First published in 1997, this volume features analysis of one of the fastest growing areas in Asia for gross national product, trade and commerce: the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Of its members, Singapore has achieved a GDP exceeding Spain, Ireland and New Zealand, with Brunei Darussalam close to that mark. The other four countries, on their current trajectories, are expected to soon join the Newly Industrialized Economies (NIE) of Asia which already include Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore. This collaboration consists of six analyses of the six member countries of the ASEAN: Brunei’s socio-economic policies, Indonesia’s political and economic reforms, the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in Malaysia, the development policies in the Philippines, the successful role of socio-economic state intervention in Singapore and the double-digit growth conditions in Thailand.

ASEAN countries play a crucial role in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that was initiated in 2013. A number of priority BRI projects have since been implemented. The implementation of BRI brings new opportunities and challenges to countries in the region, and also to regional integration.In this book, researchers from universities and think-tanks in ASEAN countries study the BRI from the perspective of regional studies. It presents an analysis of responses on BRI of the government and people from individual ASEAN members.The book addresses three areas: First, the strengths and weaknesses of ASEAN countries, and the opportunities and challenges for them in implementing the BRI (a SWOT analysis); second, the impacts of BRI on building the ASEAN community; and third, interactions between BRI and ASEAN-China cooperation.

"This book is not a definitive research statement nor yet another account of Asia's financial crisis. Rather, it offers Southeast Asian perspectives quite at variance to orthodox Western economic thinking. Topics range from macro perspectives of Indonesia's Ekonomi Pancasila and Thailand's Buddhist Economics, through Malaysia's Islamic financial institutions, to regional and international perspectives of the remaining ASEAN countries and the IMF/World Bank, all tied up by setting them within a diachronic, historical framework. In so doing, this volume looks to open up challenging and provocative fields of research essential for a real understanding of Southeast Asia and its current economic situation."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Policymakers, academics, think tanks and practitioners will benefit from the international perspective of the book, particularly those interested in the influential Asian architecture. This book is also a useful reference tool for students of macroecon

The year 2015 has special significance for regional economic integration. The ASEAN Community, integrating the political, economic and social aspects of regional cooperation, will complete its first milestone by December 2015. Expectations of tangible benefits under an ASEAN Economic Community have attracted much attention though many of the initiatives will be realized post-2015.Following the policy of open regionalism, ASEAN has also signed free trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan and South Korea. It has launched negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement in 2013, with expected breakthrough by end-2015.The Southeast Asian economies are also involved in two other regional initiatives. First is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), initiated by the United States. As part of the U.S. "e;pivot to Asia"e;, the TPP is envisioned as a "e;comprehensive and high-quality"e; agreement and has concluded its negotiation in October 2015. Second, the discussions on regional connectivity have broadened; China has emerged as a recent lead proponent with its proposals for "e;One Belt, One Road"e; and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.All these together have implications not only for individual Southeast Asian countries but also for regional trading architecture. To aid in understanding the beginnings, development, and potential of these grand plans, this collection of 22 essays offers a rich analysis of ASEAN's own economic integration and other related initiatives proliferating in the broader Asia-Pacific region.