This book explores the reliability of official statistical data in the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and the benefits of a better vocabulary to discuss the quality of publicly available data to address the needs of all users. It introduces a rigorous method to disaggregate and rate data quality into principal factors containing a total of ten dimensions, which serves as the basis for a discussion on the opportunities and challenges for data quality, capacity building programs and data policy in Southeast Asia. Tools to standardize and monitor statistical capacity and data quality are presented, as well as methods and data sources to analyse data quality. The book analyses data quality in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, before concluding with thoughts on Open Data and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

This book explores the power of greater openness, accountability, and transparency in digital information and government data for the nations of Southeast Asia. The author demonstrates that, although the term “open data” seems to be self-explanatory, it involves an evolving ecosystem of complex domains. Through empirical case studies, this book explains how governments in the ASEAN may harvest the benefits of open data to maximize their productivity, efficiency and innovation. The book also investigates how increasing digital divides in the population, boundaries to civil society, and shortfalls in civil and political rights threaten to arrest open data in early development, which may hamper post-2015 development agendas in the region. With robust open data policies and clear roadmaps, member states of the ASEAN can harvest the promising opportunities of open data in their particular developmental, institutional and legal settings. Governments, policy makers, entrepreneurs and academics will gain a clearer understanding of the factors that enable open data from this timely research.

This book provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to human resource development (HRD) in Southeast Asia and offers a holistic framework for the phenomenon of Regional HRD in Southeast Asia. It argues that viewing HRD in ASEAN as a complex adaptive system is the most effective way to understand the expansive and multifarious processes and activities involved in Regional HRD. As a region, Southeast Asia continues to emerge as one of the most dynamic and compelling in the world with a need to develop its human resources to further its independence, economic prosperity, and sovereignty. By focusing on a regional perspective of HRD, this book establishes the missing link in the transition from the national HRD to the global HRD perspective. Offering a framework for understanding how HRD policy and practice function within a dynamic ecosystem, this book appeals to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers alike, particularly those interested in ASEAN.

This book explains the dynamics behind southeast Asia's foreign investment activity, and looks at the region's options for reviving its reputation as an attractive host for foreign investors. Each chapter focuses on a key element; together, they portray southeast Asia's foreign investment profile and prospects. By bringing these key interlocking elements together under a single cover, the book aims to provide a more profound understanding of the challenges southeast Asian countries face in their on-going attempts both to attract new foreign investment inflows and to continue hosting substantial existing foreign-invested assets.

This Open and Connected Government Review of Thailand, the first of its kind, assesses Thailand’s efforts to build a government that is closer and more responsive to its citizens by using digitalisation, data and stakeholder participation to drive national development. In line with OECD good practices, the Recommendations of the Council on Digital Government Strategies (2014) and on Open Government (2017), and the OECD Digital Government Policy Framework, the review looks at institutional and legal governance, digital talent and skills, public service provision and the strategic use of technologies and data in the Thai government.

The study of urbanization in Southeast Asia has been a growing field of research over the past decades. The Routledge Handbook of Urbanization in Southeast Asia offers a collection of the major streams and themes in the studies of the cities in the region. A focus on the urbanization process rather than the city as an object opens the topic more broadly to bring together different perspectives. This timely handbook presents these diverse views to build a clearer understanding of theoretical contributions of urban studies in Southeast Asia and to provide a complete collection of scholarly works that are thematically structured and a useful tool for teaching urbanization in Southeast Asia. Following the introduction by the editor, the handbook is structured along central, emerging themes. It contains six parts, which are each introduced by the editor: Theorizing Urbanization in Southeast Asia Migration, Networks and Identities Development and Discontents Environmental Governance The Social Production of the Urban Fabric Social Change and Alternative Development This handbook will be an essential reference work for scholars interested in Urban Studies, cities and urbanization in Asia, and Southeast Asian Studies.

"Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries continue their considerable past achievements. The Millennium Development Goals—which were to have been met by 2015—helped focus attention on achieving progress towards poverty reduction, better health outcomes, and improvements in education in the ASEAN developing countries. The 17 SDGs—adopted in 2015 and to be met by 2030—cover a wider set of interlinked development objectives, such as inclusion and environmental sustainability, which are important for all countries, including all ASEAN member countries. ASEAN countries have made significant progress in improving incomes and economic opportunities, including for women, and reducing poverty since 2000. Reflecting the economic dynamism of the region, strong income growth, structural transformation, and infrastructure improvements continue to support sustainable development in ASEAN. With continued income growth and strong policy efforts, most ASEAN countries are on track to eradicate absolute poverty by 2030, a major milestone. Also, several ASEAN countries already do relatively well in terms of gender equality. As a result, given support from continued income gains, economic welfare in ASEAN countries is expected to continue converging towards advanced Asia levels. Ensuring more inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth presents a key challenge for ASEAN. Despite some progress, income inequality remains relatively high in several countries and the shift towards manufacturing strains environmental sustainability. These challenges hamper ASEAN welfare convergence relative to advanced Asia. Policies to close these gaps in sustainable development can lead to significant gains. For the lower-middle-income ASEAN countries, in particular, more determined policy efforts are needed to improve infrastructure, as well as health and education outcomes. Remaining sustainable development challenges call for comprehensive, country-specific SDG strategies formulated in the context of national development plans and close monitoring through the voluntary review process. Pursuing sustainable development entails sizeable spending needs. Estimates for Indonesia and Vietnam, the two cases studies considered in this paper, show that reaching the level of best performers in their income group in infrastructure, health, and education by 2030 could entail an additional cost of 51⁄2–61⁄2 percent of GDP per year. While development needs vary across countries, estimates suggest large spending needs for most ASEAN countries. Meeting them will require efforts on multiple fronts, including improvements in spending efficiency, tax capacity, and support from the private sector. For developing ASEAN countries, concessional financing from development partners will be required. The IMF continues to engage ASEAN countries in key areas as they pursue their SDGs. As called for in their mandates, ASEAN and the IMF both strive for economic growth and sustainable development through economic integration and collaboration among their member countries. The IMF has increased its engagement with ASEAN countries to support their policy efforts through its policy diagnostics, advice, and capacity development. ASEAN countries have also received support through IMF initiatives in strengthening revenue mobilization, building state capacity for infrastructure provision, pursuing economic and financial inclusion, addressing the challenges of climate change, strengthening economic institutions for good governance, and building statistical capacity. While fundamental reforms to improve sustainable development take time to bear fruit, there is evidence that efforts have started to pay off. "

Skills are the key to shaping a better future, enabling countries and people to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. Megatrends such as globalisation, technological progress, demographic change, migration, and climate change, and most recently COVID-19, are reshaping work and society, generating a growing demand for higher levels and new sets of skills.