Sasidaran Gopalan

In the tradition of the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS), our research publications make a distinctive contribution to the understanding of economic development in Asia by evaluating and tracking competitiveness for the ten ASEAN member states annually since 2000 through combining leading-edge methodologies with an extensive dataset. In this third edition, the competitiveness ranking and simulation study for ASEAN-10 are improved and updated with 121 indicators across four environments. An in-depth assessment of the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) offers important implications for future integration initiatives in the broader Asia Pacific region. Novel empirical frameworks are also applied to provide an estimation of annual agricultural Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth in eight ASEAN economies and to shed light on the drivers of growth in the travel and tourism industry in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

With the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community in December 2015, ASEAN is at a crossroads once again. Having braved through various crises since its establishment in 1967, how can ASEAN leverage on increasing integration to maintain its growth momentum in the pursuit of greater competitiveness and prosperity? Combining leading-edge research methodologies with an extensive database, the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, has evaluated and tracked competitiveness for the ten ASEAN members annually since 2000. In this second edition, the competitiveness ranking and simulation study for the ASEAN-10 economies are improved and updated with 121 indicators across four environments. The Geweke causality analysis is employed to offer deeper insights into the transitional economies as well as the top performers in the region. These novel empirical frameworks are placed within the overarching strategic thrust of the ASEAN-centric Asia Economic Connectivity Vision 2030 which encompasses astute workable policies through five broad proposals for furthering regional economic cooperation in Asia.

Since the 1990s, several emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) have, to varying degrees, embraced the process of financial globalisation, broadly defined as a set of policies that involve allowing for greater openness to cross-border capital flows as well as greater market access to foreign financial institutions. This book provides a systematic empirical analysis on the complex interactions between financial sector development, macroeconomic and financial stability in EMDEs in general and those in the Asian region in particular. The book consists of three sections pertaining to monetary and exchange rate policies under financial globalisation; financial inclusion and macroeconomic policies in the context of financial liberalisation; and finally, the dynamics of foreign direct investment flows and their real impacts in EMDEs. Each of the chapters analyse important economic policy issues of contemporary relevance and is informed by data and rigorous empirical analysis. The book will be appealing to anyone interested in exploring the implications of a key set of issues emanating from financial globalisation on EMDEs in a rigorous but readable manner.

Since the 1990s, several emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) have, to varying degrees, embraced the process of financial globalisation, broadly defined as a set of policies that involve allowing for greater openness to cross-border capital flows as well as greater market access to foreign financial institutions. This book provides a systematic empirical analysis on the complex interactions between financial sector development, macroeconomic and financial stability in EMDEs in general and those in the Asian region in particular. The book consists of three sections pertaining to monetary and exchange rate policies under financial globalisation; financial inclusion and macroeconomic policies in the context of financial liberalisation; and finally, the dynamics of foreign direct investment flows and their real impacts in EMDEs. Each of the chapters analyse important economic policy issues of contemporary relevance and is informed by data and rigorous empirical analysis. The book will be appealing to anyone interested in exploring the implications of a key set of issues emanating from financial globalisation on EMDEs in a rigorous but readable manner.

Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS) started producing its flagship analysis of competitiveness covering the sub-national economies of India on an annual basis since 2013. A unique feature of ACI's research comes from an effort to recognise the heterogeneity of India and how the variations in the dynamics of competitiveness pan out at the sub-national level. This book entitled Annual Competitiveness Analysis and Impact Estimation of Exchange Rates on Exports from Sub-National Economies of India not only undertakes a comprehensive and robust analysis of competitiveness in India's 36 sub-national economies but also features an empirical analysis of the impact of exchange rate movements and volatility on exports from sub-national economies of India. Overall, the analysis we provide in this book relating to different dimensions of competitiveness of India's sub-national economies can not only stand up to academic scrutiny as it is grounded in rigorous methodological foundations but also remains accessible and appealing to policymakers as we offer tailored policy recommendations based on our analysis that will enable them to take appropriate policy interventions in their sub-national economies to improve their overall competitiveness.

This book entitled 2017 Annual Competitiveness Analysis and Impact of Exchange Rates on Foreign Direct Investment Inflows to Sub-National Economies of India is the fifth edition of the Asia Competitiveness Institute's flagship analysis of competitiveness covering the sub-national economies of India. The research in this study comes from an effort to recognise the heterogeneity of India and how the variations in the dynamics of competitiveness pan out at the sub-national level. Based on rigorous methodological foundations, the competitiveness study possesses several distinguishing features. First, the competitiveness index is constructed from a holistic set of 75 indicators spanning four different dimensions encompassing (1) macroeconomic stability, (2) government and institutional setting, (3) financial, business and manpower conditions, and (4) quality of life and infrastructure development, which carry equal weights. Second, the Shapley Values approach is used to construct alternative weights for the competitiveness index. Such approach measures the marginal contribution of a particular indicator used in the analysis and is embedded in solid mathematical and theoretical foundations. This serves as a robustness check to the Equal Weights approach. Third, the analysis includes a What-if competitiveness simulation exercise to identify the specific policy areas that each sub-national economy must focus on to improve its rankings. Intrinsically tied to the notion of competitiveness is the issue of maintaining a competitive exchange rate. Using real effective exchange rates as a proxy for competitiveness, this book also undertakes an empirical investigation of the impact of real exchange rates on foreign direct investment inflows at the sub-national level in India. This edition is recommended for academics, undergraduate and graduate students, and professionals interested in India's economic development.

This book by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) undertakes rigorous empirical research relating to competitiveness of states and federal territories in India. The competitiveness framework employed by ACI computes the rankings for the 35 states and federal territories of India by factoring in a plethora of socio-economic development indicators that determine competitiveness. In this book, ACI's competitiveness analysis employs 75 different indicators across four different environments to capture the dynamics of competitiveness in a holistic way at the sub-national level. Further, the book produces a 'What-If' competitiveness simulation exercise to identify the specific policy areas that each state or federal territory must focus on to improve their rankings.

This book produces the research findings of Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI)'s inaugural attempt to construct an Ease of Doing Business (EDB) index on Attractiveness to Investors, Business Friendliness and Competitive Policies (ABC), which is applied to 21 sub-national economies of India.

This book by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) undertakes rigorous empirical research relating to competitiveness of states and federal territories in India. The competitiveness framework employed by ACI computes the rankings for the 35 states and federal territories of India by factoring in a plethora of socio-economic development indicators that determine competitiveness. In this book, ACI's competitiveness analysis employs 75 different indicators across four different environments to capture the dynamics of competitiveness in a holistic way at the sub-national level. Further, the book produces a 'What-If' competitiveness simulation exercise to identify the specific policy areas that each state or federal territory must focus on to improve their rankings. Along with competitiveness, the book also presents a comprehensive analysis of issues relating to agricultural productivity at the sub-national level. Specifically, the book discusses the relevance and importance of raising total factor productivity in the agriculture sector in India at the state level and also brings out the extent of intra-state and intra-regional disparities prevalent in the country.

This book discusses some of the challenges relating to macroeconomic and financial management in a volatile and uncertain world brought about by greater financial openness. It explores the implications of a key set of issues emanating from financial globalisation on emerging market economies in a rigorous but readable manner.

This book discusses some of the challenges relating to macroeconomic and financial management in a volatile and uncertain world brought about by greater financial openness. It explores the implications of a key set of issues emanating from financial globalisation on emerging market economies in a rigorous but readable manner.