[EAI Online Seminar] Democracy Cooperation Series 7. Reassessing 2020: How Asia Coped with the COVID-19 Pandemic
Asia Democracy Research Network | Multimedia | 2021-01-25
The East Asia Institute (President Yul Sohn), as a secretariat of the Asia Democracy Research Network (ADRN), held the seventh online seminar of the [Democracy Cooperation] series, titled "Reassessing 2020: How Asia Coped with the COVID-19 Pandemic". During this seminar, ADRN members from Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand discussed challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the countries and their response in both public and private sectors. The panelists further shared policy recommendations in examination of changes in domestic and foreign policy of major countries in Asia.
Date & Time: January 25, 2021 12:00 -13:30 (KST)
Speakers: Thawilwadee Bureekul (Director of Research and Development Office, King Prajadhipok’s Institute), Francisco A. Magno (Research Fellow, Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance), Pradip Pariyar (Executive Chairperson, Samata Foundation)
Moderator: Jung Kim (Assistant Professor, University of North Korean Studies)
I. Overview
It has been over a year since the unprecedented pandemic crisis devastated the world, resulting in hundred million confirmed cases and 2.16 million deaths worldwide as of January 2021. COVID-19 has inflicted grave damages on Asian countries, endangering the socioeconomy and livelihoods of already vulnerable communities. This pandemic incurred especially significant impacts on the rising democratic countries in Asia, placing them into a trillema of limiting the spread of the virus, reviving the economy, and maintaining democracy.
This online seminar provides an overview of the COVID-19 situation in Thailand, the Philippines, and Nepal to analyze their responses at the public and private levels, and to propose policy recommendations for 2021. It serves as a preview to the upcoming publication by the Asia Democracy Research Network (ADRN), “Pandemic Crisis and Democratic Governance,” encompassing research from 12 countries in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
II. Challenges Posed by COVID-19 and Asia’s Response
Thailand: Government-led Response against COVID-19
The Philippines: COVID-19 Fuels the Rise of Corruption
Nepal: Pandemic Limits Civic Space and Drives Corruption
III. Policy Recommendations
Thailand: Responses in Line with Democratic Principles
The Philippines: Minimizing Information Asymmetry and Reviving Democratic Institutions
Nepal: Good Governance as Key to Battling the Pandemic
IV. Moderator & Panelists
■ Jung Kim is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of North Korean Studies, South Korea. He teaches courses on International Relations in East Asia and Political Economy of the Two Koreas, among others. Prior to this, from 2009-2015, he was a Lecturer at the Underwood International College and Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University. During this time, Mr. Kim was also a Chief Researcher at The East Asia Institute. He pursued his Bachelors and Masters in Political Science at Korea University and went on the pursue his Ph.D. at Yale University. His research interests include Comparative Politics and International Relations in East Asia.
■ Thawilwadee Bureekul is the Director of the Research and Development Office at King Prajadhipok’s Institute, Thailand. She previously served on the National Reform Steering Committee, the National Reform Council, and the Constitutional Drafting Assembly. Her current academic interests lie in the field of good governance and gender equity, such as participatory and gender responsive budgeting; the preparation of action plans for leadership development and women’s participation in politics and decision-making; and gender-responsive local development planning and budgeting manuals. She has been heavily dedicated to research related to democracy, good governance, social equality, public participation, public policy, and voting behaviors. In 2015, she was the recipient of a prestigious award given to an outstanding woman by the National Council of Women of Thailand. She also succeeded in proposing “Gender Responsive Budgeting” in the Thai Constitution and was accordingly presented with the “Women of the Year 2018” award by the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women.
■ Francisco A. Magno teaches Political Science and Development Studies at De La Salle University (DLSU), Manila, Philippines. He is the Founding Director of the DLSU Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance. He served as president of the Philippine Political Science Association from 2015 to 2017. He completed his PhD in political science at the University of Hawaii.
■ Pradip Pariyar is the executive chairperson at SAMATA Foundation, which conducts policy research and advocates for the rights of the Dalits, the most marginalized community in Nepal, in order to end caste-based discrimination. As the elected president of the Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON), he worked closely with government of Nepal to initiate a youth-responsive budget. He was a member of the government task force that developed Youth Vision 2025, a 10-year governmental national youth development policy plan. He has trained thousands of youths in leadership, peacebuilding, and conflict-sensitive journalism across Asia and Africa. He founded the Nepal Youth Forum to focus on policy advocacy, awareness, and youth empowerment. In 2011, Pariyar was selected as a youth fellow by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Pariyar serves as the chairperson of the Nepal Policy Center, a youth-led think tank. In 2015, he received the Youth Leadership Award from the Nepali Government’s Ministry of Youth and Sports for his decade-long contribution to youth leadership development across Nepal. He also received Asia 21 young Leaders Award from The Asia Society, New York. In 2020 He received Young Global Leaders Award from World Economic Forum.
■ Typeset by: Hyunjin Yim, Research Associate
Inquiries: +82-2-2277-1683 (ext. 203) hyim@eai.or.kr
The East Asia Institute takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with the Korean government. All statements of fact and expressions of opinion contained in its publications are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.
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