On 15 December 2023, CSDS and MAIDS-GRID joined the International Migrants Day. The presentation title was “Climate change, agrarian change and conflict: A scoping study on recent migration between Myanmar and Thailand”.
Further details on the program of the launch can be found here.
A recording of the full program can be viewed here.
Launch of the Chulalongkorn University UNESCO Chair in Resource Governance and Futures Literacy
28 March 2023, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Co-organized by Chulalongkorn University UNESCO Chair in Resource Governance and Futures Literacy; Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University; Office of International Affairs and Global Network, Chulalongkorn University; and Japan Society for International Development (JASID)
On the morning of 28 March 2023, Chulalongkorn University was honored to host the launch of the “Chulalongkorn University UNESCO Chair in Resource Governance and Futures Literacy.”
Further details on the program of the launch can be found here.
A recording of the full morning’s program can be viewed here.
WriteShop on “Shifting Practices and Experiences of Development Cooperation in Southeast Asia: Understanding Local Voice and Agency”
Introduction
Since the new Millennium, the development cooperation landscape has drastically changed in Southeast Asia. Actors providing, receiving, influencing and affected by development cooperation have diversified. So too has the forms and tools of development cooperation, for example South-South cooperation including by China and India, climate funds, philanthropic foundations, and global vertical funds (Mawdsley 2017). The financial volume of new contributions has grown to outpace that of earlier Western donors. Such a shift has led to what Greenhill et al. (2013) describe as a new ‘age of choice’ in which countries of the Global South are provided with a range of development cooperation options to choose from for financing their development. Yet, in reality, the variety of opportunities differ greatly between countries in the Global South, depending on their economic/ geopolitical ‘credentials’ (Fuchs and Quante 2021; Waisbich et al. 2021). Furthermore, as donors pursue their (national) interests through development cooperation, so-called 'donor competition' has intensified (Fuchs et al. 2013), including in Southeast Asia in recent years (Liao and Dang 2020; Liao and Katada 2021).
Existing development studies literature on donor competition predominantly focuses on the accounts of financiers and providers, for example their motivations and processes of competition. Far less attention is paid to the perspectives and agency of local actors in Southeast Asia, including the diverse voices within governments, as well as civil society and impacted communities (see Sato et al. 2011). As a consequence, less is studied on how local actors evaluate and understand the shifting practices and experiences of development cooperation in Southeast Asia: and in particular, how they see opportunities and challenges within the changing development cooperation landscape to address what they define as their development challenges – and the very meaning of ‘development’. Exploring the local voice and agency in development cooperation is salient at this critical juncture as the crises of climate shock, pandemic, and the war in Ukraine have not only aggravated existing development challenges in the region but also shape the very dynamic development cooperation landscape in the region.
WriteShop program
This WriteShop hosted paper presentations submitted to the earlier call for papers (here for full details). The full program was as follows:
Field visit
The WriteShop participants were invited to a community field visit to Khun Samut Chin village, Samut Prakarn Province. The field visit offered the opportunity to learn about coastal erosion and land subsidence, and the impacts on residing communities including regarding land rights, access to natural resources, and forced displacement.
This event was co- organized by M.A. and Ph.D. Program in International Development Studies (MAIDS-GRID) and Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University; School for Cross-faculty Studies, The University of Warwick; and Chulalongkorn University UNESCO Chair in Resource Governance and Futures Literacy.
Speakers
Opening remarks:
Dr. Bhanubhatra Jittiang, Assistant Dean for International Affairs and Director of the M.A. and Ph.D. Program in International Development Studies (MAIDS-GRID)
Speakers:
Dr. Naruemon Thabchumpon, Associate Professor and Director of Asian Research Center for Migration (ARCM), Chulalongkorn University
Dr. Marta Guerriero, Associate Professor and Head of International Partnerships, Global Sustainable Development, School for Cross-faculty Studies, The University of Warwick
Dr. Carl Middleton, Assistant Professor and Director of Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
Chair:
Dr. Jessica Savage-Wilkes, Associate Professor, Global Sustainable Development, School for Cross-faculty Studies, The University of Warwick
Concluding remarks:
Dr. Stephanie Panichelli, Professor and Head of School, School for Cross-faculty Studies, The University of Warwick
A recorded video can be found here.
On December 6, CSDS hosted a book launch and discussion. The book title is “Land into Capital”. Carl Middleton from CSDS is the chapter author of the book.
Commentator:
Dr. Pasuk Phongpaichit is an Emeritus Professor in Political Economy with the Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Thailand, and co-laureate of the Fukuoka Grand Prize, 2017. Professor Pasuk’s publications include: Unequal Thailand (2016); We the People Revolutionize Tax for Equality (2020) and Land Governance in Thailand (forthcoming in 2023).
Moderator:
Dr. Naruemon Thabchumpon is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, and Director of the Asian Research Center for Migration
Book editors/ chapter authors
Dr. Philip Hirsch is an Emeritus Professor in human geography at the University of Sydney and coauthor of Powers of Exclusion: Land Dilemmas in Southeast Asia
Dr. Kevin Woods is a Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu.
Natalia Scurrah is an independent researcher based in Thailand and coauthor of The Mekong: A Sociolegal Approach to River Basin Development.
Chapter author
Dr. Carl Middleton is Director of the Center for Social Development Studies and Deputy Director on the MA and PhD graduate program in International Development Studies in the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.
A recorded video can be found here.
This was a public seminar in person co- organized by the Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Chulalongkorn University; Chulalongkorn University UNESCO Chair in Resource Governance and Futures Literacy; and China Dialogue Trust.
Please see the full agenda here.
A recorded vide can be found here.
On November 24, CSDS and RWI collaborated for the hybrid seminar on “Climate Change, Mobility and Human Rights: ‘Slow-onset’ Environmental Change and Displacement in the Mekong Region”.
This full day hybrid public seminar addressed the following questions, with a focus on mainland Southeast Asia.
How are climate change, people’s mobility and human rights connected?
What is the experience on the ground?
Is current law and policy adequate to address emerging vulnerabilities, especially regarding ‘slow onset’ environmental change?
What are the actionable polices and on-the-ground approaches to protect and promote human rights?
What are the implications for ‘loss and damage’ claims and climate justice?
For more information about the event, you can visit the CSDS website here and you can watch the full seminar here.
This event was co- organized by Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Chulalongkorn University; Chulalongkorn University UNESCO Chair in Resource Governance and Futures Literacy; SustainAsia; Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia (IRASEC); Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences Po) Toulouse; and Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Our panelists are:
Dr. Apisom Intralawan, Institute for the Study of Natural Resource Management and Environmental Management, Mae Fah Luang University
Prof. Dr. Catherine Baron, Sciences Po Toulouse
Karen Delfau, PhD candidate at Sciences Po Toulouse
Dr. Anindrya Nastiti, Institut Teknologi Bandung
Phong Huynh, Deputy Project Manager, GRET (Laos)
The panel was moderated by Gabriel Facal, IRASEC Deputy Director.
Please see the full event below.
On Thursday, 2nd June 2022, CSDS co- organized with Chulalongkorn University and the Australia – Mekong Partnership for Environmental Resources and Energy Systems (AMPERES) for report launch and discussion on “Pathways to a Sustainable and Just Transformation of the Mekong Region’s Electricity Sector”.
The event covered the following questions:
Rethinking electricity narratives: How are different electricity options narrated and justified? How do they reflect visions for the electricity transformation? What are the implications for a just electricity transformation in the region?
Rethinking electricity planning: Beyond changes in generation technology, in what ways could/should electricity systems in the region change in the near future? What are the challenges and opportunities to do so? What are the economic, social and environmental implications?
Rethinking scale and design: Why does scale matter in electricity planning and practice? Are different scaled technologies and practices mutually exclusive options? What are the trends and the region and what are the consequences?
Please see the full agenda here. Please view the final report here.
You can watch the full discussion here.
This event was co- hosted by The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University (RCSD); Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute (CUSRI); Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Chulalongkorn University; Center for Social Development Studies, Chulalongkorn University (CSDS); College of Politics and Governance , Mahasarakham University; Faculty of Science and Social Sciences, Burapha University Sakaeo Campus.
This seminar shared recent research on the water policy and practices and its impacts especially on community livelihoods and culture in Thailand, and to contextualize the findings by engaging in discussion with innovative approaches beyond Thailand.
Please see the panel and more information here.
A recording of the full event can be found here.
CSDS collaborated with Chulalongkorn Futures Literacy and Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University for a panel discussion for Chulalongkorn University’s Futures Literacy Week.
The full event panels are:
Panelists;
Prof. Dr. Jin Sato, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo; President, Japan Society for International Development
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mandy Sadan, Director of the Graduate Taught Programmes in Global Sustainable Development, University of Warwick
Mr. Hermes Huang, Design Thinking Practitioner, Co-Founder, InsightPact
Moderator;
Dr. Bhanubhatra Jittang, Director, MAIDS-GRID, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
The full event can be found below.
Carl Middleton from CSDS was the moderator for a panel discussion on “A Bridge Over Troubled Water: Anticipating and Reimagining the Future of Rivers in Southeast Asia”. This was a panel for the International Conference of Chulalongkorn University’s Futures Literacy Week. You can find more information about Chulalongkorn’s University Futures Literacy here.
The full panelist for the event are:
Chol Bunnag, Assistant Professor and Director, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
Pianporn Deetes, Thailand and Myanmar Campaigns Director, International Rivers
Saw John Bright, Water Program Manager, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Raymond Yu Wang, Associate Professor, Center for Social Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology
Tarek Ketelsen, Director General, Australia – Mekong Partnership for Environmental Resources and Energy Systems (AMPERES)
Yong Ming Li, Fellow, East West Center
Moderator
Carl Middleton, Director, Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
The full event is below.
CSDS was the co- organizer for a panel discussion on climate change, climate action and climate justice on Chulalongkorn University Futures Literacy week. Co- designers and facilitators shared what they learned and what will be next.
See the full panel below.
Carl Middleton from CSDS was one of the speakers for the online webinar organized by Metropolis Asia-Pacific titled “Report on the UN Climate Change Conference and the Impact of Climate Change on Migration in South East Asia”.
The full panelist for the event are:
Opening remarks: Imelda M. Nicolas, Former Cabinet Secretary, Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Co- convener, Metropolis- Asia
Moderator: Tasneen Sidiqui, University of Dhaka, Banglades
Closing Remarks: Binod Khadria, Former Professor, Jwaharlal Nehru Univ, Indida, Co- convener, Metropolis- Aisa
Speakers: Ouvais Samad, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), Bonn, Germany Kristin Marie Dadey, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Manila, Philippines Carl Middleton, Director, Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Chulalaongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
A recording of the event can be found here
Carl Middleton from CSDS was one of the speakers for the online discussion on how biodiversity in the Mekong Basin can be protected, despite its constant evolution, notably through integrated management and community-based approaches.
This event was organized by Agence Française de Développement.
Speakers :
Anoulak Kittikhoun, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer, Mekong River Commission
Carl Middleton, Director at the Center for Social Development Studies, Chulalungkorn University (TH)
Jake Brunner, Head of IndoBurma Group, IUCN
The full video is below:
Last month, we talked with Chuenchom Sangarasri Greacen (Chom Greacen), who is a co-founder of the energy think tank Palang Thai that has undertaken public-interest research for fair, sustainable, and democratic development of the energy sector in Thailand and the wider Mekong region. Before this, from 1999 to 2003, Chom was an electricity policy analyst at the Energy Policy and Planning Office within Thailand’s Ministry of Energy, where she concentrated on the country’s electricity-sector reform process.
Over the last two decades, Chom has prepared many studies published as reports, academic articles and in the media. Her work has often informed and shaped public debates on electricity planning and policy, as well as particular power projects. In 2012, for example, she prepared a power development plan for Thailand that demonstrated how Thailand could phase out coal, incorporate more renewable energy and emphasize energy efficiency and demand side management, leading to significant debate on the Thai Government’s own Power Development Plan.
In this video, we discussed about enabling a just and sustainable electricity transformation in Thailand.
The video was premiered on CSDS Facebook Page. Below are the timestamps of the video, in case you want to jump to specific section/question.
02:47 To begin, please could you give us a brief overview of Thailand's electricity sector at present, in terms of types of generation and ownership. From the government's perspective, what is the current goal of electricity planning? How do you evaluate this goal?
10:42 Thailand currently has a very high reserve margin (around 45%?) - How did this become so, and what do you think should be done about it?
23:23 There is growing debate in Thailand about increasing the proportion of renewables? How do you evaluate the progress on this to date? Are renewables moving in the right direction in Thailand, in terms of type and expansion?
30:28 It seems that 'disruptive technologies', such as decentralized block chain systems, are attracting a lot of attention nowadays. What are the current issues here, and what do you think about them?
35:26 Often less discussed is the potential for energy efficiency and demand side management? Is there scope for more in Thailand, and do you think it is likely to be achieved?
40:31 Do you think that the EU's Carbon Border Tax is significant to Thailand? Is it already having an impact and if so, how?
45:20 In what ways do you think research can help support a just and sustainable electricity transformation in Thailand? What should be the research agenda and who should undertake it?
Earlier this month, we talked with Assoc. Prof. Kanokwan Manorom who is is currently Lecturer in the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand. She is also the Director of the Mekong Sub-Region Social Research Center in the University.
Ajarn Kanokwan is a sociologist by training whose research examines rural development in Thailand and the wider Mekong region. Her research has focused on to water and land governance, as well related topics such as migration, gender, indigenous knowledge and knowledge politics, and the role of social movements. In this political ecology in asia dialogue, we discussed about the recent changes in the Mekong River and its impact on riparian communities in Northeast Thailand.
The video was premiered on CSDS Facebook Page. Below are the timestamps of the video, in case you want to jump to specific section/question.
02:08 Over the last couple of years, there has been a lot of discussion about the changing conditions of the Mekong River, including low flows, algae growth and clear waters. What have been the peoples’ experiences of low flows and other changes in the Mekong River over the last couple of years in Northeast Thailand, including gendered impacts?
06:08 In Northeast Thailand nowadays, how important is fishing, and how important is riverbank gardening?
07:41 A lot of the focus over the past couple of years has been on inter-government data sharing, both within the MRC, and between China and the LMC. After the low flows in 2020, in October 2020 China announced it would share all year around data from two monitoring stations. How do you evaluate the recent increased focus on state-led water data sharing?
11:30 As a sociologist, how do you see the water data relating to local experience and situational knowledge of the river, does it match?
16:18 How do you think these types of existing knowledge can be combined or be in dialogue with each other?
17:53 How could those types of knowledge come together?
22:30 Do you have anything to share about types of knowledge, what kind of direction that are leading the Mekong River, and do you think the expectations of that kind of research can be met?
26:42 To achieve the kind of sustainability that we just discussed, should it be just locally, regionally, nationally or transnational platform that we should work towards?
31:13 What should be the role of academics, and what should be the priorities for a 'political ecology' research agenda on water in Northeast Thailand?
Last month, we had a discussion with Professor Ian G. Baird, who is currently a Professor of Geography in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses mainly on mainland Southeast Asia, especially Laos, Thailand and northeastern Cambodia. He has written on a range of themes related to rural political ecology in Southeast Asia, and that also relates to development studies, post-colonial studies, and on indigeneity in Southeast Asia. His work has addressed land and rivers in mainland Southeast Asia, including the impacts of large hydropower dams and economic land concessions.
This discussion focused on to Ian’s research on land concessions in Southern Laos and NE Cambodia, which relates to questions over control and access to land, government strategy and planning towards economic land concessions and commodity exports, forms of community resistance, and the role of global commodity markets.
The video was premiered on CSDS Facebook Page. Below are the timestamps of the video, in case you want to jump to specific section/question.
03:35 To what extent have plantations been established in Southern Laos and NE Cambodia, over what time frame, by which actors and for what purposes?
05:50 Why have political ecology researchers paid attention to plantations in Southern Laos and NE Cambodia? What are the main directions of their research and what are the most important findings overall?
08:05 Your work has mainly focused on Southeast Asia – in the body of research that has been done so far, are the issues outlined here shared with other regions or is there something about the plantation in Southeast Asia that is unique to the region?
09:30 You emphasize in your recent 2019 paper in Journal of Agrarian Change that you would like to draw attention to ‘after the land grab’, in particular for plantation developers. Could you explain why this is significant?
14:15 Follow up: how it relates to commodity prices and what you term ‘resource frontier mentality’?
20:58 How much influence that community activism or civil society activism had in influencing these companies?
25:00 Are there any challenges that are not fixable by these modern agribusinesses when they’re trying to invest in Southern Laos and Northeast Cambodia?
26:28 You conclude that in Southern Laos and NE Cambodia “… plantation development is often fraught with difficulties… ” and that “….. they appear to be frequently constituting “lose-lose-lose” scenarios for villagers, the government and investors.” You also note that some government officials in Laos and Cambodia are themselves becoming less supportive of land concessions. Do you anticipate the decline of the plantation as an approach to development in Southern Laos and Northeast Cambodia?
31:05 Could the analysis that you showed could give insight to ways to transform this thinking of development, if not from mainstream at least to give new ideas about how activist or even government officials might reapproach plantations and development?
34:20 Regarding a political ecology research agenda on plantations and land in Southeast Asia, what would be your suggestions for key priorities?
Further reading: Baird, I. G. (2020). "Problems for the plantations: Challenges for large-scale land concessions in Laos and Cambodia." Journal of Agrarian Change 20(3): 387-407.
Read more of Ian Baird's research here.
On june 7, Carl Middleton from CSDS was invited as one of the speakers for the webinar "Contrasting China's Relationship with South and Southeast Asia: the Belt and Road Initiative, Hydropolitics, and Hydropower."
Carl was speaking on ‘Reworking the Mekong River Regime: The Geopolitics and Hydropolitics of Competing Regionalisms’.
The full panelists of the event are:
Prof Jiejin Zhu, School of International Relations and Public Affairs and center for UN and International Organizations studies at Fudan University
Dr Ruth Gamble, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Dr Carl Middleton, Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS) in the Faculty of Political Science of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Rohan D’Souza, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University
Chair: Prof Lyla Mehta, Institute of Development Studies
For more information about the event, you can visit the organizer’s website here. You can also watch the full panel below:
Earlier this month, we had a discussion with Dr. Helena Varkkey, who is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of International and Strategic Studies, University of Malaya. Dr. Helena’s research presently focuses on transboundary pollution in Southeast Asia, including on the role of patronage in agribusiness, especially the oil palm industry, and its link to forest fires and haze in the region.
The video was premiered on CSDS Facebook Page. Below are the timestamps of the video, in case you want to jump to specific section/question.
02:58 Please could you outline what exactly haze is in Southeast Asia, where does it come from, how is it created, who is affected by it and how?
09:48 Could you explain a little bit more on why were the peatlands being drained in the first place, and why did the fires happened?
16:45 Your research has focused on the role of patronage in agribusiness. Please could you explain a little why patronage is an important issue in understanding haze in Southeast Asia.
21:22 A part of your research has focused on the role of transboundary environmental governance mechanisms in addressing haze. These have included the ASEAN’s ‘Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution’ and Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act. Please could you explain about what these mechanisms are and how they were created. From your perspective, how effective have these mechanisms been and why?
27:20 What has been the role of community movements, civil society and researchers in influencing these transboundary environmental governance mechanisms and their enforcement?
32:00 In one of your recent papers you have framed the haze dilemma in Malaysia as a trade off between economic growth and public health. Please could you explain how decisions on this trade off have been arrived at, whose interests and voices are considered, and why
38:20 In terms of prospects for addressing transboundary haze in Southeast Asia, what do you consider to be some of the most promising initiatives at present and why? [By states, by companies, by civil society/ community/ consumers?]
42:55 Regarding a research agenda on transboundary haze in Southeast Asia, what would be your suggestions for key priorities?
Further Reading: Varkkey, H. (2018). The haze problem in Southeast Asia: palm oil and patronage. Routledge. Read more of Dr. Helena’s research here.
