This report identifies well-established sectors needing transformation or improvement (tourism, agro-processing, and garments), along with evolving sectors with high potential for growth (electronics and digital trade) as Southeast Asian countries hammer out policies to boost post-COVID-19 recovery and secure a greener future. The first in a four-part series, the report looks at the pandemic’s impact on these five sectors across Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. It identifies reforms and strategies to help core industries recover and grow over the medium term. This report underscores how deepening regional cooperation can help policy makers boost their countries’ COVID-19 recovery and build more resilient economies and societies.

The 2023 edition discusses the region’s economic outlook and macroeconomic challenges at a time of great uncertainty and a slowdown of the global economy, in particular owing to inflationary pressures, capital flow volatility and supply-side bottlenecks. The thematic chapters focus on reviving tourism after the pandemic.

This report illustrates why Southeast Asian countries need big data for pandemic recovery to radically transform the delivery of key services such as health care, social welfare and protection, and education. The final of a four-part series, it looks at the impact of COVID-19 on Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand to determine how big data could be an invaluable tool to help governments analyze the challenges they face. It outlines policy reforms and recommendations to help capture the benefits of big data. These include drawing up digital road maps, improving technical infrastructure, increasing data quality, and ramping up training programs to create a skilled workforce to lead the digital transformation.

ASEAN’s real gross domestic product (GDP) had declined sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic downturn and the uncertainty about the future reduced the new investments in green projects drastically. Besides this, many governments rolled back environmental regulations and taxes and increased fossil-fuel intensive infrastructure and electricity to stimulate economic growth. Post-Pandemic Green Recovery in ASEAN consists of several empirical studies using fresh data, with regional and country-level perspectives on ways to keep the greenness of the economic recovery plans. The chapters look at various aspects and sectors, including tourism, infrastructure, energy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), employment, and livelihood, by assessing the effectiveness of various tools and instruments, including green finance, carbon taxation, green Sukuk, credit guarantee, cash transfer payment, power purchase agreements, and the related policies. They also provide practical policy recommendations useful for the ASEAN member states and other developing regions for the green recovery in the post-pandemic. Reiterating the importance of green and low-carbon mechanisms and climate change tackling policies besides the usual economic recovery strategies, this book is a precious resource for the researchers of economics, finance, ASEAN and Asian studies, and policymakers.

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.

This report shows why Southeast Asian countries need to consider tax reforms after many struggled to finance massive public expenditure programs to combat COVID-19. The second in a four-part series, the report considers the impact of COVID-19 on Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand to lay out steps policymakers can take to create healthier fiscal spaces. It illustrates challenges faced around informality, tax collection, compliance, and progressivity. It emphasizes how preventing fraud, taxing wealth, and introducing environmental levies can help reduce poverty, tackle inequality, and contribute toward more sustainable growth. It is therefore crucial to understand the required policy responses as well as potential technologies that could help expand the tax base, increase tax compliance, and ease the process of paying taxes.

Owing to a strong cultural and historical bond, India and Southeast Asia have progressed rapidly. Though there are political and ideological differences between these two entities, it may not hamper the strong bond as there are many common shared values among these nations. The history of these nations identifies that the cooperation between them in terms of trade and commerce is not upheld per the given potential of these nations. In the past, the Indian economy was linked with Southeast Asian countries under the “Look East” policy, which has been re-energized again under the present government. Now, the “Look East” policy is practically more vibrant than ever before with the motto “Act East.” This policy facilitates these countries in emphasizing the importance of better regional connectivity for tourism as well as robust trade and commerce. It leads to a phenomenal growth in terms of imports and exports for these countries. Evaluating Trade and Economic Relations Between India and Southeast Asia sheds light on the trade and economic linkages between India and Southeast Asia and their impact on the nations in the past, present, and for the future. The chapters study whether the win-win strategy works for the strengthening of these countries in terms of both trade relations and political integrity, as well as in facing common enemies across international boundaries. Some of the topics covered include food security, tourism opportunities, trade blocs, trade relations, and economic relations between countries. This book is a valuable reference tool for economists, government officials, policymakers, trade analysts, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the policies and relations between India and Southeast Asia that affect trade and the economy.

“Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the region’s dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is a must read.” – Suchit Bunbongkarn, Emeritus Professor, Chulalongkorn University “Now in its fiftieth edition, Southeast Asian Affairs offers an indispensable guide to this fascinating region. Lively, analytical, authoritative, and accessible, there is nothing comparable in quality or range to this series. It is a must read for academics, government officials, the business community, the media, and anybody with an interest in contemporary Southeast Asia. Drawing on its unparalleled network of researchers and commentators, ISEAS is to be congratulated for producing this major contribution to our understanding of this diverse and fast-changing region, to a consistently high standard and in a timely manner.” – Hal Hill, H.W. Arndt Professor Emeritus of Southeast Asian Economies, Australian National University

For the first time, Indonesia has held the presidency of the G20, a forum formed to find joint solutions to global economic conditions. This forum, which represents 80% of the world economy, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world's population, certainly determines the direction of world economic policy. Indonesia as the only representative country from ASEAN which is a member of the G20 as well as a developing country can play a role in encouraging and determining the direction of discussion in the interests of developing countries. In addition, Indonesia has the opportunity to encourage the world's collective efforts to realize policies that can accelerate global economic recovery inclusively and sustainably. Important agendas related to national interests that cannot be separated from global economic governance must also be voiced. The big theme of the 2022 G20 Indonesia Presidency is "Recover Together, Recover Stronger", this theme was translated into various issues in two tracks, namely the Sherpa track and the financial track. As the title of the book, namely "INDONESIA'S STRATEGIC ROLE IN THE G20 ACCORDING TO THE VIEWS OF EXPERTS" this book discusses in detail how Indonesia's strategic role in each of the issues in the sherpa track and financial track. This book raises several issues in the Sherpa Track such as agriculture and food security, energy transition, environmental and climate sustainability, and development issues such as inequality, gender, digital economy, trade, and investment. In addition, there are issues in the Financial Track that are written in this book, namely the issue of debt challenges in countries, especially developing countries, cyber risk, financial inclusion and scarring effects, and exit strategies to recover and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. This book is the result of a real contribution of economists' ideas on various topics, especially the Indonesian economy, and was prepared in preparation for the G-20 Summit to be held in Bali in November. The diversity of backgrounds of the authors provides a new color and enriches the prospects in presenting leading thinkers to unravel Indonesia's economic problems. As is well known, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a scarring effect on the Indonesian economy, resulting in an increase in unemployment, poverty, and inequality and has caused an economic slowdown. Some of the most impactful sectors are the accommodation and transportation sector, the tourism sector, to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME/UMKM). Even developing countries are expected to suffer more injuries than countries with advanced economies. More serious efforts are needed to support inclusive, fair, and sustainable growth. The policy choices of developed countries to restore the domestic economy created new worries for the world. This is because developing countries have a limited ability to provide policy support which is the factor behind the relatively slower recovery compared to developed countries. Pandemic recovery is proceeding unevenly in each country requiring a different exit strategy, depending on the economic structure, quality of available resources, and governance in making supportive policies. It is very important for all countries to understand the problems facing the world and each country's policy choices for exiting and recovering from a pandemic, not just G20 members. Therefore, Indonesia's presidency at the G20 Summit in 2022 is crucial in overcoming this problem, because the G20 countries with the world's largest economic power must be the prime mover to help developing countries both get out of the pandemic crisis trap and face uncertainty due to various social, economic problems. and politics. The main agenda of the G20 meeting is to encourage cooperation to create an inclusive, strong and sustainable world economic governance. Several agendas that can be agreed on globally such as climate change and green economy, transformation towards digitalization of the economy, global food security and precautionary recovery policies so as not to add to global problems. There must be an understanding from all G20 members that there are problems and solutions that are unique in nature because of the different social, political, economic strengths and challenges in each country. Actually, the concept of green economy is not a new concept. However, recently the world has only recently realized the importance of transforming the global economic approach so that it becomes sustainable. The G20 Forum is a kind of declarator again to encourage the implementation of this concept at the global level. Moreover, G20 countries contribute 80 percent of global carbon emissions and therefore G20 countries must show their seriousness to reduce global carbon by implementing various policies that support carbon reduction efforts. In addition, digital transformation is also a priority agenda in the G20 forum. The Covid-19 pandemic, which has escalated the acceleration of digital transformation, has encouraged the adoption of digital technology by economic actors. During the pandemic, technology has opened up space for online marketplaces and services that are increasingly needed. Even digital businesses run by women entrepreneurs in all developing G20 countries have significantly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital-based economy continues to grow and is believed to be one of the drivers of future economic growth despite being faced with various challenges. Even in the issue of world trade, Indonesia needs to voice the importance of reviewing the direction and management of world trade after the Covid-19 pandemic in the G20 forum. The G20 countries need to support a balance between the conventional principles of open trade and the needs of each country to achieve a stronger and more sustainable long-term economic recovery. There are still many other roles for Indonesia in voicing various issues at the G20 forum, so what is Indonesia's other role in promoting an inclusive and collaborative post-pandemic economic recovery for G20 countries and others?