Journal of Current Chinese Affairs Vol 42, No 1 (2013)

Some useful resources from those studying China. Hope it helps.

Journal of Current Chinese Affairs Vol 42, No 1 (2013)

www.CurrentChineseAffairs.org

Chinese Impacts and Impacting China

Introduction

Chinese Impacts and Impacting China
Karsten Giese
Abstract / PDF (English)

Research Articles

Aid Donor Meets Strategic Partner? The European Union’s and China’s Relations with Ethiopia
Christine Hackenesch
Abstract / PDF (English)

China’s Impact on the Global Wind Power Industry
Rasmus Lema, Axel Berger, Hubert Schmitz

Abstract / PDF (English)

China–Europe Relations in the Mitigation of Climate Change: A Conceptual Framework
Axel Berger, Doris Fischer, Rasmus Lema, Hubert Schmitz, Frauke Urban

Abstract / PDF (English)

Chinese Economic Statecraft: A Comparative Study of China’s Oil-backed Loans in Angola and Brazil
Ana Cristina Alves

Abstract / PDF (English)

Learning from Failure: China’s Overseas Oil Investments
Susana Moreira

Abstract / PDF (English)

Analyses
The Safety of Chinese Citizens Abroad: A Quantitative Interpretation of the “Special Notices for Chinese Citizens Abroad” (2008–2010)
Duanyong Wang
Abstract / PDF (English)

Bringing the Low-Carbon Agenda to China: A Study in Transnational Policy Diffusion
Andreas Hofem, Sebastian Heilmann
Abstract / PDF (English)

Some Resources on China

For those Interested, two papers on China that might be useful….

GIGA Working Paper No 216: www.giga-hamburg.de/workingpapers.

No 216 Joachim Betz: The Reform of China‘s Energy Policies

Abstract
China’s shift in energy policies has been broader, deeper and more successful than that of most other emerging economies, although the economic costs of this transition are tremendous because China is an over industrialized country whose production is highly energy-intense and it depends on emission-intensive coal as main energy source. Factors that have influenced energy reforms, which focus on saving and conserving energy, developing renewable sources and nuclear power, are – on the international level – the impact of climate change on India, the desire to be recognized as a responsible power in the international community, China’s dangerously growing dependence on energy imports, and the uncertain prospects of equity oil abroad for energy security. Domestic factors are the growing assertiveness of environmental NGOs, relatively effective sectorial governance, and the embedding of energy policies in a blueprint for industrial upgrading.

GIGA Working Paper No 214: www.giga-hamburg.de/workingpapers.

No 214 Nele Noesselt: Microblogs in China: Bringing the State Back In

Abstract
This paper reflects the adaptation and transformation of the Chinese party -state ‘s governing strategy in the digital era. Through a discourse analysis of the current Chinese debate on the role of microblogs in China, it argues that China ‘s political elites have revised their social management strategy. They now tend to base their political decision -making on strategic calculations that reflect online public opinion in order to increase the system’s efficiency and to generate a new kind of performance -based legitimacy. This turn to a more responsive mode of governance has been driven by the findings of Internet surveys and reports provided by Chinese research institutes and advisory bodies. A close reading of these documents and reports helps to answer the question of why authoritarian states such as China do not prohibit the spread of new communication technologies, even though these are said to have triggered or at least facilitated the rebellions of the Arab Spring.

Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Vol 31, No 3 (2012) AVAILABLE

A resource that I hope might be useful for some interested in Southeast Asia:

Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Vol 31, No 3 (2012)

www.CurrentSouthEastAsianAffairs.org

Research Articles

• Provincial Poverty Dynamics in Lao PDR: A Case Study of Savannakhet
  Edo Andriesse, Anouxay Phommalath
  

AbstractPDF (English)

• Elections, Independence, Democracy: The 2012 Timorese Electoral Cycle in Context
  Rui Graça Feijó
  AbstractPDF (English)

• Labour Migration and the Economic Sustainability in Thailand
  Piriya Pholphirul
  AbstractPDF (English)

• Case Study: The Myanmar and Bangladesh Maritime Boundary Dispute in the Bay of Bengal and Its Implications for South China Sea Claims
  Ravi A. Balaram
  AbstractPDF (English)
• China’s Potential for Economic Coercion in the South China Sea Disputes: A Comparative Study of the Philippines and Vietnam
  Madhu Sudan Ravindran
  AbstractPDF (English)

China’s Foreign Policy Think Tanks (Working Paper)

For those interested or doing research in China’s Foreign Policy-making

GIGA Working Paper No 213 has now been published and is available free of charge at: www.giga-hamburg.de/workingpapers.

No 213 Pascal Abb: China’s Foreign Policy Think Tanks: Changing Roles and Structural Conditions

Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the landscape of Chinese foreign policy think tanks, classifies them according to the activities they pursue, and offers some explanations as to how they have developed their particular characteristics – both at the level of individual institutes as well as in the broader national context. To this end, the paper introduces a new typology for the classification of think tanks and takes an in-depth look at their current activities.

Cheers!

For those interested in the Southeast… its more than great beaches and amazing cuisine…

As you can see I’m trying to make the headlines attractive. This is just a good resource to keep in mind if you are studying Southeast Asia, the GIGA Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, last issue is Vol 31, No 2 (2012)

www.CurrentSouthEastAsianAffairs.org

Research Articles

• Modern Monarchs and Democracy: Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej and Juan Carlos of Spain
  Serhat Ünaldi
  Abstract   PDF (English)
  
• Women’s Political Participation in Indonesia: Decentralisation, Money Politics and Collective Memory in Bali
  Elizabeth Rhoads
  Abstract   PDF (English)
• Cambodia–China Relations: A Positive-Sum Game?
  Pheakdey Heng
  Abstract   PDF (English)
• Democratic Dawn? Civil Society and Elections in Myanmar 2010–2012
  Michael Lidauer
  Abstract   PDF (English)

Research Notes

• Burma in Diaspora: A Preliminary Research Note on the Politics of Burmese Diasporic Communities in Asia
  Renaud Egreteau
  Abstract   PDF (English)

GIGA Working Paper on Foreign Policy Alignment with China

While in Beijing they choose a new leadership, the impact of China’s rise is increasingly an object of study. The latest GIGA Working Paper does exactly that; by looking at the impact of a more powerful China on the foreign policy behavior of other states. Access it on the link below:

www.giga-hamburg.de/workingpapers

What Friends Are Made Of: Bilateral Linkages and Domestic Drivers of Foreign Policy Alignment with China

By Georg Strüver

Abstract
With China’s emergence as a global economic and political power, it is commonly assumed that its leadership’s influence in international politics has increased considerably. However, systematic studies of China’s impact on the foreign policy behavior of other states are rare and generally limited to questions regarding economic capabilities and the use of coercive power. This paper seeks to contribute to the literature on China’s global political rise by taking a broader perspective. Drawing on voting data from the UN General Assembly for the last two decades, it explores the plausibility of different explanations for foreign policy similarity: economic, diplomatic and military linkages; domestic institutional similarities; and parallel problem-solving processes. The logistic regression analyses find that high similarity levels correlate with shared regime characteristics and comparable patterns of sociopolitical globalization. The results further indicate that foreign aid and arms trading seem to help buy support in global politics.

ChengDa Union Society

From the founders of the ChengDa Union Society:

 

“Time spent arguing is, oddly enough, almost never wasted.”

— Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens built up most of his career debating, rarely avoiding controversy or easy answers. Having attended both Oxford and Cambridge, Hitchens was educated in an environment that was geared towards the free exchange of ideas. Both universities feature almost 200-year old Union Societies. These unions advocate free speech, intellectual freedom, the fight against prejudice and the free exchange of ideas through debate. Both unions have grown into large institutions with the ability to attract famous speakers, ranging from Jawaharlal Nehru and the Dalai Lama to Michael Jackson and Johnny Depp.

An organization with similar goals and ideals at NCCU is the ChengDa Union Society. The Union aims to provide a forum on the edge of controversy in debating subjects relevant to international politics and security, business, art and entertainment, culture and many others. Members will have opportunities to square off with experts and interact with distinguished speakers. The ChengDa Union Society marks a real investment in your educational and social experience during your time at NCCU.

If you are interested, please join us at the official signing of the ChengDa Union Society Constitution on the 7th of November at 17:30 in the English Corner on the 12th floor of the General Building (North Wing). We look forward to seeing you there.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more, check out this video.

 

New Issue of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs Focuses on Taiwan

Check out the new issue on Taiwan of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs (Vol 41, No 3. 2012). This is a journal of GIGA, the German Institute of Global and Area Studies. Click on the link to access it.

www.CurrentChineseAffairs.org

This resource can be very useful particularly for our MA students focusing on Taiwan Studies. Under the overarching title of “Taiwan under KMT Rule: Recent Trends in Domestic Politics and Cross-Strait Relations”; this edition of the journal has been published and edited by GIGA in cooperation with the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. Below you can browse the contents.

Introduction
Contemporary Taiwan Studies in Europe: More Institutionalized, More Vital
Gunter Schubert
Abstract   PDF (English)

Research Articles
Political Polarization in Taiwan: A Growing Challenge to Catch-all Parties?
Cal Clark, Alexander C. Tan
Abstract   PDF (English)

Ma Ying-jeou’s Presidential Discourse
Jonathan Sullivan, Eliyahu V. Sapir
Abstract   PDF (English)

The Impact of Electoral System Reform on Taiwan’s Local Factions
Christian Göbel
Abstract   PDF (English)

Liberalist Variation in Taiwan: Four Democratization Orientations
Hung-jen Wang
Abstract   PDF (English)

Cross-Strait Relations and the Way Forward: Observations from a European Integration Perspective
Stefan Fleischauer
Abstract   PDF (English)

No Winds of Change: Taiwan’s 2012 National Elections and the Post-Election Fallout
Gunter Schubert
Abstract   PDF (English)

How Japan and Pakistan Deal with their Rising Neighbors?

For those interested,

GIGA Working Paper No 206 has now been published and is available free of charge at: www.giga-hamburg.de/workingpapers.

No 206 Hannes Ebert, Daniel Flemes and Georg Strüver: The Politics of Contestation in Asia: How Japan and Pakistan Deal with their Rising Neighbors

Abstract
Rising powers have attracted tremendous interest in international politics and theory. Yet the ways in which secondary powers strategically respond to regional changes in the distribution of power have been largely neglected. This article seeks to fill this gap by presenting a systematic comparative analysis of the different types of and causes of contestation strategies undertaken by secondary powers. Empirically, it focuses on two contentious regional dyads in East and South Asia, exploring how structural, behavioral, and historical factors shape the way in which Japan and Pakistan respond, respectively, to China’s and India’s regional power politics. The paper concludes that the explanatory power of these factors depends on the particular context: in the case of Japan, China’s militarily assertive regional role has invoked the most significant strategic shifts, while in the case of Pakistani contestation, shifts in polarity have had the largest impact on the strategic approach.

PS: GIGA is the German Institute of Global and Area Studies, and works closely with the University of Hamburg for degree seeking programs.

CSIS residencies in paradise

As part of its ongoing commitment to help develop the next generation of Asia-Pacific specialists, Pacific Forum CSIS hosts resident research fellows in their Honolulu office for periods of three months to one year.

Three months to one year.

In Hawaii.

These outstanding individuals are given the opportunity to participate in Pacific Forum conferences, Young Leaders programs, and conduct research under the guidance of the organization’s senior staff.

For more information about applying for or supporting fellowships, please visit their website.

 

in Hawaii.