ADRN

The East Asia Institute, in partnership with Sandhi Governance Institute, hosted an international conference featuring presentations by local Myanmar civil society organizations on current issues and offering evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at bettering governance practices in Myanmar. The conference, which was held at the Reno Hotel in Yangon, was the culmination of the program “Strengthening Civil Society Organizations in Myanmar”, which aimed to build the research and institutional capacity of nascent think tanks in the country. Through this program, EAI held three workshops in Yangon for eight Myanmar partner organizations covering topics such as project planning for think tanks, writing policy-oriented research reports, the basics of social science research with an emphasis on quantitative methods (SPSS), presentation skills, traditional and social media strategies for CSOs, and data visualization. Participating organizations conducted individual research projects on a diverse array of topics including urban planning policy, education for ethnic minorities, local government tendering processes, the federal government budget planning process, and others. Sandhi Governance Institute, the Yangon School of Political Science, the Open Myanmar Initiative, the Salween Institute for Public Policy, Yone Kyi Yar, Another Development, and Naushawng Development Institute presented the results of their research to the public at the conference.

Discussion panels featured international experts who provided input and recommendations on the policy suggestions put forth. As the partner organizations presented their research at the conference, there were thoughtful and lively discussions on how the government is using the country’s resources, why the participation of the people in the budget process is important, the future of the urban landscape in Yangon, minority rights and protections, the development of rural communities through tourism, and what kind of role civil society should play in creating a transparent and responsible government. EAI is now looking to expand and develop the positive results and experiences of this program in 2017.

The "Strengthening Civil Society in Myanmar" program is funded in part by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Open Society Foundation (OSF).

Program

09:40-10:00	Welcome Remarks U Khine Win, Sandhi Governance Institute, Myanmar Young Hwan Shin, East Asia Institute, South Korea (on behalf of EAI President Sook Jong Lee)
10:00-12:00	Session 1. Transparency in the Government Budget Process Moderator Jae Hyeok Shin, Korea University, South Korea Presenters U Khine Win, Sandhi Governance Institute, Myanmar Snapshot of changes in Budget Execution before and after new government and understanding current practices in selected three townships in Myanmar U Htin Kyaw Aye, Open Myanmar Initiative, Myanmar The Roles of Committees in the Assessment of Government Budget U Myo Aung Htwe, Yangon School of Political Science, Myanmar Constituent Development Funds in the Yangon Region Discussants Dr. Alexander Dukalskis, University College Dublin, Ireland Maxine Tanya Hamada, INCITEgov, Philippines
12:00-13:30	Lunch
13:30-15:00	Session 2. Local Government Policy Moderator U Myo Aung Htwe, Yangon School of Political Science, Myanmar Presenters Shine Ko Ko Lwin, Salween Institute for Public Policy, Myanmar Understanding the Street Vending Business in Downtown Yangon: Kyaukdata, Panbedan, Latha and Lanmadaw Townships Kaung Myat Thu, Yone Kyi Yar, Myanmar Challenges and problems of the construction procurement process in Myanmar: A case study of construction procurement in the Mandalay region Discussants Dr. Thawilwadee Bureekul, King Prajadhipok’s Institute, Thailand Dr. Kaustuv Kanti Bandyopadhyay, Participatory Research in Asia, India
15:00-15:30	Tea Break
15:30- 17:00	Session 3. Community Issues Moderator U Khine Win, Sandhi Governance Institute, Myanmar Presenters Bawk La, Naushawng Development Institute, Myanmar Broken Future: A study of Ethnic Kachin Students (from Kachin Independence Organization-controlled areas) in the current Myanmar Education system Carol Aye, Another Development, Myanmar Community-Based Tourism in Myanmar Discussants Tobias Basuki, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia Ryan Evangelista, Center for International Private Enterprise, Philippines

Discussant Profiles

Ryan EVANGELISTA

Ryan Evangelista currently serves as the coordinator for the International Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and is a steering committee member of the Free Enterprise and Democracy Network. He has also served as executive director of the Australian-New Zealand Chamber in the Philippines (2014-2016); economic growth specialist in USAID/Philippines (2013-2014); executive director of UACT/Philippines (2007-2013); and, deputy secretary general at PCCI (2003-2013).

He was recognized as one of the 40 most influential global development leaders in Manila under the age of 40 in 2013.Mr. Evangelista has over 18 years of professional experience in designing, implementing and monitoring policy, advocacy, research and communication projects and initiatives for the Philippine private sector and plays an advisory role to private sector leaders on matters related to economy, trade and business. Mr. Evangelista obtained his Master of Arts in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, MA, USA (2012).

Kaustuv Kanti BANDYOPADHYAY

Dr. Kaustuv Kanti Bandyopadhyay is the Director of Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA). PRIA, a pioneer civil society organization, is based in New Delhi (India) and has been addressing issues such as citizen participation, democratic governance, and civil society development since 1982. Dr. Bandyopadhyay has worked extensively on local governance, citizen participation and social accountability issues. He has also worked on capacity building projects with a particular emphasis on participatory learning, monitoring and evaluation, organization development, strategic planning, and participatory training methodology. Dr. Bandyopadhyay earned his Ph. D in Anthropology doing work with the Parhaiya tribes of Chotanagpur in India.

Tobias BASUKI

Tobias Basuki is a researcher with the department of Politics and International Relations at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Prior to joining CSIS, he was Director of Studies at the Leimena Institute and was a full-time lecturer at Pelita Harapan University from 2007 to 2009. In addition to conducting research and writing at CSIS, he teaches International Relations and Political Science courses part-time at Pelita Harapan University (UPH). Mr. Basuki is a Munich Young Leader 2014, member of a selected group leading scholars by the Koerber Stiftung. He is also a member of the 2016 Australia-Indonesia Leadership Program by the Australia-Indonesia center.

Alexander DUKALSKIS

Dr. Alex Dukalskis is an assistant professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin (UCD). His research and courses cover authoritarian states, transitional justice, Asian politics, and international human rights. Dr. Dukalskis’ work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Contemporary Politics, Journal of East Asian Studies, Human Rights Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, International Studies Review, and Democratization. His book, The Authoritarian Public Sphere, was published in 2017. Prior to joining UCD, Dr. Dukalskis was a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and he has also been a visiting scholar at both Columbia University and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). Dr. Dukalskis earned his dual Ph.D. in political science and peace studies as well as a master's degree in political science at the University of Notre Dame, a master's degree in human rights at the London School of Economics, and his undergraduate degree from Willamette University.

Maxine Tanya HAMADA

Maxine Tanya Hamada is a former assistant secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for monitoring and evaluation and focal official for meaningful devolution and bottom-up-budgeting. She is also a civil society leader and part of a community of democracy practitioners strategically crossing between arenas of public service and civil society work. She was previously the Executive Director of the International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance (INCITEgov), a think tank focused on linking democratic politics, good governance and development outcomes. Her work and experience cover 20 years of politics, governance and development outcomes of Security Sector Reform, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Natural Resource Rights, and Public Fiscal Management Reform. In 2011, she was part of the US State Department’s 100-years-100-women International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for her civic work. She currently sits on the steering committee of the World Movement for Democracy.

Dr. Thawilwadee BUREEKUL

Dr. Thawilwadee Bureekul is the Director of Research and Development Office at King Prajadhipok’s Institute (KPI) where she is involved in the planning, management, implementation, and coordination of the Institute’s research projects. She is also responsible for fundraising and disseminating research results to the public. In addition to her role at KPI, Dr. Bureekul is professor at several universities in Thailand, including the Asian Institute of Technology, Thammasat University, Burapha University, and Mahidol University. In 2003, she received the outstanding research award in Political Science and Public Administration for her research project “Development of Indicators for Good Governance” from the Thailand Research Council. Her research is primarily focused on democratization, good governance, social quality, public participation, public policy, and election behavior.

Dr. Jae Hyeok SHIN

Dr. Shin is an assistant professor of political science and international relations at Korea University in Seoul. He teaches courses in political institutions and Southeast Asia politics. Previously, he lectured at Rhodes College and Duke University on comparative and Chinese politics. His research includes electoral institutions, parties, legislative politics, and democratization. He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011.