Deliberative Democracy in Action: The Case of Musrenbang in Bandung, Indonesia

Mireille Marcia Karman,Sylvia Yazid,Rizky Widian 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2022 Asian International Studies Review Vol.23 No.1

Indonesia has adopted a regularized public deliberation mechanism as a democratic innovation to ensure the inclusive involvement of citizens in city development planning. This research analyzes how the innovation, called Musrenbang, is conducted in one of the cities in Indonesia: Bandung. To conduct such analysis, we used literature analysis, direct observation, and focus group discussions (FGD s) to gather the research. This research found that Musrenbang in Bandung has the potential to be an ideal deliberative arena, although some challenges that disrupt the deliberation process are still present. We believe that the case of Musrenbang can further contribute to the deliberative democracy literature as a promising example of a regularized official system for public deliberation.

Hydropower Impacts on Livelihood Capital: Evidence from the Resettlement of the Upper Paunglaung Hydropower Project, Myanmar

Way Way Hlaing,Sylvia Szabo,Gregory S. Cooper 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2021 Asian International Studies Review Vol.22 No.2

In hydropower development projects, the most obvious issue affecting local communities is land acquisition, of which resettlement is the most visible social impact. Critically, livelihood activities in such communities are intrinsically connected with the affected areas’ natural, environmental, and social backgrounds. In this context, the present study focuses on the livelihood impacts upon the upstream communities who permanently lost their land and were displaced by the reservoir formation of the Upper Paunglaung hydropower project in Myanmar. Primary data were collected from 300 randomly selected households from 23 resettled villages. Changes in several livelihood assets were analyzed using descriptive statistics, statistical significance tests, and Livelihood Asset Pentagons. Positive livelihood changes were observed in relation to human, physical and social capitals, whereas negative changes were found to be associated with natural and financial capital. The paper concludes with several recommendations for local development planners and policymakers.

Multiculturalism: Obligations and Policy Prescription for a (Formerly) Homogenous State

Brendan Howe 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2021 Asian International Studies Review Vol.22 No.2

How should South Korea respond to the competing demands of the international humanitarian paradigm and a domestic self-perception of homogeneity? This paper assesses the multiculturalism governance dilemma faced by a state seeking to embrace international norms while transitioning from homogeneity towards multiculturalism. It concludes that normative obligations and the demands of national interest need not be mutually antagonistic. The paper first assesses competing normative prescriptions for good governance. It then turns to address international normative governance obligations regarding refugees, immigrants, and other vulnerable individuals and groups. This is followed by an assessment of related governance policies in the Republic of Korea. The paper concludes with a policy prescription for a (formerly) homogenous state, noting that not only is it normatively imperative for South Korea to embrace multiculturalism but also pragmatically rational to do so.

Limiting Multiculturalism Discourse by Legislating Support for Multicultural Families in Korea

Yihyun Ryu 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2022 Asian International Studies Review Vol.23 No.1

Drawing on the Foucauldian theoretical concepts of governmentality and genealogy as a method for grasping the unconventional reality of multiculturalism discourse in South Korea, this paper aims to go beyond ahistorical accounts of multicultural policy. The article offers an analysis of policy discourses relating to multicultural families in South Korea, and it examines the strategies utilized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to maintain and expand its ministerial jurisdiction. Such analyses reveal how policy discourse has shifted away from Korean blood-based ethnicity and the “mixed-blood” category of people in favor of focusing on female marriage migrants and their families. Furthermore, the examination highlights how legislation that supports these families conceptualizes female migrants as apolitical, family-oriented, and maternal beings. This conceptualization is legitimized by the ministerial strategies adopted by “femocrats,” government officials affiliated with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

The Myth of Sino–Thai Brotherhood: Archival Evidence on Thailand’s Relations with China in Continental Southeast Asia in the 1990s

Poowin Bunyavejchewin,Wichian Intasi,Watcharabon Buddharaksa 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2022 Asian International Studies Review Vol.23 No.1

Thailand–China relations have often been described metaphorically as fraternal, signifying the special place China has in Thai foreign policy. However, Sino–Thai brotherly friendship is an illusion. Based on archival evidence recently made available in Bangkok, this study provides a new account of Thailand’s relations with China in the 1990s, usually described by scholars as the period of partnership. This study argues that during this period, Thai foreign policy vis-a-vis China was almost exclusively driven by the Kingdom’s national interests, framed by its consistent diplomatic mentality over time. Specifically, the primacy of national interest was a modus operandi of Thailand’s China policy. Notably, Bangkok policymakers viewed China’s expanding role and influence in mainland Southeast Asia and throughout Asia as a long-term threat to the Kingdom’s security. Thus, ironically, China and Thailand might not be termed brothers but possibly in a distant fraternal relationship that some might categorize as ‘others.

How to Succeed in the Presence of Financial and Technological Gaps: From the Perspective of Governance Innovation

전희경,우원석,강형구 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2013 Asian International Studies Review Vol.14 No.2

Conventional wisdom would predict firms with little financial and technological capabilities to fail. This is especially true for such firms in the high-tech sector during periods of industry downturn. In this paper, we ask how firms experiencing financial and technological gaps can succeed by transforming current challenges into opportunities via governance innovation. We select Hynix and the semiconductor industry for the investigation. Hynix emerged from near bankruptcy become the number two player in the global semiconductor memory market. We find that Hynix’s case requires extending prevailing theory to focus on governance and control. We pinpoint specific factors that contributed to Hynix’s success from the perspective of governance innovation for the theoretical extension and suggest practical implications.

The Evolution of Japan’s Space and Security Policies: Reflections of Constitutional Interpretation and U.S. Influence

Patricia K. McCormick 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2021 Asian International Studies Review Vol.22 No.2

This article assesses the impact of two factors on the development of Japan’s space and security programs: interpretation of Article 9 of the revised Meiji Constitution and the influence of the United States. Following the Second World War, Japan embraced a minimalist security policy. Article 9 directed post-war resources to economic development while using the U.S. to ensure security. Increasing challenges in the regional security environment with North Korea and China’s ascendency changed Japan’s perception and interpretation of self-defense. Japan ushered in successive institutional and policy alterations in accord with the development of their space and security capabilities and integration with the U.S. security network. Since 2008 Japan has passed legislation that shares a broad conception of space security. These legal doctrines reflect Japan’s commitment to actively engage in developing greater space and security competences. Reinterpreting the use of outer space for “peaceful” purposes from exclusively non-military to passive military uses is also in accord with changes in Japan’s identity from a “peace” state to a “normal” international state.

Women Representatives, Left–Right Ideology and Gendered Pathways to Parliament in Asia and Europe

Malliga Och,Devin K. Joshi 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2021 Asian International Studies Review Vol.22 No.2

This article explores whether women political representatives from right-leaning and left-leaning parties differ significantly in their professional backgrounds. Using data collected from parliamentary websites on the demographics of individual members of parliament (MP s) in Germany, Austria, South Korea, and Japan, we compare partisan differences in background characteristics (education, occupation, ages, and legislative committee appointments) of recently elected women MP s. We find that compared to parties on the left, (1) right-leaning parties have fewer women MP s as consistent with previous findings in the literature, (2) women MP s from certain right-wing parties (especially populist parties) entered parliament at an older age than women MP s from their left-wing competitors, (3) rightist women did not have more feminized educational and occupational backgrounds than women on the left and (4) rightist women were more likely to sit on social affairs committees in parliament but not by a statistically significant margin.

From Universalism to Managerial Coordination: Major Power Regulation of the Use of Force

KONSTANTINOS TRAVLOS 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2016 Asian International Studies Review Vol.17 No.2

Cooperation among major powers in order to regulate an aspect of international relations has been central to questions of global governance. In peace science the focus has been on the efficacy of major power regulation of the use of force. However, fruitful study requires variables that can capture the quality of major power regulation of the use of force. To provide such an instrument I use Peter Wallensteen’s “universalism-particularism” variable-concept as the foundation. On it I built the concept of managerial coordination and the instrument that captures its quality, the scale of interstate managerial coordination (IMaC). Using IMaC, puzzling prior findings concerning major power regulation and minor power conflict are shown to be artifacts of operationalization.

The Applicability of Hybrid Peacebuilding in Ethno-Religious Conflict: A Case Study of the Uighur-Han Conflict in Xinjiang, China

Amanda Fish 이화여자대학교 국제지역연구소 2022 Asian International Studies Review Vol.23 No.1

This study attempted to examine to what extent hybrid peacebuilding would be applicable in Xinjiang’s ethnic conflict between the Han and Uighurs. After situating hybrid peacebuilding within the liberal peacebuilding literature, for further contextualization, the study then extrapolated key information from several other Asian cases of hybrid peacebuilding. It then overviewed the conflict (the parties involved and their various perspectives), outlined the modern efforts to resolve the conflict, and determined how they remain problematic. Finally, the study qualitatively analyzed the theoretical applicability of hybrid peacebuilding, its potential benefits, and potential drawbacks. The study concluded that hybrid peacebuilding has theoretical potential in Xinjiang, especially in the future, but its current drawbacks hinder its chances of success.