Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Author: Paul Flanagan, Canberra
2016 saw the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government muddle down through a series of poor policy decisions. This continued the negative trend set in 2015, when the country went from having the highest expected GDP growth rate in the world to crisis management mode. Read more…
Author: Thomas Jandl, VNU
One year ago in this series, I argued that 2016 would be crucial for bringing domestic political structures in line with Vietnam’s new position in the global economic and security architecture. After the US election, Vietnam is in need of new and better advice. Vietnam needs to make its own pivot. Read more…
Authors: Matthew Dornan and Tess Newton Cain, ANU
2016 was a big year for Pacific politics. Vanuatu and Nauru held elections — each in the context of significant concerns about governance. Censorship, deportation of the chief justice and arrests of opposition MPs have led to a serious decline in the credibility of democracy in Nauru in recent years. In Vanuatu, the election this year followed 14 members of parliament having been jailed for corruption in 2015. Read more…
Author: Amrita Malhi, ANU
The international consequences of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal will likely continue to escalate. The affair concerns US$800 million from the development fund that investigators believe to have passed through Najib’s personal bank accounts, in addition to other funds believed to have moved through foreign intermediaries and investment vehicles. Read more…
Author: Yiping Huang, Peking University
Official and unofficial data confirms that the Chinese economy stabilised during the middle of 2016. But there is still a lot of disagreement about the country’s growth outlook moving forward. Read more…
Author: Matthew J. Walton, University of Oxford
2016 was supposed to be Myanmar’s year. After an overwhelming victory in the November 2015 election, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) would get to form a government, realising a democratic transition decades in the making.
Author: Sebastian Dettman, Cornell University
The most surprising twist of Malaysian politics in 2016 has been the rapid evolution of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad from ultimate regime insider to opposition leader. Read more…
