Economics

Economics • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 11, 2020 • 11 min read

Cambodia in Quarantine A return to the fields

By Andrew Haffner • Aug 11, 2020
Once the largest single industry in the Kingdom, Cambodia's agricultural sector has shrunk significantly with the growth of industrialisation. Now, with few other options as the economy stalls due to the pandemic, Cambodians are once again going to ground

Economics • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 11, 2020 • 8 min read

Cambodia in Quarantine Finding a pulse

By Andrew Haffner • Aug 11, 2020
For centuries the Tonle Sap has been key to the Kingdom's fisheries and a source of nourishment for millions. Now, dams on the Mekong, negligence and climate change are changing history and threatening the Kingdom's food security

Economics • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 10, 2020 • 13 min read

Cambodia in Quarantine Locking the factory doors

By Andrew Haffner and Kong Meta • Aug 10, 2020
For decades the garment and footwear industry has fuelled Cambodia's economic miracle, with more than 900,000 workers employed by over 1,000 factories at its peak. But with the global economic shutdown, the factory lights are off and the doors locked

Economics • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 31, 2020 • 11 min read

Belt and Road Onboard China’s Belt and Road Express: Does Laos stand to benefit?

By Alexi Demetriadi • Jul 31, 2020
The first piece of track on Kunming-Vientiane railway was laid in April as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. But with the project steaming ahead, does Laos stand to actually see any benefits from the project, or is it merely in Beijing's interest?

Economics • Jul 21, 2020 • 8 min read
Analysis

Vietnam’s greying elders: Managing one of the world’s fastest ageing societies

Though Vietnam is rapidly changing by virtually every metric, it's the country's ongoing demographic shift that could prove most pivotal. With birthrates dropping and life expectancy rising, Vietnam is among the world's most rapidly ageing societies
By Alastair McCready • Jul 21, 2020

Economics • Jul 16, 2020 • 9 min read
Analysis

The untapped economic potential of Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups

In the face of the global economic downturn, how might harnessing the untapped potential of ethnic minority youth not only build a more equitable and sustainable Vietnam, but also accelerate the country’s economic recovery?
By Christine Redmond • Jul 16, 2020

Economics • Jul 15, 2020 • 5 min read
Covid-19

Asia’s garment workers say virus used as cover to smash unions

From India to Myanmar and Cambodia, across Asia garment workers are reporting that the crippling effects of the pandemic on the industry are being used as cover to smash labour unions
By Sophie Deviller/AFP • Jul 15, 2020

Economics • Jul 14, 2020 • 3 min read
Economy

Virus-hit Singapore plunges into recession as economy shrinks 41%

Singapore plunged into recession in the second quarter as growth fell 41.2% quarter-on-quarter with the trade-dependent economy hammered by the coronavirus, preliminary data showed on July 14
By Martin Abbugao/Agence France-Presse • Jul 14, 2020

Economics • Jul 14, 2020 • 8 min read
Analysis

Will Grab ride out the pandemic, or crash without a single dollar in profit?

As the local brand that kicked Uber out the region in 2018, Grab has assumed the role of flagbearer for technology champions in Singapore. But in the pandemic era, its core business model bringing drivers and passengers together is in jeopardy
By Onat Kibaroğlu • Jul 14, 2020

Economics • Jul 07, 2020 • 4 min read
Singapore economy

Singapore fights post Covid-19 crisis with eyes on Hong Kong status

With Singapore heading to the polls this week and facing the prospect of its first recession in two decades, leaders in the city-state are looking to capitalise on instability in Hong Kong to become the new financial capital of Asia
By Noel Caballero/EFE-EPA • Jul 07, 2020

Economics • May 30, 2020 • 8 min read
Tourism

As marine tourism takes a dive in Bali, marine life thrives

With the complete shutdown of the global travel industry in recent months, few places have felt the effect of that harder than the tourist-reliant island of Bali. But as its marine-focused economy suffers badly with no end in sight, its marine life is thriving
By Minka Curr • May 30, 2020

Economics • May 26, 2020 • 3 min read
Covid-19

Singapore warns of worst economic contraction since independence

With Singapore's key export sector hamstrung by the ongoing global economic downturn, it's predicted that the city-state's economy could shrink by as much as 7% this year – its worst performance for over five decades
By Agence France-Presse • May 26, 2020