Asia Insights - Free Internet Links on Asia

Cambodia Human Rights forms part of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Website. The AHRC is an independent, campaigning organisation seeking "to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region". The site includes online copies of Human Rights News a full-text magazine available from 1999 to 2003 which focuses on news stories covering human rights violations in Cambodia. There are a selection of detailed reports of seminars and workshops and links to human rights organisations in Cambodia. The first of a series of monographs looking at legal reform in Cambodia has been published on the site. This document is made freely available in HTML and looks at the Cambodian Constitution. There are also observations on the 2003 Cambodia National Assembly elections made by the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL).
http://cambodia.ahrchk.net/index.php
Keywords: Cambodia, Human rights, In Focus, In Focus 2009, In Focus 2009 Week 13, In Focus 2009 Week 14, Southeast Asia,

Becoming real businessmen? : negotiating huangniu : identities at a fake commodity market in Shanghai / Henrik Kloppenborg Møller. - Kbh. : Institut for Antropologi, Københavns Universitet, 2010. - 177 s., ill. (Specialerække / Institut for Antropologi, Københavns Universitet ; 549) - Master's thesis
http://www.niaslinc.dk/gateway_to_asia/nordic_webpublications/x400284978.pdf
Keywords: Anthropology, Business enterprises, Business. Management, China, Cultural and social anthropology, Denmark, East Asia, Nordic Perspective, Publications, Shanghai, Small and medium size enterprises,

Trust : a precondition for succesful implementation of redd initiatives? : a study of local empowerment and community involvement in Papua Barat, Indonesia / Tanushri Banerjee-Wøien. - Kristiansand : Centre for Development Studies, Universitetet i Agder, 2010. - 102 p. (Master's thesis) The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the issue of whether trust is a precondition for the successful implementation of sustainable REDD initiatives in Papua Barat, Indonesia. Research objectives have been to assess the forest dependency of the indigenous peoples of Kampung Mokwam and Manokwari Utara and how this dependency affects their choice of livelihoods. Involvement of governmental and nongovernmental organizations in the past and present has given an indication of the trust levels that prevail in the Papua Barat setting. The main objective has been to analyze how trust builds social capital, thus empowering indigenous communities to actively participate in collective action through self-governance to enhance common-pool resource management. The theoretical basis of this research has had a focus on Elinor Ostrom´s (1990) work on common-pool resource management with a basis on Hardin´s (1968) Tragedy of the Commons. Coleman´s (1988) work on social capital and Kristiansen´s (2004) model on social networks have also contributed to a better understanding of common-pool resource management implementation in Papua Barat. Theories on empowerment, self-governance, and good governance have aided in strengthening the theoretical framework for the purpose of analysis. The contextual information on the history of Indonesia and Papua Barat in addition to the presentation of the concept of REDD have also been of use in analyzing trust as a precondition for successful implementation of sustainable REDD initiatives. The methodology used for the purpose of research was of a qualitative nature whereby research was conducted through interviews and focus group discussions. Findings of the research show that livelihoods of the two research areas reflect levels of indigenous forest dependency and that both indigenous communities actively engage in small-scale deforestation. However, in being aware of the environmental effects caused by deforestation, the indigenous peoples are willing to engage in REDD initiatives with the assistance of foreign organizations, as the levels of distrust between these peoples, the government, and nongovernmental organizations is high, thus causing a social trap whereby all parts are skeptical of engaging in collective action with one another. The social trap has its roots in the history of the province, the lack of infrastructure, the blatant and apparent corruption issues prevailing in the archipelago, and finally, a general lack of human capital and knowledge in the setting of Papua Barat. Thus, trust is, without doubt, a vital precondition for the successful implementation of REDD initiatives through empowerment and social capital build-up in rural Papua Barat, Indonesia.
http://brage.bibsys.no/hia/handle/URN:NBN:no-bibsys_brage_13783
Keywords: In Focus, In Focus 2011, In Focus 2011 Week 45, Indonesia, New Guinea, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Papua, Politics and society, Publications, Southeast Asia,

The International Crisis Group is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict. The Indonesia page contains recent briefings, papers and news articles.
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-east-asia/indonesia.aspx
Keywords: Conflicts. Terrorism, In Focus, In Focus 2011, In Focus 2011 Week 45, Indonesia, Southeast Asia,

Norwegian actors in the fields of energy and climate change in China / Inga Fritzen Buan. - Lysaker : Fridtjof Nansen Institute, 2008. - 43 p. (FNI report ; 1/2008) Written for and funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and StatoilHydro, this report is a descriptive inventory of Norwegian involvement and Sino-Norwegian cooperation in the fields of energy and climate change-related issues in China. Part 1 is a brief, general introduction to the relevant topics, providing both typical and atypical examples of Norwegian involvement and cooperation and partnerships between actors from the two countries. Many valuable cooperative relationships in science and business have been established. The report also comments on areas in which Norwegian involvement is falling behind the other Nordic countries. Parts 2, 3 and 4 consist of lists of the relevant Norwegian governmental bodies, research institutions and private businesses including descriptions of their partnerships, projects and expertise.
http://www.fni.no/doc&pdf/FNI-R0108.pdf
Keywords: China, Climatology, East Asia, Energy, Environment, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications,

Sustainable urban development and Chinese eco-city : concepts, strategies, policies and assessments / May Hald. - Lysaker : Fridtjof Nansen Institute, 2009. - 93 p. (FNI report ; 5/2009) The need for sustainable urban planning and development reached an important point in 2007, when half of the world’s population was defined as living in cities. This need is especially true for a country like China, where an unprecedented urban-rural migration has been taking place since 1978. Such a mass movement has posed many sustainability challenges for Chinese cities; for example, China is home to 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world. Now China’s leaders are attempting to use the country’s transition to a market economy and integration into the global economy to advance environmental and social issues, also on an urban level. One way the country is confronting urban growth and sustainability challenges is through an eco-city development approach. The eco-city concept is relatively new in China, and is being used in cities such as Tianjin and Dongtan near Shanghai. Whether eco-cities address the main problems associated with urban development and sustainability, however, rests on a broader, more fundamental planning approach that would streamline the goals and priorities of a large number of stakeholders, focus on existing city problems and look at small-scale eco- initiatives for answers, and thus remains in question.
http://www.fni.no/doc&pdf/FNI-R0509.pdf
Keywords: China, Development, Development. Poverty, East Asia, Ecology, Environment, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications, Sustainable development, Urban development,

The power of advice : experts in Chinese climate change politics / Jost Wübbeke. - Lysaker : Fridtjof Nansen Institute, 2010. - 71 p. (FNI report ; 15/2010) This study examines the role of experts in China’s climate change policy. With the beginning of the UNFCCC process, many semi-official institutes and universities emerged, dealing with the scientific, economic and political aspects of climate change. The major argument presented here is that experts are important actors in Chinese climate change politics, and that they have been underestimated in research on China. This analysis has two aims: first, applying a science–policy interface model from regime theory, it examines the political impact of various research organizations during different stages of the policy-making process. In the second step, analysis turns to the causes behind the degree of impact. These include the relevance of administrative links, the quality of knowledge, and personal ties. The results show that, in particular, semi-official institutes and certain universities can have a very high impact on political action.
http://www.fni.no/doc&pdf/FNI-R1510.pdf
Keywords: China, Climatology, East Asia, Environment, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications,

Jatropha - vidunderplante og problem / Magnus Flacké. - Lysaker. - Fridtjof Nansen Institute , 2010. - 105 s. (FNI report ; 5/2010) This report is based on a case study on the Indian state Chhattisgarh’s ambitious biofuel programme. Jatropha curcas is promoted as a development opportunity for the landless poor. Its proponents argue that planting of jatropha can contribute to national and local energy security, generate employment, and be a new source of livelihood, without being a threat to food security. This report explores how the planting in fact affects poor people’s access to land, by looking at the change in the existing resource regimes in the affected areas. The jatropha programme has brought limited benefits to some, mostly through wage labour. It also reveals that the common land that has been identified as available for planting is a vital part of the livelihood for millions of rural poor in India. A key conclusion is that the more marginalized the household is, the more dependent it is on the income from the common property resources. When the state plants jatropha on the common land, the definition of the land changes, and access gets restricted. When subsistence farmers and other rural poor lose access to this common land, their safety net is taken away.
http://www.fni.no/doc&pdf/FNI-R0510.pdf
Keywords: Agricultural engineering, Agriculture, Chhattisgarh, India, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications, South Asia,

Japan after the quake : perspectives on climate policy / Alexandru Luta. - Lysaker : Fridtjof Nansen Institute, 2011. - 8 p. (FNI climate policy perspectives ; 1) The triple calamity of 11 March 2011 has dealt a serious blow domestically to the credibility of the Japanese nuclear industry, putting the country’s energy policy in flux. The severe impact on the country’s infrastructure, the unwieldiness of its bureaucracy and the chaotic political situation preclude Japan’s energy policy from explicitly re-orientating itself before the middle of 2012, but political consensus seems to be emerging that the country’s mid-term pledge on emission reductions will need to be curtailed. The bill on renewable energy passed under Prime Minister Kan marked a step in the right direction, but was shallow and politically opportunistic. Its future impact on policy is uncertain. With other policy instruments on climate proposed by the Democratic Party of Japan toothless or abandoned, Tokyo’s ability to engage in significant mitigation activities domestically is in question. Opposition to a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol remains firm; Japan will continue to pursue bilateral mechanisms outside the UNFCCC framework. Given its frail domestic policy and a stated readiness to act internationally outside multilateral frameworks, Japan’s promise to carry out significant mitigation activities even in the absence of a clear and comprehensive post-2012 legal instrument should be viewed with a critical eye.
http://www.fni.no/doc&pdf/FNI-Climate-Policy-Perspectives-1.pdf
Keywords: Climatology, Earthquakes, East Asia, Environment, Japan, Natural disasters, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications,

The effects of the European Union’s and China’s trade agreements on Africa’s exports / Olayinka Idowu Kareem and Fatima Olanike Kareem. - Helsinki : UNU/WIDER, 2011. - 29 p. (Working paper / United Nations University. World Institute for Development Economics Research ; 2011/65) Empirical studies have shown that trade agreements have different effects on countries based on their level of development, especially in trade potentials. There have been several trade agreements between North-South and South-South countries, which are accompanied with different outcomes based on output, macroeconomic stability and compliance with the agreements reached. This study evaluates the effects of Africa’s trade agreements with the European Union (EU) and China on Africa’s exports. This study found that trade agreements in both trade relations have not brought any significant increment to Africa’s exports and that more market access conditions exist in South markets than in the North markets.
http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2011/en_GB/wp2011-065/_file...
Keywords: China, East Asia, Economic issues, Finland, Foreign trade, International economic relations, Nordic Perspective, Publications,