Stanford University

International Development

FSI researchers consider international development from a variety of angles. They analyze ideas such as how public action and good governance are cornerstones of economic prosperity in Mexico and how investments in high school education will improve China’s economy.

They are looking at novel technological interventions to improve rural livelihoods, like the development implications of solar power-generated crop growing in Northern Benin.

FSI academics also assess which political processes yield better access to public services, particularly in developing countries. With a focus on health care, researchers have studied the political incentives to embrace UNICEF’s child survival efforts and how a well-run anti-alcohol policy in Russia affected mortality rates.

FSI’s work on international development also includes training the next generation of leaders through pre- and post-doctoral fellowships as well as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program.

Malaysia at the Crossroads: Race-based Politics, the Emergence of a Multiracial Alternative and the Road Ahead

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Although its people are mainly Muslim, Malaysia is notably diverse.  Many communities of faith live together in relative harmony.  Yet ethnic tensions and decades of authoritarian rule have undermined national unity and a sense of shared purpose.  Since the watershed election of 2008, a revived political opposition and an active civil society have increasingly challenged the divisive politics of race and religion in Malaysia.  But severe obstacles still thwart full democratization and genuine pluralism. 

In his talk, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad will analyze the complexities of Malaysia’s race-based political system, the prospects of the country’s multiracial opposition, and what these dynamics imply for the future of democracy in Malaysia.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad was elected to the Selangor State Assembly in Malaysia in March 2008 as a candidate of the opposition People’s Justice Party (Partai Keadilan Rakyat).  His roles in Keadilan include membership in the party’s National Youth Executive Committee.  In 2006-08 he served as private secretary to Keadilan’s de facto leader at the time, Anwar Ibrahim. 

Nik Nazmi is a columnist at the Malaysian Insider and the founder of SuaraAnum.com, a web magazine for young Malaysians.  He has been widely published in, and interviewed by, Malaysian and international media.  He read law and earned his LLB (Honors) from King's College, University of London.  While in London he joined British Muslims in protesting the occupation of Palestine and the war in Iraq.  His undergraduate work was done at the UEM Foundation College in Selangor, where he was elected president of the Student Council.  His secondary education was at the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar, which has been called “the Eton of the East.”  During his student career, he was active in multiple extra-curricular settings, including Muslim and social-service organizations and English-language debating teams.  He was born in Malaysia in 1982.

Daniel and Nancy Okimoto Conference Room

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad Selangor State Assemblyman and Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Selangor, Malaysia Speaker
Seminars

The Global Economic Crisis, One Year Later: The United States And China

RSVP's are no longer being accepted due to space limitations.

The Stanford China Program and the Academy of Macro-Economic Research at the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s leading policy agency, present the first in a series of conferences that will examine the responses of both China and the United States to the global economic crisis, one year after it commenced. 

Experts from the US and China will look at the impact of stimulus policies adopted in both countries on growth, economic restructuring, and bilateral cooperation.  They will also examine the impact of the global economic downturn on environmental protection and resource conservation policies, and explore prospects for the adoption of new technologies to mitigate climate change and spur economic growth in both countries.

See agenda for speaker and panel details.

Note:  Majority of participants have requested we not post presentations.

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Bechtel Conference Center

Conferences

SPRIE kicks off fall quarter with "Silicon Valley Leaders Forum"

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On Thursday, September 24, the Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPRIE) is pleased to present the "Silicon Valley Leadership Forum: Changing Silicon Valley," a forum featuring addresses by Dr. John Hennessy, President, Stanford University; Mr. James C. Morgan, Chairman emeritus, Applied Materials; and Dr. John Seely Brown, Independent Co-Chairman, Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation, as well as a special panel focus on how venture capital is changing in the Valley.
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Shorenstein APARC launches the annual Stanford-Kyoto Dialogue, focusing on energy and the environment

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Benjamin Self
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The Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center inaugurates the Stanford Kyoto Trans-Asian Dialogue on 10 and 11 September 2009, with the cooperation of the Stanford Japan Center and the generous support of the City of Kyoto and other donors.

The Dialogue gathers established and rising leaders in various sectors - industry, media, academia, politics - for annual discussion of critical issues of shared concern. Experts from Stanford University and specialists from around the region will launch the Dialogue sessions in focused topics within the annual theme. The 2009 Dialogue centers on the question of "Energy, Environment, and Economic Growth in Asia," with sessions on the Geopolitics of Energy in Asia, Energy Efficiency, Clean Technology, and Post-Kyoto Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Benjamin Self, Takahashi Fellow in Japanese Studies, directs the effort. "The Dialogue brings together distinguished experts from Stanford and Silicon Valley, top specialists from around the region, and leaders in various fields. The meeting begins with an exploration of the influence of energy competition on international relations in Asia. After establishing the geopolitical context the group will explore new ideas on how to promote energy efficiency, clean technology, and the reduction of carbon emissions."

The Stanford Kyoto Dialogue creates a new regional forum, with diverse participation from not only Japan but also South Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Singapore. Working with the City of Kyoto, famous for "green" initiatives, Stanford's Shorenstein APARC will support inventive collaboration on common challenges.

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Prospects for a Regional Human Rights Court in Southeast Asia

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Carolyn A. Mercado is a senior program officer with The Asia Foundation in the Philippines. In this position she manages the Law and Human Rights program. She assists in the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of other selected activities within the Foundation's Law and Governance program and handles mediation and conflict management, and other forms of dispute resolution processes. She has also served as a temporary consultant to the Asian Development Bank on the Strengthening the Independence and Accountability of the Philippine Judiciary project and the Legal Literacy for Supporting Governance project.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Mercado was an intern with the Center of International Environmental Law in Washington. Previously, she served consultancies in Manila for the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Maritime Organization, NOVIB, and the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources. She has served as lecturer on environmental law at Ateneo de Manila University, San Sebastian College of Law, and the Development Academy of the Philippines. She also previously served as executive director of the Developmental Legal Assistance Center, corporate secretary of the Alternative Law Groups, and as a legal aide to a member of the Philippine Senate.

Education: B.A. in political science from the University of the Philippines; LL.B. from the University of the Philippines College of Law. She was also a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in international environmental law, University of Washington and a European Union Scholar in environmental resource management, Maastricht School of Business in the Netherlands.

CO-SPONSORED BY SEAF

Encina Ground Floor Conference Room

Carolyn Mercado Senior Program Officer Speaker The Asia Foundation
Seminars

Energy, Environment, and Economic Growth in Asia

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This dialogue will bring together distinguished experts from Stanford and Silicon Valley, top specialists from around the region, and leaders in various fields such as business, politics, academia, and media.  We will begin with an exploration of the influence of energy competition on international relations in Asia.  After establishing the geopolitical context the group will explore new ideas on how to promote energy efficiency, clean technology, and the reduction of carbon emissions.

Experts will look closely at the Japanese experience in the development and dissemination of energy efficient and pollution-control technologies, critical elements of meeting growing demands for energy without causing greater harm to the environment.  We will discuss how the United States, under the new Obama administration, may contribute more to the reduction of carbon emissions and the advance of alternative energy technologies.  And we will analyze how the growing energy consumers in developing Asia can join a post-Kyoto Protocol that effectively mitigates the environmental impact of energy use and reduces the tensions arising from competition for energy resources.

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Kyoto International Community House Event Hall
2-1 Torii-cho,Awataguchi,
Sakyo-ku Kyoto,606-8536
JAPAN

Seminars
Stanford Kyoto Trans-Asian Dialogue

Sudarno Sumarto

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Shorenstein APARC/Asia Foundation Visiting Fellow
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Sudarno Sumarto is the Shorenstein APARC / Asia Foundation fellow for 2009-10.  He has a PhD and an MA from Vanderbilt University and a BS from Satya Wacana Christian University (Salatiga), all in economics.  Prior to joining Shorenstein APARC he was the director of SMERU for nearly 10 years. SMERU is an independent institution for research and public policy studies which professionally and proactively provides accurate and timely information, as well as objective analysis on various socioeconomic and poverty issues considered most urgent and relevant for the people of Indonesia. The institute has been at the forefront of the research effort to highlight the impact of government programs and policies, and has actively published and reported its research findings. The work expanded to include other areas of applied and economic research that are of fundamental importance to contemporary development issues. He was also a lecturer at Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), Bogor, Indonesia.

Sumarto has contributed to more than sixty co-authored articles, chapters, reports, and working papers, including "Agricultural Growth and Poverty Reduction in Indonesia," in Beyond Food Production (2007); "Reducing Unemployment in Indonesia," SMERU Working Paper, 2007; "Improving Student Performance in Public Primary Schools in Developing Countries:  Evidence from Indonesia," Education Economics, December 2006; and “The Effects of Location and Sectoral Components of Economic Growth on Poverty: Evidence from Indonesia.” Journal of Development Economics, 89(1), pp. 109-117, May 2009.  As well as conducting research and writing papers, Sumarto has worked closely with the Indonesian government, giving advice on poverty issues and government poverty alleviation programs.

Sumarto has spoken on poverty and development issues in Australia, Chile, Peru, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Japan, Morocco, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, among other countries.

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Tomohiro Yamaguchi

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Corporate Affiliate Visiting Fellow
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Tomohiro Yamaguchi is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at Shorenstein APARC for 2009-10.  Previously at Sumitomo Corporation in Japan, he was in charge of developing new business in the Mobile & Internet Business Department. In this capacity, he engaged in a startup of a DSL company, one of Sumitomo Corporation's venture businesses.  Additionally, he developed and operated new software products such as SaaS for enterprises and Music SNS for consumers.  He graduated from Kobe University with a BA in Intercultural Studies.

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Masahito Sugita

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Corporate Affiliate Visiting Fellow
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Masahito Sugita is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at Shorenstein APARC for 2009-10. He started his career as a systems engineer of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokyo, Japan in 1987, and has been involved in development of various IT systems for enterprises, such as automobile manufacturers, dealers and transportation companies. His latest position at his company is as a manager in Strategic IT Business Planning Department and he is in charge of research for new IT businesses. He graduated from the University of Tokyo with a BE in Precision Machinery Engineering.

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Daiju Nakahashi

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Corporate Affiliate Visiting Fellow
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Daiju Nakahashi is a corporate affiliate visiting fellow at Shorenstein APARC 
for 2009-2010. Prior to joining Shorenstein APARC, he has worked at Sumitomo 
Corporation, one of the major trading and investment conglomerates in Japan for 
fifteen years. He has been engaged in sales and marketing of IT-related products 
and services as well as venture investments and new business developments in the 
IT industry. In addition, he has experience to manage one of the affiliated companies 
of Sumitomo Corporation as an executive vice president. He graduated from Keio 
University with a degree in Commerce and Business."

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