Asia Pacific Viewpoint

Hill, Douglas P.

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01486.x

The corporatisation of Port Klang from the mid‐1980s onwards was a significant moment in the history of Malaysia's political economy and generated considerable momentum for the changes that were to occur in this late industrialising nation under the leadership of the Barisan Nasional government. In particular, the restructuring of how labour was organised in Malaysia's most significant port became frequently cited both within and outside the country as a model for tripartite labour privatisation and the well‐managed divestment of state‐owned enterprises. However, in the past decade, the organisation of labour in the port has again changed dramatically. Migrant labour from some of the poorest parts of Asia now makes up the majority of semi‐skilled and unskilled workers. Based on fieldwork carried out during 2009 with workers from Bangladesh and Nepal who are employed in Port Klang, this paper suggested that a regulatory vacuum now exists in the port, which means foreign workers are often treated badly and have few avenues for dissent. An analysis of the changing labour regime in Port Klang over time can assist in understanding the contemporary political economy of Malaysia as well as illuminate debates about the spaces of migrant labour more broadly.

Fabinyi, Michael; Pido, Michael; Harani, Babylyn; Caceres, Jennelyn; Uyami‐Bitara, Arselene; De las Alas, Aileen; Buenconsejo, Jose; Ponce de Leon, Eva Marie

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01483.x

An important contemporary driver of livelihood change in coastal Southeast Asia is the growing demand for luxury seafood in China. Based on fieldwork in the municipality of Balabac in Palawan province, western Philippines, this paper takes stock of this trend, and investigates the implications of the relationship between Chinese patterns of luxury seafood consumption and the intensification of coastal livelihoods in Southeast Asia. The paper focuses mostly on the trade in live reef fish, with reference also to sea cucumber and shark fin. In the light of recent discussions of social and environmental change in Southeast Asia, the paper addresses how the intensification of coastal livelihoods has manifested in important trends, including an increasing reliance on high‐value commodity fisheries such as the trade in luxury seafood. Important consequences of this intensification of coastal livelihoods include environmental degradation, and social change due to the development of broader trading networks. The paper argues that the live reef fish for food trade is an important contemporary livelihood that highlights the ways in which Chinese consumption is having diverse social and environmental consequences for source countries in Southeast Asia.

Belton, Ben

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01487.x

This paper provides a comparative analysis of the social and cultural dimensions of fish hatchery development in Vietnam and Thailand. Two detailed case studies highlight the importance of a variety of culturally mediated, informal interpersonal relationships in facilitating the establishment of new hatchery enterprises. The analysis reveals that in both Vietnam and Thailand, informal relationships are extremely effective conduits for the transfer of productive technologies from public institutions to private entrepreneurs and for the subsequent development of private enterprises. It is concluded that if current policies aimed at promoting private sector development are to be more successful, they must be better tailored to the contours of specific cultural geographies in locations where they are implemented.

Pearse‐Smith, Scott W.D.

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01484.x

The Mekong River system provides a crucial source of natural resources for riparian nations. However, the increasingly rapid pace of hydro‐development in the Mekong Basin is threatening the integrity of the river system, posing a real concern for Lower Basin states, which are particularly dependent on the basin. This scenario has led to warnings of armed conflict, or even ‘water war’, between riparian states. Certainly, the expanding scale of hydro‐development can be expected to continue increasing interstate tensions in the Mekong region; but are these tensions really likely to escalate to armed conflict? This paper explores this question by drawing on the water and conflict theory of Aaron Wolf. Ultimately, this paper concludes that interstate tensions over Mekong hydro‐development are unlikely to generate armed conflict. This is in part due to the strategic impracticality of such a conflict as well as the presence of a river basin management institution. Most compellingly, though, armed conflict is unlikely because the economic imperative shared by Mekong states is better served by cooperation – or at least non‐interference – than conflict, over regional hydro‐development. In closing, the paper urges that the study of water and conflict in the Mekong Basin be refocused at the intrastate level.

Dong, Chong; Liu, Xiumei; Klein, K.K.

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01488.x

Overgrazing in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia following market reform in China has led to severe soil degradation and desertification. In an effort to revive the ecological environment in northern pastoral areas, the government of China recently adopted an intervention policy to relocate families from areas where excess grazing pressure was seriously compromising land and the environment. A survey was conducted in three villages to determine how well the relocated families have adapted to their new living conditions and the factors that affect their willingness to stay in the new villages. Regression analysis revealed that the most important factors were age of the head of the household, length of time the family has resided in the new village, proportion of total income that is made up of government payments and level of fixed, durable and current assets.

Li, Yi; Wu, Fulong

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01479.x

This paper draws on a series of interviews with urban planners and government officials to examine the changing regional governance in the Yangtze River Delta. It finds that integration and collaboration are emerging and the growing economic benefits of intercity cooperation serves as a driver for local government to change from hostile competition to collaboration. Nevertheless, regional governance is far from established. Instead, regional transformations reflect the local politics of economic devolution and urban entrepreneurialism. Currently, there is no formal regional institution or coalition and the regional agenda is economic oriented and project based. Policies are formulated by individual cities rather than through multilateral negotiation between cities. The primary motive underlying the initiatives for cooperation is regional economic competitiveness rather than regional integration. Hence, the paper argues that emerging collaboration is far from being a substantial departure from inter‐jurisdiction competition in the earlier phase of regional governance.

Sullivan, Jonathan; Seiler‐Helmer, Gudrun

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01480.x

The purpose of this research note is to provide an empirical indication of how China's increasing role in the South Pacific has been presented in their own and other nations' media over the last 20 years. What is the tone of coverage? Which issues are salient? How does this vary by nation? What changes are there over time? This research note reports information derived from over 1000 articles published in Australasian, Asian and Pacific newspapers in the last 20 years. The findings demonstrate that nations dealing with ‘China's rise’ in the South Pacific are faced with a range of complex issues, which can produce ambivalent and mixed reactions. For instance, although the tone of Australian and New Zealand newspaper coverage of China's entry into their ‘special patch’ is, overall, more negative than positive, negativity is largely driven by coverage of China's diplomatic efforts in the region and geopolitical considerations. Other aspects of China's expanding role (e.g. economic and cultural aspects) are treated much more positively. Similarly, although the major focus of Pacific newspapers is on Chinese aid and economic impact, which are treated very positively, coverage of other issues can be negative.

Pabon, Laura; Umapathi, Nithin; Waqavonovono, Epeli

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01485.x

In this paper, we present highly disaggregated estimates of expenditure‐based poverty in Fiji using data from the 2007 national census and 2008–2009 Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Predicted poverty is estimated at provincial and tikina levels. Poverty in Fiji is marked by considerable spatial heterogeneity that cannot be gauged by the division level household survey estimates revealing pockets of poverty even within relatively well‐off regions. Predicted poverty is highest in Cakaudrove province in Northern Division. Most strikingly, we find that 50% of all the poor in Fiji are concentrated in just 6 out of 85 tikinas, namely Suva, Labasa, Ba, Naitasiri, Vuda and Nadi. This finding has important implications for efficiency of targeted poverty alleviation programmes. We also focus on squatter settlements for which poverty headcount estimates using the Household Income and Expenditure Survey are not feasible. We find these settlements have rates of poverty headcount ratio that range from 38–55% depending on the Division the squatter settlement is located in; this range is significantly higher compared with the average urban poverty estimated at 26% and raises important social policy issues for addressing urban poverty.

Thomas, Frank R.

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01481.x

Mawyer, Alexander

2012 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2012.01482.x