1st Southeast Asia’s Economic Research and Development Conference

Economic research and development are crucial parts of our lives, contributing to economic growth and development in Southeast Asia. However, this region faces challenges with limited human resources and capital to produce studies on important topics that affect livelihoods and national progress. The challenges facing our economies seem to be growing continually. While many countries had not fully recovered from the “Great Recession,” the COVID-19 pandemic hit societies hard against the backdrop of rising unemployment, inequality, climate change, and political instability in the region.

The underfunding of systems has amplified the effects of recent economic and health shocks. It is concerning that voices are now calling for a return to austerity policies, while we should instead invest in industrial transition, infrastructure, and social cohesion policies. Despite the efforts of each government, addressing real problems requires more input from academia and stakeholders in formulating coherent policy proposals.

The avenues for economic research in Southeast Asia are developing both qualitatively and quantitatively, including issues of conceptualization, methodology, modeling, theory, and empirically calibrated policy formulation. There is an urgent need to pursue research on economic development and social inclusion.

This conference provides an opportunity for PhD students, young scholars, and researchers in economics and social science to share their research and exchange knowledge, as well as receive feedback from senior researchers and practitioners.

Conference Program

Saturday, 16 December, 2023

  • 08.00 – 08.30: Registration
  • 08.30 – 08.45: Welcome and Information on the Event
    Laurent Mesmann (Royal University of Law and Economics)
  • 08.45 – 09.00: The Young Scholar Initiative (YSI)
    Sattwick Dey Biswas (YSI Coordinator)
  • 09.00 – 09.30: Coffee Break
  • 09.30 – 12.00: PLENARY SESSION I – History of Economic Thought
    Chair: Sattwick Dey Biswas (YSI)
    • Women Economists in the Global North and South: The Cases of the United States and Latin America
      Rebeca Gomez Betancourt (Université Lumière Lyon 2)
    • The Japanese Proposal for an East-Asian Monetary Fund: A Reappraisal
      Fabio Masini (Roma Tre University)
    • The Birth of Economic Thought and Debates in China: The Examples of Guanzi and Yán Tiě Lùn
      Alexandre Reichart (Renmin University of China)
  • 12.00 – 13.00: Lunch
  • 13.00 – 15.00: PARALLEL SESSIONS A
    • Session A1: Socioeconomics and Social Inclusion
      Chair: Sophat Phon
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session A2: Education Economics and Learning Transformation
      Chair: Phal Chea
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session A3: Labor Economics and Labor Mobility
      Chair: Raymond Leos
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
  • 15.00 – 15.30: Coffee Break and Relocating
  • 15.30 – 17.30: PLENARY SESSION II – Political Economy and Macroeconomic Development
    Chair: Sophat Phon (Ministry of Commerce)
    • Introduction to Post-Keynesian Economics
      Danilo Spinola (Birmingham City University)
    • Political Economy of International Trade Theory and Policy
      Arpan Ganguly (FLAME University)
  • 18.30 – 20.30: Welcome Dinner

Sunday, 17 December, 2023

  • 8.30 – 10.00: PARALLEL SESSIONS B
    • Session B1: Monetary Policy and Banking System
      Chair: Adam Kerenyi
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session B2: Political Economy and Local Firm Development
      Chair: Arpan Ganguly
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session B3: Industrial Transition and Technological Development
      Chair: Rebeca Gomez Betancourt
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
  • 10.00 – 10.30: Coffee Break and Relocating
  • 10:30 – 12.00: PLENARY SESSION III – STEM Education in Cambodia and Natural Resource Development
    Chair: Adam Kerenyi
    • Are Students Financially Incentivized to Enroll in STEM Majors in Cambodian Higher Education?
      Phal Chea (Cambodia Development Resource Institute)
    • Nature-Based Solutions and Its Economic Value for Urban Climate Resilience
      Phanith Chou (Royal University of Phnom Penh)
  • 12.00 – 13.30: Lunch
  • 13.30 – 15.30: PARALLEL SESSIONS C
    • Session C1: Agricultural Development and Climate Resilience
      Chair: Phanith Chou
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session C2: Financial Development
      Chair: Kirirom Cheav
      3 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session C3: Gender Inequality in the Labor Market and Feminist Economics
      Chair: Rebeca Gomez Betancourt
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
    • Session C4: International Economics and Trade
      Chair: Sopheak Srun
      4 presenters: 20 min + 10 min discussion
  • 15.30 – 16.00: Coffee Break and Relocating
  • 16.00 – 16.45: Lecture on Academic Writing and Research Publication
    Raymond Leos (American University of Phnom Penh)
  • 16.40 – 17.00: Closing Remarks
    Sopheak Song (Cambodia Development Resource Institute)

Plenary Speakers

Prof. Rebeca Gomez Betancourt

Université Lumière Lyon 2

Rebeca Gomez Betancourt is a Venezuelan-French historian of economics and feminist economist. She is a Professor of Economics at the University of Lyon 2 and Researcher at Triangle, ENS-Lyon. After her undergraduate studies in Venezuela in economics and philosophy, she got her master’s degree and PhD in economics at the Sorbonne University, Paris. She has held appointments as Visiting Professor at Universidad de los Andes, Bogota-Colombia, Universidade Federal Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte-Brazil, and De Paul University, Chicago.

She is the founder and president of the Latin American Society for the History of Economic Thought (ALAHPE). She has served as President of the French Association for the History of Economic Thought (Association Charles Gide) and was a member of the executive committee of the European Society for the History of Economic Thought (ESHET) and the History of Economic Society (HES). With other colleagues, she created the History of Economics Diversity Caucus and was the first chair until October 2021. She has been a member of the IAFFE Young Scholars Committee since 2020, which supports and engages early-career feminist economists.

She is the director of the master’s program in History of Economics at the University of Lyon 2. Her work focuses on the history of monetary thought and on the history of women and economics. She is currently working on the history of feminist economics and gender economics.

Her history with IAFFE began with studying the origins of the field of feminist economics with some young scholars. She interviewed many IAFFE presidents and read some of their early works. Then, she joined the IAFFE Young Scholars Committee. She recently had the opportunity to serve on the Pre-Conference and Mentoring Workshop committee for IAFFE’s conference in Geneva in 2022. She lives in Lyon, France.

Prof. Fabio Masini

Roma Tre University

Fabio Masini, BA and MS in Economics, PhD in History of Economic Thought (University of Florence) received a post-doc degree at the University of Pisa. He was Assistant Professor of Political Economy at the University of Roma Tre, then Associate and later Full Professor of History of Economic Thought. He teaches Theories and History of International Political Economy and holds a Jean Monnet Chair on European Economic Governance. He was a visiting scholar at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and Belgrano University in Buenos Aires and is the Managing Editor of the journal History of Economic Thought and Policy. He is the Secretary General of the Robert Triffin International. He was a member of a few National Research Projects (PRIN) and Academic Coordinator (Principal Investigator) of several European Projects. He published over a hundred papers and volumes. Main fields of research: European and international economic and monetary integration; economic policy and public intervention in the economy.

Assoc. Prof. Alexandre Reichart

Renmin University of China

Alexandre REICHART is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Sino-French Institute of the Renmin University of China. He earned his PhD in Economics in 2014 with a thesis in Economic History, devoted to the French monetary policy in the 1980s, under the supervision of André Strauss and Laure Quennouëlle-Corre. He published scientific papers about monetary policies and theories, as well as a book in the History of Economic Thought and a textbook on Economics. He is currently writing a book dedicated to Chinese History of Economic Thought, with his colleague Wenjie Zhang.

Dr. Danilo Spinola

Birmingham City University

Dr. Danilo Spinola is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at BCU. His research is focused on (1) Innovation processes in complex systems; (2) Structural change, economic dynamics and economic resilience, and (3) Economic Growth and income/wealth distribution. Dr. Spinola holds a PhD in Economics of Innovation from the United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), where he has also been a postdoctoral fellow and a MRes in Economics from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He published a number of peer-reviewed articles in relevant journals such as Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Review of Keynesian Economics, and Metroeconomica, and is currently part of the editorial board of the Journal of Evolutionary Economics.

Dr. Spinola has a long experience working as an external consultant for international organizations, such as the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) and the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET).

His academic works focus on the challenges of economic development, especially in developing regions. (Innovation, Structural Change, and Economic Complexity). His research mixes economic empirical analysis (time series econometrics, panel data analysis) and economic theory, developing theoretical models in the Keynesian and Evolutionary traditions.

Danilo is currently a module leader for the following modules: Economics for Sustainable Development, Political Economy, and Labour Economics. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Prof. Arpan Ganguly

FLAME University

Prof. Arpan Ganguly is an Assistant Professor at FLAME University. He received his Doctorate Degree and MA in Economics from Colorado State University. He has completed an MPhil in Economics from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Delhi.

Prof. Arpan has over six years of work experience and was associated with Colorado State University. Prior to joining FLAME, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI-ID) at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Prof. Arpan’s teaching interests include International Trade and Finance, Macroeconomics, Economics of Development, Political Economy, History of Economic Thought, and Industrial-Labour relations. His teaching aims to promote a heterodox, pluralistic, and interdisciplinary approach to macroeconomics and economic theory in turn encouraging critical thinking and intellectual diversity among students. His research interests are in International Economics, Open Economy Macroeconomics, Development Economics, and Political Economy. His research focuses on the macroeconomic impacts of trade and globalization on economic growth, labour relations and structural change in emerging economies.

Dr. Phal Chea

Cambodia Development Resource Institute

Dr. Chea Phal is currently the Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. He has previously worked as a consultant for the World Bank, a research fellow at Kobe University, and an adjunct researcher at the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration (RIEB), Japan. He holds a Master’s and PhD in economics of education from the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, Japan. He has been actively involved in joint projects between UNESCO Bangkok and Kobe University, conducting various educational research projects in Cambodia. His research interests encompass the economics of education, education finance, higher education, learning assessment, and field experiments. He has authored and co-authored numerous scientific papers, including those indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases.

Dr. Phanith Chou

Royal University of Phnom Penh

Dr. Phanith CHOU is the Environmental Economist and Associate Professor at the Department of Natural Resource Management and Development, Faculty of Development Studies, Royal University of Phnom Penh. Dr. Phanith has a strong professional background and experience of more than 13 years in conducting research on ecosystem services assessment, environmental impact assessment, training, providing recommendations for policy development, implementing numerous projects, supervising Master and PhD students, and supporting development in Cambodia. He has demonstrated his capacity with government and international development agencies and private sectors, including the Ministry of Environment, Biodiversity Landscape Fund (BLF), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Conservation International, CIAT, UNEP-WCMC, GIZ, USAID, UNDP, JICA, GERES, WWF, WCS, UNESCO, UNIDO, ADB, ADPC, EEPSEA, ICEM, and international universities. Presently, he is doing research on ecosystem services valuation, REDD+, economic assessment of nature-based solutions, sustainable food systems, and digital agriculture extension services.

Prof. Raymond Leos

American University of Phnom Penh

Professor Leos completed his Bachelor of Arts (B.A) with honors in history from Claremont McKenna College and received his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the University of California, Davis King Hall School of Law. He also did his post graduate study in the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program in film and television production at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Professor Leos was the Dean of the Faculty of Communications and Media Arts at Pannasastra University of Cambodia for over nineteen years, and for nearly nine years, a senior adjunct lecturer at the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) in Phnom Penh, where he taught courses in the bachelor and master’s programs in international relations and international law.

He has also served as a Senior Parliamentary Advisor to the National Assembly of Cambodia and as an advisor to the Access to Information Technical Working Group (TWG), which worked with the UN agency UNESCO and the Ministry of Information of the Royal Government of Cambodia in the drafting of Cambodia’s first access to information law.

Professor Leos has been a consultant for numerous development projects in Cambodia, including those funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Union, and The Asia Foundation. He has also served as a technical advisor to several local non-governmental organizations and has forged ties with the business sector in Cambodia, through his association with the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (AMCHAM), and as a member of the AMCHAM Board of Governors from 2014 to 2016.

His professional and research interests include developing effective legal frameworks for transparency, the role of access to information in promoting human rights, good governance and economic growth, and the social, political, and economic impacts of new digital media platforms. He is currently at work on two book projects—one examining the history and the social, political and economic underpinnings of propaganda, and another focusing on Cambodian-U.S. relations during the Indochina War of the 1960s and 70s.

::: {.col} # List of Conference Participants (Column 1) - Abhijit Chakraborty
Kyoto University - Adam Kerenyi
Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Alexandre Reichart
Renmin University of China - Annesha Mukherjee
Centre for Development Studies - Arjun Krishna
Pondicherry University - Arpan Ganguly
FLAME University - Arumugam Sankaran
Pondicherry Central University - Bernadette Louise Halili
University of the Basque Country - Bounlert Vanhnalat
National University of Laos - Chanthol Hay
National University of Battambang - Danilo Spinola
Birmingham City University - Deeksha Kokas
Nanyang Technological University - Dolorès Bertrais
University of Geneva (UNIGE) - Fabio Masini
Roma Tre University - Govindapuram Suresh
IFMR GSB, KREA University - Harvey Niere
Mindanao State University - Huoteang Peng
Cambodia Econometric Association - Ishita Moitra
Kanchrapara College, University of Kalyani - Kaliannan Umaraj
Madurai Kamaraj University - Kirirom Cheav
National University of Management :::

::: {.col} # List of Conference Participants (Column 2) - Kosal Nith
Cambodia Development Resource Institute - Kvanthai Ing
Cambodia Development Resource Institute - Laurent Mesmann
Royal University of Law and Economics - Leonardo de Vio
Université Sorbonne Paris 1 - Manikantha Nataraj
University of Strathclyde - Manuel Branco
University of Évora - Mari Anand
The University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Salalah - Monyoudom Yang
Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation - Ndirangu Ngunjiri
University of Nairobi - Nischal Dhungel
Bard College - Phal Chea
Cambodia Development Resource Institute - Phanith Chou
Royal University of Phnom Penh - Pingting Song
Keio University, Japan - Ponnusamy Rajkumar
Madurai Kamaraj University - Raymond Leos
American University of Phnom Penh - Rebeca Gomez Betancourt
Université Lumière Lyon 2 - Renan Ferreira de Araujo
University of Campinas - Riccardo Corrado
American University of Phnom Penh - Rikhia Bhukta
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur - Sattwick Dey Biswas
National Law School of India University :::

::: {.col} # List of Conference Participants (Column 3) - Satyaki Dasgupta
Colorado State University - Siphat Lim
Royal University of Law and Economics - Sivly Houy
Cambodia Development Resource Institute - Sokhimmarya Chea
Royal University of Law and Economics - Sony Nan
IIC University of Technology - Sophara Phorn
Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia - Sophat Phon
Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia - Sopheak Song
Cambodia Development Resource Institute - Sopheak Srun
Royal University of Law and Economics - Sreymeng Sros
Royal University of Law and Economics - Srimanjori Guha
Centre For Development Studies - Sudipa Sutradhar
Kanchrapara College - Sumontheany Muth
Cambodia Development Resource Institute - Suresh Esakki
The University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Salalah - Taylor Coplen
Harvard University - Than Chhorn
National Institute of Education (NIE) - Ulugbek Narmanov
National University of Uzbekistan - Velmurugan Ilamparithi
Madurai Kamaraj University - Vivekananthan Kalaiyarasi
Madurai Kamaraj University :::

::: {.col} # List of Conference Participants (Column 4) - Myo Zin Oo
Myanmar Triaza Family: Education, Training and Research Institute - Apila Sangtam
National Maritime Foundation - Wai Yan
Raks Thai Foundation (CARE International Thailand) - Zhiyi Wang
University of California, Riverside :::

List of Conference Participants

  • Abhijit Chakraborty
    Kyoto University

  • Adam Kerenyi
    Hungarian Academy of Sciences

  • Alexandre Reichart
    Renmin University of China

  • Annesha Mukherjee
    Centre for Development Studies

  • Arjun Krishna
    Pondicherry University

  • Arpan Ganguly
    FLAME University

  • Arumugam Sankaran
    Pondicherry Central University

  • Bernadette Louise Halili
    University of the Basque Country

  • Bounlert Vanhnalat
    National University of Laos

  • Chanthol Hay
    National University of Battambang

  • Danilo Spinola
    Birmingham City University

  • Deeksha Kokas
    Nanyang Technological University

  • Dolorès Bertrais
    University of Geneva (UNIGE)

  • Fabio Masini
    Roma Tre University

  • Govindapuram Suresh
    IFMR GSB, KREA University

  • Harvey Niere
    Mindanao State University

  • Huoteang Peng
    Cambodia Econometric Association

  • Ishita Moitra
    Kanchrapara College, University of Kalyani

  • Kaliannan Umaraj
    Madurai Kamaraj University

  • Kirirom Cheav
    National University of Management

  • Kosal Nith
    Cambodia Development Resource Institute

  • Kvanthai Ing
    Cambodia Development Resource Institute

  • Laurent Mesmann
    Royal University of Law and Economics

  • Leonardo de Vio
    Université Sorbonne Paris 1

  • Manikantha Nataraj
    University of Strathclyde

  • Manuel Branco
    University of Évora

  • Mari Anand
    The University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Salalah

  • Monyoudom Yang
    Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation

  • Ndirangu Ngunjiri
    University of Nairobi

  • Nischal Dhungel
    Bard College

  • Phal Chea
    Cambodia Development Resource Institute

  • Phanith Chou
    Royal University of Phnom Penh

  • Pingting Song
    Keio University, Japan

  • Ponnusamy Rajkumar
    Madurai Kamaraj University

  • Raymond Leos
    American University of Phnom Penh

  • Rebeca Gomez Betancourt
    Université Lumière Lyon 2

  • Renan Ferreira de Araujo
    University of Campinas

  • Riccardo Corrado
    American University of Phnom Penh

  • Rikhia Bhukta
    Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

  • Sattwick Dey Biswas
    National Law School of India University

  • Satyaki Dasgupta
    Colorado State University

  • Siphat Lim
    Royal University of Law and Economics

  • Sivly Houy
    Cambodia Development Resource Institute

  • Sokhimmarya Chea
    Royal University of Law and Economics

  • Sony Nan
    IIC University of Technology

  • Sophara Phorn
    Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia

  • Sophat Phon
    Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia

  • Sopheak Song
    Cambodia Development Resource Institute

  • Sopheak Srun
    Royal University of Law and Economics

  • Sreymeng Sros
    Royal University of Law and Economics

  • Srimanjori Guha
    Centre For Development Studies

  • Sudipa Sutradhar
    Kanchrapara College

  • Sumontheany Muth
    Cambodia Development Resource Institute

  • Suresh Esakki
    The University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Salalah

  • Taylor Coplen
    Harvard University

  • Than Chhorn
    National Institute of Education (NIE)

  • Ulugbek Narmanov
    National University of Uzbekistan

  • Velmurugan Ilamparithi
    Madurai Kamaraj University

  • Vivekananthan Kalaiyarasi
    Madurai Kamaraj University

  • Myo Zin Oo
    Myanmar Triaza Family: Education, Training and Research Institute

  • Apila Sangtam
    National Maritime Foundation

  • Wai Yan
    Raks Thai Foundation (CARE International Thailand)

  • Zhiyi Wang
    University of California, Riverside