead, we posit that such activities stem from deliberately vague taxation and legal definitions, as well as enforcement strategies resulting from collusion between state and non-state actors. Utilising the “Regime of Permission” framework, this study examines how political actors manipulate the definitions of licit and illicit trading to achieve political objectives, thereby creating loopholes that non-state actors exploit. The findings demonstrate that the delineation and oversight of illicit trade have evolved in response to shifting economic relationships and the development of enforcement institutions within a changing geo-political landscape, offering deeper insight into the state’s role in creating and maintaining liminal spaces that regulate the boundaries between lawful, unlawful, and socially illicit trade.

Wang, Yidong

doi: 10.1080/00472336.2026.2618650pmid: N/A

Chaiyarat, Kampanart

doi: 10.1080/00472336.2026.2621232pmid: N/A

Abstract During Thailand’s 2020–2023 wave of youth activism, once unsayable political topics moved into online debate, pushing the boundaries of public discourse. Anchored in the concept of Thai-Style Democracy, this article examines how discourse on Twitter/X shapes what becomes sayable, respectable, or sanctionable. The article argues that platformed talk did not merely reflect opinion but recalibrated legitimacy under Thai-Style Democracy. Using Critical Discourse Analysis of 4,705 tweets, five recurrent patterns were identified: (i) self-identification and labelling; (ii) rights, freedoms, and duties framed through a duty-first moral order; (iii) guardianist legitimacy and platform scaling; (iv) karmic idioms as moral justifications; and (v) conditional support and opposition tied to compatibility with duty and non-violation of royal authority. Together, these dynamics illuminated a paradox: expanding speakability around monarchy reform alongside a narrowing acceptability of youth activism. The analysis shows how online discourse participated in legitimating institutional responses and reshaping horizons of action. This study contributes to broader discussions of digital activism, generational conflict, and the resilience of Thai-Style Democracy under democratic pressure by linking the nuanced dynamics of online discourse to political events.

Törnquist, Olle

doi: 10.1080/00472336.2026.2633515pmid: N/A