Subject Area: Development Studies

How ‘sustainable’ is the rapid development taking place across East Asia? What are the drivers of regional modernization? And what are some of the major barriers to ‘good’governance, particularly of the environment as a common-pool resource? With accelerating socio-economic growth becoming increasingly predicated upon the exploitation of the (finite) natural resources, this has given rise to a range of concerns in the region pertaining to widespread ecological degradation. Focusing on the cases of China and Southeast Asia, this course provides critical insights into the nexus between the developmental imperatives and environmental challenges facing these industrializing countries. Here, the overarching challenge of striking a balance between development and the environment for a more sustainable future is explored against the backdrop of the unprecedented social, economic and ecological transformations happening across the region. Looking to such sectors as the booming hydropower, forestry and extractives industries, the course examines how state-led resource and infrastructure development, in particular, have impacted the quality of—and capacity for—environmental governance at multiple scales. In so doing, it offers a glimpse into the complex policy processes involved in the formulation and implementation of environmental standards and regulations within the East Asian context.