Globalization, the City and Civil Society in Pacific Asia presents a detailed examination of the underlying issues of urban life in the Far East. Leading authorities on globalization and politics in the region cover key themes of continuity and change: relationships between civil society and the production of urban spaces. Chapters focus on various types of ‘civic spaces’ that provide spaces for life that are autonomous from state and capital ten case studies explore a wide variety of contexts ranging from spaces where lower classes congregated in ancient Chinese cities to cyberspaces of the contemporary internet the history and role of civil society in social and political philosophies of societies in the Pacific Asia region tendencies and issues related to specific types of civic spaces in a given city. Several studies find that great stress has been placed on long-standing community and civic spaces common themes, patterns and issues as well as singularities of each particular context. In this way it can contribute to the broader (mostly Western) literature on society and space the future of cities in Pacific Asia from the perspective of civic space. Can civic spaces be routinely created rather than appropriated through civil society-state-economy struggles? Most research on globalization and civil society has focused on the West, this unique book brings together a tight analysis and a series of ten case studies on Pacific Asian countries. It also theorizes and empirically explores the relationships between civil society and the production of urban spaces.

This first volume of a two-volume study concentrates on the geopolitical and economic transformation of the Asia-Pacific region. It focuses on the relationship between the decline of ideological bipolarity and dissolution of Cold War alliances on the one hand, and the rapid industrialization of East Asia and the tensions generated by the shifts in the global and regional balance of economic interests on the other hand. Special attention is paid to the three major powers (the US, China, and Japan), as well as small and middle powers such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Canada. For scholars, researchers, and policy makers involved in the region's politics and economy. Camilleri teaches international relations at La Trobe University, Australia. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

Written by a team of international experts in the field, the chapters in this book question whether, and how NGOs actually lead to democratization, and discuss the ways NGOs relate to broader global forces.

Most books that analyse the crucial subject of globalisation only look at it from a western perspective. This is the first detailed study to look at globalisation specifically in the Asia-Pacific region. An impressive collection of leading, interdisciplinary scholars explore various dimensions of globalisation and their relationship to development processes in the region.

This edited volume brings together a number of well-known scholars and activists from various parts of the world to present critical perspectives on recent and long term trends in the economic, socio-cultural and political life of the people of Asia and examines the policies and constraints faced by the nation-states of the region. It contributes to and enriches the current debates on globalization, the prospects for democracy, and sustainable human development. The book offers an incisive assessment of the role of civil society in creating a democratic political culture in Asia.

2. A NEW ASIAN DRAMA

The world in the last two decades of the twentieth century fundamentally and radically changed at a speed and on a scale never before witnessed. The challenge posed at the beginning of the third millennium is enormous for governments and people the world over. Globalization, along with globalism, continues its unrelenting and accelerating march as it draws more countries, cities, and people closer into interdependent relationships. Globalization and Networked Societies attempts to tease out some of the salient elements of this process, especially as it has affected urban centers in Pacific Asia over the past twenty years. Globalization and rapid economic growth have transformed the region and its cities on varied spatial scales, bringing new opportunities and challenges for governments, the private sector, and individuals. All countries in Pacific Asia are covered in this work, with special attention given to Hong Kong and to China, a late bloomer in the Asia scene but nevertheless one that has experienced phenomenal growth and accelerated globalization in recent decades. The empirical analyses reveal the outcome, dilemmas, and meanings of globalization in the urban-regional scene.

This book examines the political economy of the states of Pacific Asia, stretching from Japan to Burma since the end of WWII. "Governance in Pacific Asia" offers a comprehensive account of the diverse experiences of the states in Pacific Asia. Organized thematically around government and business relations in the main sectors of the economy, chapters cover the historical, social, and cultural contexts for such policies as well as the social and political consequences of rapid economic development. They also discuss the increasing economic integration of the region as well as its impact on global affairs and the reverse effect of globalization upon particular political systems. Each chapter contains case studies and examples from anywhere in the region, with some countries appearing more regularly, such as China, Japan, newly industrialized economies, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. "Governance in Pacific Asia" provides an in-depth comparative survey of a key region in world politics and political economy. An essential text that includes sources from the region in at least three languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Indonesian/Malay), it will be of interest to students and faculty in international relations, developmental politics, Asian politics, and political economy.

This book critically examines the impact of globalization, changing power dynamics, migration, and evolving rights regimes on regional order, discourse of national governance, state and society relations, and the development of civil society in East Asia. Providing a textured, critical reading of East Asia as an economically, socially, and politically dynamic region, this book also presents the region as one shaped simultaneously by progressive as well as regressive pulls. Attentive to prevailing issues as well as to states’ and civil societies’ responses to them, it focuses on changing societies and politics in East Asia, particularly on shifting notions of citizenship, nationhood, and peoplehood. The contributions feature new and timely conclusions drawn from multidisciplinary fields including law, public policy, sociology, Asian studies, gender, sexuality, and ethnic studies and include direct testimonies from citizens of East and Southeast Asia. Globalization and Civil Society in East Asian Space will appeal to students and scholars of sociology, political science, and Asian studies more broadly.