ERIA Frames, a monthly summary of the Institute’s key activities and research outputs

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The latest from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia

January 2017

Featured Story

ERIA Ranking Improves in 2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) was recognised as one of the best regional studies centres in the world and improved its ranking in several categories of the 2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index (GGTTI) produced by the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP). Read more.

Thoughts from ERIA

RCEP: More relevant now than ever

Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Senior Policy Fellow

When President-elect Donald Trump called the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) a “disaster” and vowed to pull out of the Agreement as soon as he took office, the international media almost instantaneously pronounced the TPP dead. And in the next breadth, they shifted their focus to the less controversial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), calling it “China-led” and pitching it as the alternative to the TPP. The impression was that as one was US-led and the other China-led, they must necessarily be competing agreements. Not so. Read more.

Thoughts from ERIA

The United States Non-stop Pivot to Asia

Lurong Chen, Economist

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is stranded, but the United States (US) ‘pivot to Asia’ is not. For the foreseeable future, the Asia–Pacific relationship will remain an American foreign policy priority. Its abandonment of the TPP is more likely to be a signal that the US will seek better trade deals, than a ‘lights-out’ for its involvement in Asia. The US will stay here, but is likely to ask for a higher appearance fee. Read more.

Top Stories

ERIA and IEF to Cooperate Closely in 2017

The President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura received a courtesy visit from the Secretary General of the International Energy Forum (IEF) Dr Sun Xiansheng on 30 January 2017 in Jakarta. Read more.

Lao Government Officials Benefit from Policy Modelling

Around 25 government officials from Lao PDR participated in the second of the Trade, Growth and Policy Modelling Workshops in Vientiane, from 10-13 January. Read more.

Haiku Deserves UNESCO Recognition

Haiku is no longer the monopoly of Japan, it has become an international phenomenon which should be recognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to H.E. Herman Van Rompuy, the first full-time President of the European Council, an accomplished Haiku poet from Belgium, and the winner of the Cultural Prize in the 3rd Asia Cosmopolitan Awards. Read more.

HE Thein Sein Receives the 3rd Asia Cosmopolitan Award

Former President of Myanmar HE U Thein Sein received the Grand Prize of the 3rd Asia Cosmopolitan Awards (ACA) this afternoon in recognition of his contributions to his country's reform efforts and democratization under his leadership. Read more.

Publications

Featured Publications

ASEAN as an FDI Attractor:
How Do Multinationals Look at ASEAN?

By Masahito Ambashi
Posted: January 2017

This policy brief presents an overview of the ASEAN economy in terms of its economic relationship with multinationals, particularly Japanese companies, that have long invested in this region. ASEAN has been an attractor of foreign direct investment (FDI). Download the paper.

International Investment Agreements and Investor-State Disputes: A Review and Evaluation for Indonesia

By Stephen L. Magiera
Posted: January 2017

Foreign investors can lodge a complaint against a host country for alleged treaty violations under the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions of bilateral investment treaties (BITs). Download the paper.

East Asia Update - Special 2017 Annual Edition

By Lili Yan Ing and Jaysa Rafi Prana
Posted: January 2017

ERIA East Asia Update highlights the latest macroeconomic trend of ASEAN+6 Countries. Download the latest update.

Upcoming Events

The 1st Working Group meeting on Distributed Energy System Study in Selected ASEAN Countries

Date: 6 February 2017
Venue: Jakarta, Indonesia

Digital Economy, Innovation and East Asia's Competitiveness in GVCs – Cross Border e-Commerce in ASEAN and East Asia

Date: 10-11 February 2017
Venue: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Second Microdata Workshop

Date: 16-17 February 2017
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand

ASEAN SME Policy Index Workshop (ERIA - OECD)

Date: 21-23 February 2017
Venue: Jakarta, Indonesia

ERIA Research Department Meeting

Date: 24-25 February 2017
Venue: Jakarta, Indonesia

Non-Tariffs Measures (NTM) Workshop:
"How to Move Forward the Agenda: To Improve Transparency of Non-Tariffs Measures (NTMs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Countries"

Date: 2-3 March 2017
Venue: Jakarta, Indonesia

The 11th Empirical Investigations in Trade and Investment (EITI) Conference

Date: 9-11 March 2017
Venue: Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Workshop

Date: 22-23 March 2017
Venue: Tokyo, Japan

The Second Workshop for the Global Production Value Chain, Cities and Urban Amenities

Date: 25-26 March 2017
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand

Vacancies

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) is recruiting for the following positions:

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Featured Story

Thoughts from ERIA

Thoughts from ERIA

Top Stories

Publications

Featured Publications

Upcoming Events

The 1st Working Group meeting on Distributed Energy System Study in Selected ASEAN Countries

Digital Economy, Innovation and East Asia's Competitiveness in GVCs – Cross Border e-Commerce in ASEAN and East Asia

The Second Microdata Workshop

ASEAN SME Policy Index Workshop (ERIA - OECD)

ERIA Research Department Meeting

Non-Tariffs Measures (NTM) Workshop: "How to Move Forward the Agenda: To Improve Transparency of Non-Tariffs Measures (NTMs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Countries"

The 11th Empirical Investigations in Trade and Investment (EITI) Conference

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Workshop

The Second Workshop for the Global Production Value Chain, Cities and Urban Amenities

Vacancies

Non-Tariffs Measures (NTM) Workshop:
"How to Move Forward the Agenda: To Improve Transparency of Non-Tariffs Measures (NTMs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Countries"