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My study estimates that there are approximately 2.3 million workers in Indonesia who rely on the gig economy for their primary source of employment and income. Most of them work in the transport and logistic sector, such as ride-hailing drivers, food delivery riders, and couriers. Others are online freelancers who use digital platforms to mediate … Continued

The Vietnamese government has tried to discourage workers from early withdrawal through various means. As pensions are a key pillar of the social insurance system in Vietnam, the growing opt-out rate of people will create huge pressure on the government to support elderly people with no source of income in the future, writes Tu Phuong Nguyen … Continued

Thai nationalists use the Bowring Treaty as evidence to support a discourse characterising Siam as a victim of British imperialism. Nonetheless, after examining British and Thai primary sources for my MSc dissertation, I have discovered that, without direct British intimidation by gunboat diplomacy, the Siamese court was inclined to sign the Bowring treaty because of … Continued

In my MSc dissertation, I examined the association between interethnic contact in national schools, the lack thereof in ethnic-exclusive education institutions, and the extent of homophily in the friendship networks of Malaysian university students. Malaysia offers a unique context to study ethnic relations due to ethnic segregation in education pathways. These findings suggest that friendship … Continued

The fintech industry in Southeast Asia holds immense potential for growth and innovation in the post-Covid era. The region has seen a significant shift towards digitalization, with a large number of consumers actively engaging in digital financial services and embracing virtual payments. However, there are important challenges that need to be addressed to fully unlock … Continued

In a world where the struggle for human rights and dignity persists, Elliott Prasse-Freeman's "Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar" is essential. It transcends typical activism literature, providing profound insights into the complex interplay of grassroots movements and state violence in Myanmar. Prasse-Freeman’s meticulous research and compelling narrative illuminate the lives of … Continued

Not all Indonesians are equally positioned in the struggle for reproductive rights. Socioeconomic status, education level, geographic location, cultural and religious beliefs are factors that create disparities and inequalities among Indonesian women regarding their access to and awareness of SRHR, writes Maya Bofa _______________________________________________ The struggle for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is a complex issue that … Continued

In Development in Spirit: Religious Transformation and Everyday Politics in Vietnam’s Highlands, Seb Rumsby argues that in the form of Christian conversion, development to the Hmong can and does look different to the development agendas pursued by the state. In the case of the Hmong, their trajectories of development fall largely outside state planning, which leads … Continued

This blog post outlines policy strategies Malaysia can embark on to address long-standing structural issues, as well as to enhance workforce resilience in the face of the ever-evolving demands of the economy. More importantly, we must accelerate policy implementation, evaluate the successes and failures of policies, and leverage evaluation findings to refine and enhance their … Continued

In this post, I consider different levels of AI harms, focusing on existing technologies and impacts. I introduce relationality as a conceptual lens to untangle societal harm from individual and collective harm, and provide a visualisation to make the distinction sharper. At this crucial point when the world is moving towards AI regulation, clearer conceptualisation … Continued

The Covid-19 pandemic highlights Malaysia’s social protection challenges in terms of coverage gaps and inadequate benefits. This blog post discusses the need for inclusive social protection systems and advocates for a life cycle approach to ensure that the entire population can overcome social and economic risks throughout their lifetimes. To build back stronger, paradigm shifts … Continued

Meeting an affordable unit target alone is far from sufficient for "ensuring inclusive housing development". For meaningful accomplishment of that wider objective, it also clearly matters how and where affordable housing is constructed, and with what kinds of amenities, facilities, and opportunities, writes Tim Bunnell _______________________________________________ In preparing to speak at a recent forum on "Malaysia … Continued

Metro Manila's water is said to be potable if you ask the government waterworks office. However, its consumer-clients, primarily the middle class, and remarkably including the water bureaucrats themselves, have been subsisting on bottled, filtered water. Distrust in the safety of tap water is not a recent development. While infrastructures and technologies are considered emblems … Continued

Along the same line with the rise of the Millennial global youth movement, youth movements enormously expanded in Thailand between 2020 and 2021. However, the rationale behind the uprising of those young fellows in Thailand differs from other countries. This blog finds that the double layers of intergenerational political clashes between the Cold War Boomer gerontocratic … Continued

Kramer's book ultimately presents us with different stories of anticorruption dilemmas. The strength of the book lies in its storytelling ability without losing the rigour to understand Indonesian politics in general. Kramer skilfully provides the lessons that we can learn for Indonesia's democracy, writes Ahmad Rizky M. Umar _______________________________________________ Indonesia has undergone a significant process of … Continued