CHRSD-Mahidol University

ICIRD 2012 International Conference

Towards an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC): Prospects, Challenges and

Paradoxes in Development, Governance and Human Security

26-27 July 2012

Chiang Mai, Thailand

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

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Organizer:

The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai in Thailand.

In collaboration with

The Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, the Master of Arts in Development Studies (MAIDS) Program at Chulalongkorn University and the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University

Date and Venue: 26-27 July 2012, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Statement of Purpose:

According to the Bali Concord II, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) should become an integrated economic area by 2015,  brought forward  from the  previous target of  2020. Although ASEAN’s vision has the community underpinned by three pillar institutions, namely the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and the  ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), much  emphasis  has been  placed on the prospective growth in economic development and trade in the region. Supporters of this single market and single production base idea have been active within the concerned state agencies, especially the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce and their equivalents. A number of academic institutions and experts on economic development, international relations and regional economic integration have also come out in defense and support of the move towards an AEC, citing the benefits to be gained by the nations involved. However, concerns about and criticisms of this move have started to circulate among scholarly activists, non-state actors, NGOs, local and transnational civil societies. Points of concern  with regard to  development issues include regional disparities, uneven development,  the  impacts of large-scale infrastructure development on sustainable livelihoods,  the  enclosure of local resources, new forms of resource governance and accumulation by dispossession. With regard to international governance, the roles of state and non-state actors have been questioned in terms of the issues of democratization, privatization, participation, people-centered governance and transnational mobility and regulations, and on the human rights front, concerns have been raised regarding the rights of non-citizens, identity crises, health, food safety, sovereignty, feminization of labor and non-traditional security. It is clear these uncertainties and unresolved issues need to be addressed before the AEC becomes institutionalized. Needless to say, the larger economic conglomerations are already talking about an AEC plus one, three and even six, as the presence of China in particular, is already being felt around the region.

This conference will bring together various concerned groups,  multi-disciplinary scholars and graduate researchers,  as well as  activists, state and non-state actors, NGOs, development workers, regional institutions and fellow citizens and non-citizens, in order to discuss the prospects and challenges for plans to move towards an AEC, as well as some of the contradictory ideas being proposed. The outcomes of the conference will help foster a wider and deeper understanding of the AEC, plus help inform the public, and prepare people for the changes ahead and to cope with any unforeseen consequences.

Objectives:

1. To provide a deeper and more rounded understanding of regional development under the AEC;

2. To challenge the premise of economic integration and trade liberalization;

3. To examine the human landscape and humanization of development; and

4. To offer a forum for concerns to be heard and tackled seriously.

Participants: Scholars, NGOs, private sector associations, researchers, state agencies, regional institutions and local people.

Important Deadlines

Deadline for panel proposals: 31 January 2012

Deadline for paper abstracts: 31 March 2012

Deadline for papers: 31 May 2012

Possible Themes and Topics:

Theme 1: Economic Integration and Regionalization of Development

Topics:

• Trade liberalization and regional economic integration

• New forms of economic regulation

• Transnational enclosure of natural resources

• Regional conglomeration of rural and urban spaces

• Risk of and vulnerability to environmental hazards

• Riparian resource management

Theme 2: State and Non-State Relations and Governance

Topics:

• Territoriality and conflicts

• Democratization

• Privatization

• People-centered governance

• Transnational mobility and citizenship

• Civil society and grassroots movements

Theme 3: Human Rights, Justice and Non-Traditional Security

Topics:

• Rights of non-citizens

• Health, food safety and sovereignty

• Identity crises

• Feminization of labor

• Human trafficking

• Environmental security and justice

Panel Discussion Topics and Paper Submissions:

Panel discussion topics and paper submissions should be in electronic form.

Panel discussion topic proposals should include:

• Title of the panel

• Theme and topic (chosen from the above list)

• Names of the topic coordinators

• Institutions and affiliations

• Contact addresses, e-mails, phone and fax numbers

• A not more than 500 word abstract describing the relevance of the panel proposal to

the theme(s) of the conference

Paper abstracts should include:

• Title of the paper

• Theme and topic (chosen from above list)

• The author(s)

• Institutions and affiliations

• Contact addresses, e-mails, phone and fax numbers

• A not more than 200 word abstract describing  the  argument and its  empirical and

policy relevance to the conference theme(s)

Registration

Registration and payment details will be announced in due course.

Travel grant and funding:

Participants are encouraged to seek their own funding; however, RCSD and other collaborators have limited funds available for those participants in need of support. Further details of funds and travel grants will be posted on the RCSD website at the time of the next announcement.

Correspondence:

Conference Secretariat

Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD)

Faculty of Social Sciences

Chiang Mai University

Tel: +66-(0)53-943595-6 / Fax: +66-(0)53-893279

e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ,

URL: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.icird.org/2012/index.html, http://rcsd.soc.cmu.ac.th