International labour migration can be characterized in three ways - as human aspiration, tradition, and necessity. For some people, working overseas is a dream. For others, international labour mobility is a tradition. For a great number of people however, international labour migration is an economic necessity. It is the only viable solution to realize their basic human right to a decent life. GMS worker movements to Thailand typify all three characterizations of international labour mobility. While this book focuses on the economic dimensions of international labour emigration, principally from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to Thailand, it recognizes at the very outset the equal standing of non-economic motivations for migration.

Due to technical advances in production and communication technology, outsourcing - contracting out production of intermediate materials and services - has affected the economic growth of the ASEAN region. This new book fills an important gap in the literature looking at the impact outsourcing has on labour markets, its subtle effects on regional economies and policy implications. Shandre Thangavelu and Aekapol Chongvilaivan investigate various impacts of outsourcing on labour markets, such as its effects on labour productivity, skill upgrading, human capital, and training, in ASEAN economies with a focus on the experience of the two ASEAN countries as a global hub of outsourcing: Singapore and Thailand. This book approaches these research inquiries by developing several econometric models, including primal production functions and dual cost functions, among others. The empirical evidence this book reveals provides interesting insights into and implications on labour and industry development.

This book investigates the impact of both real and financial integration to growth and to welfare, and to enquire whether increases in either or both forms build the linkage between the real and financial economy. It contributes to the following two areas: (1) Research of economic developments in East Asia, the most dynamic and populous region in the world, in itself is important for researchers, policy makers, journalists, business people and others. East Asia's economic developments influence peoples' lives not only in East Asia but also in other parts of the world. (2) Many aspects of East Asian experiences in economic development are unique, making research of East Asia attractive and important to discern mechanisms of economic development. The first part of this study begins with chapters that address the measurement of regional integration compared with the engagement with the global economy and how this influences the aggregate behavior of the economies. The second part turns to consideration of the financial sector and the efficiency and performance of banking in the region. This allows a discussion whether, in the current crisis, the banking sector was an important channel of financial shock into real behavior. The third part turns to the corporate sector. Using data on firms, type of finance used by firms, its impact on their performance, and ownership structure influence over the productivity growth are discussed. Based on the findings, the book presents several policy recommendation and future research agenda for further economic integration in East Asia.

Due to technical advances in production and communication technology, outsourcing -- contracting out production of intermediate materials and services -- has affected the economic growth of the ASEAN region. This new book fills an important gap in the literature looking at the impact outsourcing has on labour markets, its subtle effects on regional economies and policy implications. Shandre Thangavelu and Aekapol Chongvilaivan investigate various impacts of outsourcing on labour markets, such as its effects on labour productivity, skill upgrading, human capital, and training, in ASEAN economies with a focus on the experience of the two ASEAN countries as a global hub of outsourcing: Singapore and Thailand. This book approaches these research inquiries by developing several econometric models, including primal production functions and dual cost functions, among others. The empirical evidence this book reveals provides interesting insights into and implications on labour and industry development.

This book investigates the impact of both real and financial integration to growth and to welfare, and to enquire whether increases in either or both forms build the linkage between the real and financial economy. It contributes to the following two areas: (1) Research of economic developments in East Asia, the most dynamic and populous region in the world, in itself is important for researchers, policy makers, journalists, business people and others. East Asia s economic developments influence peoples lives not only in East Asia but also in other parts of the world. (2) Many aspects of East Asian experiences in economic development are unique, making research of East Asia attractive and important to discern mechanisms of economic development.

The first part of this study begins with chapters that address the measurement of regional integration compared with the engagement with the global economy and how this influences the aggregate behavior of the economies. The second part turns to consideration of the financial sector and the efficiency and performance of banking in the region. This allows a discussion whether, in the current crisis, the banking sector was an important channel of financial shock into real behavior. The third part turns to the corporate sector. Using data on firms, type of finance used by firms, its impact on their performance, and ownership structure influence over the productivity growth are discussed. Based on the findings, the book presents several policy recommendation and future research agenda for further economic integration in East Asia.

After a two-month stand-off between Red Shirt protestors and the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, violence and arson scarred central Bangkok in mid-May 2010. This shocking turn of events underlined how poorly understood the deep divisions in the society and politics of Thailand remained, even five years into the country's prolonged crisis. This volume collects analysis and commentary on those divisions from an unusually large and prominent group of Thai and foreign scholars and observers of the country. Contributions examine socio-economic, political, diplomatic, historical, cultural, and ideological issues with rare frankness, clarity, and lack of jargon.

The large market size and abundant resources of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), including a large, motivated and cheap workforce, a rich agricultural base, extensive timber and fisheries resources, considerable potential mineral resources, and vast energy resources have seen the subregion increasingly recognized as a new frontier of Southeast Asian economic strength. This book aims to assess the recent economic, social and political developments in the GMS and identify emerging opportunities and challenges facing the successful transition towards a market-driven economy. The countries of the GMS are at a critical juncture where subregional efforts and cooperation must be made to fully address the rapidly evolving issues that are vital to appropriate policy formation, yet which remain widely debatable. The deliberations here shed light on the development stages and offer policy recommendations for pushing forward subregional cooperation.

This book provides complete, yet nontechnical, analyses of production fragmentation effects and thus targets a wide range of readers -- including academics, researchers, policy makers, students, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is interested in this subject. It investigates the economic impacts of production fragmentation in Southeast Asia with a focus on Thailand's experience as an emerging global hub of fragmentation and out sourcing. This elucidates new evidence in connection with production, industrial organisations and labour economics theories, providing interesting insights for formulating industrialisation and labour development policies.

Southeast Asia witnessed a wide array of policy actions at the regional and international levels to unravel the ripple effects of the global economic downturn and to set the stage for a long-term recovery. Yet the quest for regional and global solutions has been hampered critically by the complication of individual economies and the diverse levels of economic development. The objective of this book is to examine in-depth region-specific research on how macroeconomic tools are at work in the Southeast Asian economies.