This edited volume addresses the dynamics of the legal system of Myanmar/Burma in the context of the dramatic but incomplete transition to democracy that formally began in 2011. It includes contributions from leading scholars in the field on a range of key legal issues now facing Myanmar, such as judicial independence, constitutional law, human rights and institutional reform. It features chapters on the legal history of Myanmar; electoral reform; the role of the judiciary; economic reforms; and the state of company law. It also includes chapters that draw on the experiences of other countries to contextualise Myanmar's transition to democracy in a comparative setting, including Myanmar's participation in regional bodies such as ASEAN. This topical book comes at a critical juncture in Myanmar's legal development and will be an invaluable resource for students and teachers seeking greater understanding of the legal system of Myanmar. It will also be vital reading for a wide range of government, business and civil society organisations seeking to re-engage with Myanmar, as it navigates a difficult transition toward democracy and the rule of law.

There are no two neighbouring countries anywhere in the world that are more different than Indonesia and Australia. They differ hugely in religion, language, culture, history, geography, race, economics, worldview and population (Indonesia, 270 million, Australia less than 10 per cent of that). In fact, Indonesia and Australia have almost nothing in common other than the accident of geographic proximity. This makes their relationship turbulent, volatile and often unpredictable. Strangers Next Door? brings together insiders and leading observers to critically assess the state of Australia-Indonesia relations and their future prospects, offering insights into why the relationship is so important for Australia, why it is so often in crisis, and what this means for the future. This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the Indo-Pacific region, Southeast Asia, Australia and Indonesia, and each country's politics, economy and foreign policy. It contains chapters that will interest specialists but are written in a style accessible to a general audience. The book spans a diverse range of subjects, including political relations and diplomacy, security and defence, the economy and trade, Islam, education, development, the arts, legal cooperation, the media, women, and community ties. Contributors assess the current state of relations in their sphere of expertise, and outline the factors and policies that could shape bilateral ties - and Indonesia's future - over the coming decades. University of Melbourne scholars Tim Lindsey and Dave McRae, both prominent observers and commentators on Indonesia and its relations with Australia, edited the volume, providing a synthesising overview as well as their own thematic chapters.

Indonesia's criminal law system faces major challenges. Despite the country's transition to democracy, both the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are badly out of date, the former only superficially changed since colonial times and the latter remaining as it was under Soeharto's authoritarian New Order regime. Law enforcement officers and judges are widely seen as corrupt or incompetent, and new laws, including new Islamic laws passed at the regional level, often contradict the Criminal Code and national statutes, including human rights laws. This book, based on extensive original research by leading scholars in the field, provides an overall assessment of the state of criminal law, law enforcement and penal policy in Indonesia, considers in depth a wide range of specific areas of criminal law, and discusses recent efforts at reform and their prospects for success.

Indonesia's criminal law system faces major challenges. Despite the country's transition to democracy, both the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are badly out of date, the former only superficially changed since colonial times and the latter remaining as it was under Soeharto's authoritarian New Order regime. Law enforcement officers and judges are widely seen as corrupt or incompetent, and new laws, including new Islamic laws passed at the regional level, often contradict the Criminal Code and national statutes, including human rights laws. This book, based on extensive original research by leading scholars in the field, provides an overall assessment of the state of criminal law, law enforcement and penal policy in Indonesia, considers in depth a wide range of specific areas of criminal law, and discusses recent efforts at reform and their prospects for success.

Despite its overwhelmingly Muslim majority, Indonesia has always been seen as exceptional for its diversity and pluralism. In recent years, however, there has been a rise in "majoritarianism", with resurgent Islamist groups pushing hard to impose conservative values on public life - in many cases with considerable success. This has sparked growing fears for the future of basic human rights, and, in particular, the rights of women and sexual and ethnic minority groups. There have, in fact, been more prosecutions of unorthodox religious groups since the fall of Soeharto in 1998 than there were under the three decades of his authoritarian rule. Some Indonesians even feel that the pluralism they thought was constitutionally guaranteed by the national ideology, the Pancasila, is now under threat. This book contains essays exploring these issues by prominent scholars, lawyers and activists from within Indonesia and beyond, offering detailed accounts of the political and legal implications of rising resurgent Islamism in Indonesia. Examining particular cases of intolerance and violence against minorities, it also provides an account of the responses offered by a weak state that now seems too often unwilling to intervene to protect vulnerable minorities against rising religious intolerance.

Winner of the Silver Axiom Business Book Award in the category of Sustainability. Headwinds of Opportunity goes beyond philosophical and academic discussion of business sustainability to offer strategic guidance regarding how to make all types of organizations function more sustainably while simultaneously improving their competitiveness. It differs from other books in that it approaches sustainability as an innovation - an innovative way of conducting business. The book is informed by time-tested principles of innovation diffusion that can be effectively applied to drive change. It places considerable emphasis on the "how-to" aspects of sustainability improvement and how they can be used to increase effectiveness.

Law reform in developing countries has become an increasingly topical subject in recent years. A critical issue is why so many law reform projects in developing economies are regarded by their sponsors and recipients as unsuccessful. This informative book:

• examines examples of law reform projects in post-socialist and post-authoritarian states in Asia
• identifies common problems
• proposes analytical frameworks for understanding the problems identified.

Though parallels between Asian models and those in developing states elsewhere in the world are strong, the book has been developed to avoid suggestion that the issues covered are somehow peculiarly a ~Asiana (TM)- indeed, it is shown that cultural relativist approaches to Asia are unsustainable. This is an invaluable reference for those involved in the areas of development economics, Asian studies and comparative politics.

This edited collection examines the labour laws of seven industrializing East Asian societies - China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam - and discusses the variation in their impact across the whole region. Leading scholars from each country consider both laws pertaining to working conditions and industrial relations, and those that regulate the labour market as a whole. Legislation concerning migrant labour, gender equality, employment creation and skills formation is also examined. Adopting their own distinct theoretical perspectives, the authors trace the historical development of labour regulation and reveal that most countries in the region now have quite extensive frameworks.
This book will be particularly useful to people interested in the place of labour law, and law in general, in contemporary East Asian societies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203165438

Despite its overwhelmingly Muslim majority, Indonesia has always been seen as exceptional for its diversity and pluralism. In recent years, however, there has been a rise in "majoritarianism", with resurgent Islamist groups pushing hard to impose conservative values on public life - in many cases with considerable success. This has sparked growing fears for the future of basic human rights, and, in particular, the rights of women and sexual and ethnic minority groups. There have, in fact, been more prosecutions of unorthodox religious groups since the fall of Soeharto in 1998 than there were under the three decades of his authoritarian rule. Some Indonesians even feel that the pluralism they thought was constitutionally guaranteed by the national ideology, the Pancasila, is now under threat. This book contains essays exploring these issues by prominent scholars, lawyers and activists from within Indonesia and beyond, offering detailed accounts of the political and legal implications of rising resurgent Islamism in Indonesia. Examining particular cases of intolerance and violence against minorities, it also provides an account of the responses offered by a weak state that now seems too often unwilling to intervene to protect vulnerable minorities against rising religious intolerance.

This book explores the connections between traditional Islamic education, rising religious intolerance, religious attitudes to gender, campaigns for curricula innovation and modernisation, and politics and society in Indonesia. Drawing on extensive original research and the deep experience of the authors, the book highlights tensions between traditional Islamic educators and modernisers, and between different understandings of Islam, emphasising the importance of these issues for the future of Indonesia.

Winner of the Silver Axiom Business Book Award in the category of Sustainability. Headwinds of Opportunity goes beyond philosophical and academic discussion of business sustainability to offer strategic guidance regarding how to make all types of organizations function more sustainably while simultaneously improving their competitiveness. It differs from other books in that it approaches sustainability as an innovation - an innovative way of conducting business. The book is informed by time-tested principles of innovation diffusion that can be effectively applied to drive change. It places considerable emphasis on the "how-to" aspects of sustainability improvement and how they can be used to increase effectiveness.

Law reform in developing countries has become an increasingly topical subject in recent years. A critical issue is why so many law reform projects in developing economies are regarded by their sponsors and recipients as unsuccessful. This informative book: examines examples of law reform projects in post-socialist and post-authoritarian states in Asia identifies common problems proposes analytical frameworks for understanding the problems identified. Though parallels between Asian models and those in developing states elsewhere in the world are strong, the book has been developed to avoid suggestion that the issues covered are somehow peculiarly 'Asian'- indeed, it is shown that cultural relativist approaches to Asia are unsustainable. This is an invaluable reference for those involved in the areas of development economics, Asian studies and comparative politics.

Indonesia has a growing population of almost 300 million people, it is increasingly involved in world affairs, and has a booming economy. The need to better understand its unique, complex, and often obscure legal system, has become pressing. This is true across a wide range of sectors including, but not limited to, trade and investment, crime and terrorism, and human rights. Indonesia's democratization after the fall of Soeharto in 1998 triggered massive social and political changes that opened up this diverse, and formerly tightly-controlled, society. Law reform was a key driver of Indonesia's transformation and its full effect remains to be seen. This book offers clear and detailed explanations of the foundations of Indonesia's legal system in the context of its legal reform and rapid development. It offers succinct commentaries on a wide range of issues, examining the judicial process, the constitution, corruption and the court system, contract law, administrative law, foreign investment, taxation, Islamic law, and family law. It examines current substantive law and judicial interpretation and presents case studies of how the system operates in practice. Written in an accessible and engaging style, this book is an essential guide for readers seeking quick and clear answers to questions regarding the law and its application in Indonesia.

This edited volume addresses the dynamics of the legal system of Myanmar/Burma in the context of the dramatic but incomplete transition to democracy that formally began in 2011. It includes contributions from leading scholars in the field on a range of key legal issues now facing Myanmar, such as judicial independence, constitutional law, human rights and institutional reform. It features chapters on the legal history of Myanmar; electoral reform; the role of the judiciary; economic reforms; and the state of company law. It also includes chapters that draw on the experiences of other countries to contextualise Myanmar's transition to democracy in a comparative setting, including Myanmar's participation in regional bodies such as ASEAN. This topical book comes at a critical juncture in Myanmar's legal development and will be an invaluable resource for students and teachers seeking greater understanding of the legal system of Myanmar. It will also be vital reading for a wide range of government, business and civil society organisations seeking to re-engage with Myanmar, as it navigates a difficult transition toward democracy and the rule of law.

Drugs Law and Legal Practice in Southeast Asia investigates criminal law and practice relevant to drugs regulation in three Southeast Asian jurisdictions: Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. These jurisdictions represent a spectrum of approaches to drug regulation in Southeast Asia, highlighting differences in practice between civil and common law countries, and between liberal and authoritarian states. This book offers the first major English language empirical investigation and comparative analysis of regulation, jurisprudence, court procedure, and practices relating to drugs law enforcement in these three states.

For decades, Indonesia's 1945 Constitution, the second-shortest in the modern world, was used as an apologia by successive authoritarian regimes. A bare-bones text originally intended as a temporary measure, it did little beyond establish basic State organs, including a powerful presidency. It did not offer citizens real guarantees or protections. These weaknesses were ruthlessly exploited by the military-backed regime that President Suharto headed from 1966 until his fall in 1998. The (first ever) amendment of the Constitution - that began the following year and was completed in 2002 - changed all this. Enlarging and rethinking the Constitution, it ushered in a liberal democratic system based around human rights, an open society, and separation of powers. These reforms also created a Constitutional Court that has provided Indonesia's first judicial forum for serious debate on the interpretation and application of the Constitution, as well as its first significant and easily-accessible body of detailed and reasoned judgments. Today, Indonesian constitutional law is rich, sophisticated, and complex. This book surveys the remarkable constitutional transition, assessing the implementation of Indonesia's new constitutional model and identifying its weaknesses. After covering key institutions exercising executive, legislative, and judicial powers, the book focuses on key current constitutional debates, ranging from human rights to decentralization, religious freedom, and control of the economy. (Series: Constitutional Systems of the World)

There are no two neighbouring countries anywhere in the world that are more different than Indonesia and Australia. They differ hugely in religion, language, culture, history, geography, race, economics, worldview and population (Indonesia, 270 million, Australia less than 10 per cent of that). In fact, Indonesia and Australia have almost nothing in common other than the accident of geographic proximity. This makes their relationship turbulent, volatile and often unpredictable. Strangers Next Door? brings together insiders and leading observers to critically assess the state of Australia-Indonesia relations and their future prospects, offering insights into why the relationship is so important for Australia, why it is so often in crisis, and what this means for the future. This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the Indo-Pacific region, Southeast Asia, Australia and Indonesia, and each country's politics, economy and foreign policy. It contains chapters that will interest specialists but are written in a style accessible to a general audience. The book spans a diverse range of subjects, including political relations and diplomacy, security and defence, the economy and trade, Islam, education, development, the arts, legal cooperation, the media, women, and community ties. Contributors assess the current state of relations in their sphere of expertise, and outline the factors and policies that could shape bilateral ties - and Indonesia's future - over the coming decades. University of Melbourne scholars Tim Lindsey and Dave McRae, both prominent observers and commentators on Indonesia and its relations with Australia, edited the volume, providing a synthesising overview as well as their own thematic chapters.