China's foray into South Asia is risky for both sides

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Development ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Regional Economic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Security Interest ◽  
Mixed Responses ◽  
Competitive Rivalry

Subject China's ties with smaller South Asian countries. Significance Beijing is being drawn by its strategic aspirations westwards by land and sea corridors that lead to Africa and Europe. Pakistan and Myanmar are obvious outlets to the sea. Others along the maritime route fall squarely within India's sphere of geopolitical and security interest, on which Beijing is encroaching. Impacts China's regional economic interests and ability to bankroll projects are positive for regional development. Politically, China's growing presence is unsettling and arouses mixed responses in target countries. A growing competitive rivalry with India has global security implications as the two powers jostle for influence.

Investigating the Role of Regional Economic Integration on Growth: Fresh Insights from South Asia

2020 ◽  
pp. 097491012097480
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ibrahim Shah
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Regional Economic Integration ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Regional Economic

Regional economic integration is the key to achieving prosperity and stability. However, intra-regional trade in South Asia accounts for not more than 5%–6% of their total trade. This study aims to examine the role played by regional economic integration in determining the economic growth of South Asian countries over the period 1980–2015. Since shocks in one country may affect another country in the region, this is taken into account in the article by employing methodologies that are robust to cross sectional dependence. Specifically, continuously-updated and bias-corrected (CupBC) of Bai et al. (2009) and Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test (2012) have been employed to estimate long-run coefficients and determine the direction of relationship among the variables, respectively. The findings suggest that economic integration increases economic growth significantly in this region. However, contrary to popular belief, both democracy and human capital are negatively related to economic growth. Bidirectional causality is found between economic integration and democracy, regional integration and human capital, democracy and human capital and, democracy and labor. This study also presents several policy implications for South Asian countries.

Climate change and women in South Asia: a review and future policy implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-166
Author(s):  
Sangram Kishor Patel ◽  
Gopal Agrawal ◽  
Bincy Mathew ◽  
Sunita Patel ◽  
Biswajit Mohanty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Policy

Purpose South Asian region is a focal point owing to its vulnerabilities to climate-sensitive diseases, dependence on climate-sensitive livelihoods, projected levels of crop decline in the region, and high rates of poverty and malnutrition. Women are particularly vulnerable to climate change and this affects women disproportionately during different extreme events. The purpose of this paper is to understand the issue of climate change and its impact, and climate resilience among women in South Asia. Further, it also identifies the gaps and suggests future policy implications. Design/methodology/approach Climate change is increasingly being recognised as an alarming issue and the present review is important when South Asian countries are facing the brunt of climate change impacts. This paper tries to understand the issue by review of the literature and conceptual framework methodology. To understand women’s vulnerability due to climate change and its aftermath, the authors conducted both offline and online desk reviews for this study. Findings The findings of this study show a clear linkage between climate change and women’s vulnerabilities in South Asia. Climate change has significant socio-economic impacts on women, and it affects them disproportionately in various domains of agriculture, livelihood, food security, both physical and mental health, water and sanitation in the South Asia region. Practical implications The paper also highlights that the programmes that aim at combating the effects of climate change require a gender-sensitive approach so that climate change does not obstruct the development and reduction of poverty in the region. Social implications The findings of this paper will add value in helping families to come out of poverty by undertaking adaptive measures with proactive assistance from the government and grassroots level organisations. Originality/value The present study also advocates for more gender- and climate-sensitive measures from governments, and implementation of intervention- and evidence-based research in the South Asian countries.

South Asia will focus on easing impact of large floods

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Maps ◽  
Large Floods

Significance India and Pakistan face a higher risk of heatwaves. Rising average temperatures may be linked to increased monsoon-related emergencies in South Asia. Impacts India will likely exceed its intended nationally determined contribution targets arising from the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference. Declining living standards due to climate change could raise migratory pressures across South Asia. South Asian countries will increasingly use drone technology to create risk maps charting climate change.

scholarly journals Current context of transport sector in South Asia

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 490-505
Author(s):  
Champika Liyanage ◽  
Nuwan Dias ◽  
Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽  
Richard Haigh
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Sustainable Transportation ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Sustainable Transport ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Given the current focus on sustainable development, there is a need to identify the current status of the transport sector in developing countries and the obstacles to the development of a sustainable transport system. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review on what needs to be done in such countries towards a sustainable transportation system. The focus of the paper will be on the South Asian context. In order to achieve the aim, the paper examines the current issues, the policy context and the key actions required in the countries selected in South Asia (i.e. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal). Design/methodology/approach The main method used for the project was a combination of semi-structured interviews and focus groups. In addition, a policy analysis was also carried out with a use of secondary data. Altogether, 348 interviews and 16 focus groups (with 157 participants) were carried out in the selected six countries. Although the purpose of the research methods was to carry out a situational analysis of each country mentioned above on seven societal challenges identified under the EU’s Horizon 2020 research programme, this paper only focusses on presenting the findings relating to sustainable transport. Findings Findings reveal that South Asian countries need to improve different aspects of their transportation sector, starting from national-level transportation policies. Sustainable transportation is not merely about mobility but also about creating safer, convenient and environmentally friendly transportation systems. Some key actions needed for these include introducing driver and passenger safety regulations, establishing vehicle emissions test centres to reduce CO2 emissions, and introducing public-private partnerships where useful. Originality/value This study provides a robust policy direction towards the introduction/improvement of a sustainable transportation system in South Asian countries.

Climate change will prompt major reform in South Asia

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Major Reform ◽  
Flood Defence

Subject Responses to climate change in South Asia. Significance The Maldives last week hosted the fourth Indian Ocean Conference, at which representatives from South Asia and beyond discussed challenges to the region such as climate change. South Asian countries are experiencing increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as flooding and drought. Impacts The Maldives and Sri Lanka, the region’s island nations, will invest heavily in flood-defence systems. South Asian authorities will be under pressure to improve medical services to help cut deaths from flood-related diseases. Climate change will be an increasingly prominent feature of political debate in many of the region’s countries.

Remittances-inflation nexus in South Asia: an empirical examination

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hem C. Basnet ◽  
Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou ◽  
Kamal Upadhyaya
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Panel Cointegration ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether remittances induce inflation in South Asian countries, namely, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach This study uses panel cointegration and Pooled Mean Group techniques covering from 1975 to 2017 to estimate the long-run and the short-run effect of remittances on inflation. Findings The estimated results suggest that the inflationary impact of remittances in South Asia depends on the time length. The inflow tends to lower inflation in the short run, whereas it increases in the long run. The findings highlight the regional peculiarity in the impact of remittances on the price level. The results are statistically significant and are confirmed by the Mean Group estimation as well. Originality/value Most past studies investigating the nexus between remittances and inflation in the South Asian context examine either these countries individually or include them all in a pool of big cross-sections. This study contributes to the literature by addressing this void. The South Asian countries should not generalize the earlier findings on the link between remittance inflows and inflation, as the short-run effect is different from the long run. Thus, these countries would be better off designing long-run policies that are different from the short run.

A quarter century of management research in South Asia – III: analysis and conclusions

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay T. Menon
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Specific Analysis ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Country Specific

PurposeIn Part I and Part II of this review series, management research over a 25-year period from 1990 to 2014 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was reviewed (Menon, 2016, 2019). This final paper presents further analysis, including author affiliation analysis, and an exploration of contextual factors affecting management research in each of the eight South Asian countries.Design/methodology/approachPublication trends and the locational affiliation of the authors (in-country vs external) were analyzed. Country-specific analysis and policy recommendations were developed from an ecological and institutional theory perspective.FindingsThere were a total of 1,250 management research articles related to South Asian countries published in 183 journals, with the most being in the International Journal of Human Resource Management (n = 92). The average number of publications per year has steadily increased, nearly doubling in the last five years. An analysis of author affiliations revealed that a majority (64%) of the first authors were based in the West.Originality/valueThe author affiliation analysis in this paper is an original technique and offers empirical evidence that much of quality management research on South Asia is undertaken by scholars external to the region. The review series is the first such comprehensive effort covering management research in all eight South Asian countries over a 25-year period and offers country-specific explanations for the state of management research in these countries.

scholarly journals Wasting and Associated Factors among Children under 5 Years in Five South Asian Countries (2014–2018): Analysis of Demographic Health Surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4578
Author(s):  
Nidhi Wali ◽  
Kingsley E. E. Agho ◽  
Andre M. N. Renzaho
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Sampling Weights

Child wasting continues to be a major public health concern in South Asia, having a prevalence above the emergency threshold. This paper aimed to identify factors associated with wasting among children aged 0–23 months, 24–59 months, and 0–59 months in South Asia. A weighted sample of 564,518 children aged 0–59 months from the most recent demographic and health surveys (2014–2018) of five countries in South Asia was combined. Multiple logistic regression analyses that adjusted for clustering and sampling weights were used to examine associated factors. Wasting prevalence was higher for children aged 0–23 months (25%) as compared to 24–59 months (18%), with variations in prevalence across the South Asian countries. The most common factor associated with child wasting was maternal BMI [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for 0–23 months = 2.02; 95% CI: (1.52, 2.68); AOR for 24–59 months = 2.54; 95% CI: (1.83, 3.54); AOR for 0–59 months = 2.18; 95% CI: (1.72, 2.77)]. Other factors included maternal height and age, household wealth index, birth interval and order, children born at home, and access to antenatal visits. Study findings suggest need for nutrition specific and sensitive interventions focused on women, as well as adolescents and children under 2 years of age.

scholarly journals Agroforestry to Achieve Global Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Targets: Are South Asian Countries Sufficiently Prepared?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Shalini Dhyani ◽  
Indu K Murthy ◽  
Rakesh Kadaverugu ◽  
Rajarshi Dasgupta ◽  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Adaptation And Mitigation

Traditional agroforestry systems across South Asia have historically supported millions of smallholding farmers. Since, 2007 agroforestry has received attention in global climate discussions for its carbon sink potential. Agroforestry plays a defining role in offsetting greenhouse gases, providing sustainable livelihoods, localizing Sustainable Development Goals and achieving biodiversity targets. The review explores evidence of agroforestry systems for human well-being along with its climate adaptation and mitigation potential for South Asia. In particular, we explore key enabling and constraining conditions for mainstreaming agroforestry systems to use them to fulfill global climate mitigation targets. Nationally determined contributions submitted by South Asian countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change acknowledge agroforestry systems. In 2016, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s Resolution on Agroforestry brought consensus on developing national agroforestry policies by all regional countries and became a strong enabling condition to ensure effectiveness of using agroforestry for climate targets. Lack of uniform methodologies for creation of databases to monitor tree and soil carbon stocks was found to be a key limitation for the purpose. Water scarcity, lack of interactive governance, rights of farmers and ownership issues along with insufficient financial support to rural farmers for agroforestry were other constraining conditions that should be appropriately addressed by the regional countries to develop their preparedness for achieving national climate ambitions. Our review indicates the need to shift from planning to the implementation phase following strong examples shared from India and Nepal, including carbon neutrality scenarios, incentives and sustainable local livelihood to enhance preparedness.

Suicide methods in South Asia over two decades (2001–2020)

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110157
Author(s):  
S M Yasir Arafat ◽  
Syeda Ayat-e-Zainab Ali ◽  
Vikas Menon ◽  
Fahad Hussain ◽  
Daniyal Shabbir Ansari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
English Language ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Pubmed Central ◽  
Suicide Methods ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Quantitative Studies

Background: Suicide is a global preventable public health problem. About a quarter of all suicides in the world occur in South Asia. As means restriction is an important suicide prevention strategy, gaining knowledge of the common suicide methods and their changing trends in each country and region is crucial. Aims: We aimed to assess the suicide methods in South Asian countries over the last two decades. Methods: A search was performed in PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Google Scholar with the search terms. Original articles of quantitative studies, published in the English language, from 2001 to 2020, with full-accessible text, that rank different methods of suicide in eight South Asian countries, were included. Results: A total of 68 studies were found eligible for review. The Maximum number of studies were found from India ( n = 38), followed by Bangladesh ( n = 12), Pakistan ( n = 9), Sri Lanka ( n = 6), and Nepal ( n = 3). Hanging ( n = 40, 55.8%) and poisoning ( n = 24, 35.3%) were the two most common suicide methods reported, in that order. Hanging followed by poisoning were the commonest suicide methods in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan while in Sri Lanka, poisoning was the preferred method to hanging. There is a decline in suicide by poisoning and an increase in suicide by hanging in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India. Although hanging is still the commonest method in Pakistan, the use of firearms is growing in recent years (2011–2020). Conclusions: There is a steady decline in the incidence of suicides by poisoning following pesticide regulations in South Asian countries. However, there is heterogeneity of study methods, probable under-reporting of suicide, and lack of robust suicide data.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document