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.

Straub addresses abrupt change in North Korea agreement

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North Korea’s government announced it will launch a long-range rocket to orbit a satellite within a few days of the 100th anniversary of founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday on Apr. 15.

The statement comes on the heels of an important U.S.-North Korea agreement on Feb. 29, in which the United States promised to provide North Korea with 240,000 tons of food aid over the next year while North Korea would refrain from nuclear and long-range missile tests and allow international inspection of its declared nuclear facilities. The situation echoes that of 2009, when North Korea also gave advance notice of a "peaceful" long-range rocket launch. North Korea’s 2009 missile test prompted a United Nations condemnation, after which North Korea conducted its second test of a nuclear device.

David Straub, associate director of Stanford’s Korean Studies Program and a former State Department Korea expert, speaks about North Korea’s latest statement.

Why is the new North Korea announcement of possible concern?

This type of launch is something the U.N. Security Council earlier condemned and forbade North Korea to do again. There is a large overlap in the technologies used for such a rocket and for a long-range ballistic missile, and the international community is deeply suspicious that North Korea will use what it learns from such launches to develop long-range missile technology.

The larger concern is that North Korea intends eventually to pair long-range missiles with nuclear warheads, creating a much greater threat to other countries, including the United States.

Was there any indication North Korea would issue this statement?

Given North Korea’s history of reneging on deals, the Obama administration wisely noted at the time of the Feb. 29 announcement that it was a "limited" agreement. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that North Korea’s upholding of its side of the agreement would be the key to the deal’s overall success.

There is no doubt the U.S. government would not have announced this agreement if it had anticipated that North Korea would almost immediately have declared its intention to launch another long-range rocket.

Why would North Korea decide to announce a rocket launch?

At this point, we can only speculate about North Korea’s motivations for the announcement. It could be related to the recent leadership succession in North Korea. Kim Jong Un, the grandson of Kim Il Sung, is an inexperienced leader still in his 20s. He and his advisors may feel it is necessary to defy the United States so blatantly to demonstrate at home how strong a leader he is. 

Or perhaps, after testing two nuclear devices and several long-range missiles, the North Korean government has become more confident about its diplomatic ability to withstand international condemnations and sanctions.

In any event, it is a stunning slap in the face of the Obama administration, which will need to react firmly. Already, less than 24 hours after the North Korean announcement, the Department of State has publicly said that the entire Feb. 29 agreement, including the delivery of food aid, has been put on hold.  

What should we expect to happen next?

A real danger is that the events of 2009 will be repeated. The North Korean government reacted angrily to the U.N. Security Council’s presidential statement against it three years ago, and withdrew from the Six-Party Talks. Pyongyang then proceeded to conduct a nuclear test only a month later.

The most worrisome aspect is the possibility that the new leadership in North Korea feels insecure at home and thus obliged to act tough, and also has poor judgment about the United States and the international community as a whole. If so, the North Korea issue could become significantly more confrontational—and dangerous—in the coming months.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

U.S. Department of State: North Korean announcement of missile launch

Reuters: North Korea’s missile and "satellite" programs

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A bronze statue of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, Sept. 2007. North Korea will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kim's birth this year on Apr. 15. | Flickr/Will De Freitas
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Children of China's Future

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As China's economy grows so does the prevalence of social inequality. In a YaleGlobal Online article, a team of Shorenstein APARC China experts says the country must invest more now in education and public health programs for its rural children or it will face major growth challenges in the near future.

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Karen Eggleston
Jean C. Oi
Scott Rozelle
Ang Sun
Xueguang Zhou
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Discourses of Defiance: Framing Muslim Self-Determination in Thailand and the Philippines

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Using the concept of framing, this presentation will explore discourses behind the move for greater self-determination on the part of the Malay-Muslims of southern Thailand and the Moro of the southern Philippines. It will discuss the shifting referents of ethnic identity and demonstrate how coherent narratives of resistance have taken shape over time and against changing social, political, and economic contexts to frame the collective action of resistance movements over the last four decades.

Joseph Chinyong Liow's research interests are in Muslim politics in Southeast Asia. He is the author of Muslim Resistance in Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines: Religion, Ideology, Politics (East-West Center, 2006); Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia (Oxford, 2009); and Islamic Education in Southern Thailand: Tradition and Transformation (ISEAS, 2009). He is also co-editor of Islam in Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2010). Liow is currently working on two single-author book manuscripts. The first is on social movement theory and armed ethnonationalist movements in Southeast Asia, and the second is a revised edition of the Dictionary of Modern Politics in Southeast Asia, previously authored by the late Michael Leifer.

This seminar series is co-sponsored by the South Asia Initiative,
 

 

     

    

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Joseph Chinyong Liow

Walter H. Shorenstein
Asia-Pacific Research Center
616 Serra St C302-23
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6055

(650) 723-3368 (650) 723-6530
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Autumn Quarter 2011 Visiting Scholar
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Joseph Chinyong Liow is a professor of comparative and international politics and an associate dean at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

His research interests encompass Muslim politics in Southeast Asia and the international politics of the Asia-Pacific region. During his time at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Liow will conduct research and writing on social movement theory and armed resistance in Southeast Asia, as well as a dictionary of modern politics of Southeast Asia.

Liow is the author of Islam, Reform, and Education in Southern Thailand: Tradition and Transformation (2009); Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia (2009); and the Politics of Indonesia-Malaysia Relations: One Kin, Two Nations (2005). He is also editor of Islam in Southeast Asia, Four Volumes (2010); co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies (2010); and co-author of Confronting Ghosts: Unpacking Southern Thailand’s Shapeless Insurgency (2010) and the East Asia Summit and Regional Security (2010). Liow is a co-editor of the Asian Security Book Series at Routledge, sits on the editorial board of South East Asia Research, and serves on the editorial team of Asian Security.

Liow holds a PhD in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an MSc in strategic studies from the Nanyang Technological University, and a BA (Hons) in political science from the University of Madison-Wisconsin.

Joseph Chinyong Liow Professor of Comparative and International Politics Speaker S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University
Seminars
Understanding Muslim Minorities in Asia - The Inter-relationship of Socio-economic Status, Identity, and Politics
South Asia Initiative

Education And Employment Among Muslims In India - An Analysis Of Patterns And Trends

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After the submission of the Sachar Committee Report, several studies have undertaken data-based analysis of the socioeconomic and educational conditions of Muslims in India. Many researchers, policy makers, and Muslims believe that education can be the only mechanism to enhance their socioeconomic status and enter into better-paid jobs, businesses, and professions. This seminar will review the available evidence on the patterns of Muslim participation in education and workforce outcomes. Comparing the estimates derived from the most recent round of the National Sample Survey for the year 2009–2010 with the earlier years, it will assess how these patterns have changed in recent years. To the extent feasible the correlates of these changes will also be explored.

Rakesh Basant's current teaching and research interests focus on firm strategy, innovation, public policy, and regulation. His recent work has focused on capability building processes in industrial clusters; FDI in R&D; innovation-internalization linkages; competition policy; inter-organizational linkages for technology development (especially academia-industry relationships); strategic and policy aspects of intellectual property rights; linkages between public policy and technological change; economics of strategy; and the small-scale sector in India. His sectoral focus of research in these areas has been on the pharmaceutical, IT, electronics, and suto-component industries. Basant was a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s High-Level Committee (also known as Sachar Committee) to write a report on the social, economic, and educational conditions of Muslims in India. In continuation of this work, part of his current research focuses on issues relating to affirmative action, especially in higher education. Basant has also been a recipient of the of the Ford Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Economics, and has spent two years at the Economic Growth Center at Yale University as a visiting research fellow. In addition, he has worked as a consultant to several international organizations.

This seminar series is co-sponsored by the South Asia Initiative,

   

  

 

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Rakesh Basant Professor of Economics & Chairperson Speaker Center for innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Seminars
South Asia Initiative
Understanding Muslim Minorities in Asia - The Inter-relationship of Socio-economic Status, Identity, and Politics

The Political Presence of India's Muslims

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This talk will look at the presence of Muslims in different arms of government, such as municipal councils/zilla parishads, state legislatures, and national legislatures. It will also explore whether Muslim issues are addressed at different levels of government, and it will examine future challenges Muslims will face.

Wajahat Habibullah, a former civil servant of the Indian Administrative Service, has spent much of his career in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Kashmir valley. He has written about his experiences in his book My Kashmir: Conflict and the Prospects of Enduring Peace (2008). He has also served on the staff of India’s Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi; as a minister in the Embassy of India in Washington, DC; as secretary in the Ministries of Textiles and Panchayati Raj, and the Department of Consumer Affairs; and administrator of the union territory of Lakshadweep.

After retiring from service Habibullah served as India’s first chief information commissioner, heading the final court of appeal under India’s Right to Information Act in 2005. A former Randolph Jennings Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC (2003–2004), Habibullah has been awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Secularism. Presently, he is chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, and of the National Institute of Technology in Srinagar.

This seminar series is co-sponsored by the South Asia Initiative,

      

       

        

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Wajahat Habibullah Chairperson Speaker National Commission for Minorities, India
Seminars
Understanding Muslim Minorities in Asia - The Inter-relationship of Socio-economic Status, Identity, and Politics
South Asia Initiative

Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship program grows

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“A postdoctoral program is crucial to the intellectual development of any strong academic institution. I am proud the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center will serve as a home next year for these four talented emerging Asia scholars. Not only will they benefit from taking part in our vibrant research and publishing activities, but they will also bring new expertise and perspectives to our Center.”

-Gi-Wook Shin, Director, Shorenstein APARC

 
In the coming academic year, the Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship program will double in size.

The four incoming fellows represent the best of the next generation of contemporary Asia scholars. Their research ranges from civil society and authoritarian governance in China to ethnic conflict in South Asia, and Korean migration and identity to election politics in Japan.

During their time at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC), the fellows will conduct their own research and writing, present their work at public seminars, and take part in the research and publishing activities of the Center. Postdoctoral fellows will also have the chance to exchange ideas with Shorenstein APARC experts and interact with the many distinguished visitors who visit each year from throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, the Asia Health Policy Program at Shorenstein APARC will welcome two postdoctoral fellows in the 2012–13 academic year: an Asia Health Policy Fellow and a Developing Asia Fellow.

Postdoctoral fellows are a vital part of the academic life of the Center, and their relationships with Shorenstein APARC will continue throughout their entire careers.

The Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is made possible through the generosity of Walter H. Shorenstein.

“This fellowship has changed the trajectory of my academic career. It has given me the intellectual space to be highly productive and the freedom to expand my understanding of world events in order to enhance my future teaching and research. Thanks in large part to the fellowship, I was able to obtain an appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at Boston University.”

-Jeremy Menchik, 2011–12 Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow


2012–13 Shorenstein PostDoctoral Fellows

Diana Fu

Diana Fu will be joining Shorenstein APARC from Oxford University’s Department of Politics and International Relations, and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she recently served as a political science research fellow. Her research interests encompass state-society relations in authoritarian regimes, civil society, governance, and labor contention. She will be completing a series of journal articles about civil society and authoritarian governance in China. Fu holds an MPhil in international development from Oxford University where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a BA in global studies and political science from the University of Minnesota.

Jaeeun Kim
Jaeeun Kim is a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. She is interested in issues of identity within the context of international migration, which she explores in her dissertation Colonial Migration and Transborder Membership Politics in Twentieth-Century Korea. She is also developing a project focusing on ethnic Korean migrants from northeast China to the United States, including issues such as legalization strategies and conversion patterns. Kim holds an MA and a PhD in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BA in law from Seoul National University.

Daniel M. Smith
Daniel M. Smith, a PhD candidate with the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), is completing his dissertation on the causes and consequences of political dynasties in developed democracies, with particular focus on Japan. He has conducted research in Japan as a Japanese Ministry of Education research scholar (2006–2007), and as a Fulbright dissertation research fellow (2010–2011). Smith holds an MA in political science from UCSD, and a BA in political science and Italian from the University of California, Los Angeles. After completing his fellowship at Shorenstein APARC, he will join the Department of Government at Harvard University as an assistant professor.

Ajay Verghese
Ajay Verghese is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at The George Washington University. His work focuses on comparative politics and international relations, and his research interests include South Asia, ethnicity, ethnic conflict, historical analysis, and qualitative methods. Verghese has conducted language training and fieldwork in India, with support from organizations such as the American Institute of Indian Studies and the U.S. State Department Critical Language Scholarship Program. He will be turning his dissertation into a book entitled The Colonial Origins of Ethnic Violence: India and the Indian Ocean Region. Verghese holds a BA in political science and French from Temple University.

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Encina Hall, Stanford University campus | George Krompacky
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Stanford research poised to play role as Japan restructures power industry

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Northeastern Japan is rebuilding itself after last year's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident. The devastation to the region is unquestionable, but so are the opportunities for energy industry reform and innovation. Masahiko Aoki and Kenji E. Kushida spoke with the Stanford News Service about developments in the region, and about possible links to Silicon Valley technologies.
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Tokyo Electric Power Company's Tama substation in northwest Tokyo, May 2010. | Flickr/ykanazawa1999
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Critical Industry Studies in Cigarette Production Before, During, and After “Liberation”

Over the last hundred years, the cigarette has become a pillar of consumer life in China and many parts of the world. In 2010, the Chinese tobacco industry produced over two trillion cigarettes, generating over U.S. $90 billion in taxes and profits. Over 300 million Chinese citizens now use cigarettes every day, and tobacco kills 90 times more people each year than HIV/AIDS in China.

How has the cigarette become so integrated into the fabric of everyday life across the People’s Republic of China?

The importance of answering this question is unmistakable, but very little historical research and writing has examined China’s cigarette industry from the mid-20th century to the present. To get to the heart of this question, historians, health policy specialists, sociologists, anthropologists, business scholars, and other experts will meet Mar. 26 and 27 at the new Stanford Center at Peking University for a conference organized by the Asia Health Policy Program. They will examine connections intricately woven over the past 60 years between marketing and cigarette gifting, production and consumer demand, government policy and economic profit, and many other dimensions of China’s cigarette culture.

Stanford Center at Peking University

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The Gathering Storm: Analyzing the Cloud Computing Ecosystem and Implications for Public Policy

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The authors contend that cloud computing is historically unique by simultaneously being an innovation ecosystem, production platform, and global marketplace. In the first part, they define cloud computing as a "dynamic" utility, listing key characteristics of what it is and what it is not, both from providers' and users' vantages. In the second part, they characterize three competitive battles in the broader cloud ecosystem: winning the user (cloud providers), the search for value (network providers), and the device wars (device providers). They then provide a new and simple, but powerful and practically applicable typology that combines the type of providers with the commonly understood architecture types. The third part applies this framework to analyze the business strategies of global cloud service providers and select others in the broader ecosystem. They conclude with policy implications and where to take research from here.

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Communications and Strategies
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Kenji E. Kushida
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