Author: Jayant Menon, ADB

When discussing Laos’ upcoming ASEAN membership with a senior government official in 1995, he insisted the reason his country wanted to join the regional organisation was because Vietnam had just done so.

The response revealed two things. First, Laos, like its neighbouring ASEAN aspirants at the time — Cambodia and Myanmar — did not want to be left behind, and wanted out of the economic wilderness by joining ‘the club’. Second, there was very little appreciation of what membership would entail, let alone what it could evolve into. Read more…

Author: Hal Hill, Jayant Menon and Chan Sophal

The charming riverside capital of Phnom Penh, home to about 1.5 million inhabitants, has seen a lot in its turbulent history. But nothing arguably is on the scale of its first sky-scraper, the 42-floor ‘Gold Tower’ now nearing completion, not to mention the university and bank complexes mushrooming throughout this ancient city.

This changing physical landscape reflects broader developments in the country, which has been experiencing rapid economic growth – the sixth fastest in the world in the decade to 2007 – for the first time in its history. Read more…