Research

The APISA Research Programs are designed to institutionalize research activities in Asia-related social sciences throughout Asia. They should provide ample opportunity to Asia scholars to associate with colleagues from their own and from other countries in the pursuit of their research. Membership of research programs is open to all individual and institutional members of APISA. In general, APISA research programs pursue the following objectives:

  • Organize and maintain personal contacts among Asia scholars with common interests; 
  • Disseminate information and publish scholarly research; 
  • Provide a framework between individuals and organizations concerned with teaching and research in social sciences.

Currently, there are seven active programs administered by APISA:

Conflict and Peace Studies
The Conflict and Peace Studies Program centres around these issues. It seeks to propound broad generalizations about conflict and peace situations based on comparative analysis. The Conflict and Peace Studies Working Group coordinates this program. The group organizes specific research projects around which members, along their areas of expertise, converge.
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Democracy and Governance
By the close of the twentieth century, the retreat of the authoritarian state in Asia was the norm rather than the exception in Asian politics. Even the communist states like China and Vietnam had moved towards political liberalization and free-market economies while military dictatorships wilted under pressure from people’s power within and global democratization without. Today, only a handful of states resist the universal claims of democracy. APISA takes a keen interest in academic inquiry pertaining to the subjects of democracy and governance in Asia. This program is supported through institutional linkages, subsidies and grants for individual and group research, workshops and summer institutes.
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Human Security Program
In 2012, APISA launched the Human Security Program (HSP) to promote awareness about human-security related issues in Asia. The program consists of a series of academic events organized by APISA in co-operation with its global partners.  HSP has two two book series published by Palgrave Macmillan.
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Civilian Control and Security Sector Reform in Asia
Since the beginning of the 1990s in Asia, elected civilian governments have been on the rise. Nevertheless, in some nations (e.g. Thailand, Pakistan), there have been military coups which have placed the military squarely in power. However, 'coup detat' is only one expression of the failure of civilian control. More common are incidents where civilian governments appease militaries, acquiesce to military control over certain policy areas or subjectively place political party loyalists or even relatives in high positions of military or police power in order to keep security forces in line.
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Higher Education in Asia
Historically, investment in Asia's higher education sector was identified as a key driver of the region’s transformation, attracting considerable resources and policy attention. But after thirty years of sustained investment into the sector, what outcomes have resulted? What role has higher education played in supporting economic and social transformation in the region? While participation rates have trended upwards, commensurate increases in higher education institutional quality or global research innovation, impact and leadership still trails in international league tables. This research unit seeks to examine developments in the higher Education sector in Asia.
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V-Dem Asia
Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a new approach to conceptualizing and  measuring  democracy. APISA, in cooperation with V-Dem, has established the V-Dem Regional Center for Northeast and Southeast Asia (V-Dem Asia) to be housed in De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. This center hosts the V-Dem database for Northeast and Southeast Asia, pioneer and initiate studies utilizing the V-Dem dataset, lead compiling, review, and updating of the V-Dem data for countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia from 2016 onwards.
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Development Cooperation Program
As the world is still grappling with extreme poverty, war and conflict, terrorism, and climate change, Asia has received a great deal of attention from around the world as the hub of cases of successful development of the "non-Washington Consensus" variety. Asian countries have also shown to the world that even when they may be receiving help from other countries, they have always lend a helping hand to their neighbors near and far.  Thus, development cooperation is not just a euphemistic term, but is practiced in the way Asian nations have assisted their neighboring countries.
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Previous Research Programs
South-South Scholarly Collaboration Program
The Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaboration Program, commonly referred to as the South-South Program, was launched in 2005 by APISA and other social sciences organization in Africa and Latin America. It seeks to encourage knowledge production, knowledge sharing and networking in the South as well as to enhance the authoritative voice of the South in international scholarship.
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