As borders closed throughout the region, its knock-on effects began to reverberate, affecting labour and supply chains, services and capital, and human mobility. Beyond economics, what are the human and political costs of border shutdowns in Southeast Asia?
Below is our take on the issue.
The other victim of the coronavirus: Multilateralism
by Thomas Daniel
Predictably, the virus has begun to exacerbate cracks in the existing international multilateral system that underpins much of our global and regional architectures and mechanisms. Some of this can be attributed to systemic flaws underpinning the international system.
But it is the action – or lack thereof by political leaders, elected or otherwise – that have aggravated these fissures, writes Thomas Daniel.
The Covid-19 crisis: Is Malaysia losing its middle class?
by Calvin Cheng
The disruptive effects of the pandemic have been severe enough that the new normal of policymaking appears to be reactive rather than proactive. Proactive planning is extraordinarily difficult as policymakers face realities that keep changing at breakneck pace – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
Hear Calvin Cheng break down the issue here.
Moving forward with challenges in migration issues
COVID-19 has complicated migration, with a pause being put on migrant labour flows, and concerns about how this could worsen the problem of human trafficking. Thomas Daniel discusses how the pandemic has affected migration trends in the region.
Instigator
Speakers
Mr Herman Joseph S Kraft
Associate Professor Simon Tay
Dr David Capie
Dr Sarena Che Omar
