{"title":"The China-Taliban old-new connection: The BRI, above and beyond","authors":"Jalel Ben Haj Rehaiem","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dr. Jalel Ben Haj Rehaiem, Three-time Fulbrighter, three-time Awardee from the United States State Department upon completion of THREE Fulbright programs, an alumnus of the Graduate School of Public and international Affairs (GSPIA), the University of Pittsburgh (1997/98), Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in North Central College, Naperville, Chicago (2005/2006), Japan Foundation Fellow (2008), International Research Collaborator with ARENA, Tsukuba University, Tokyo.</div><div>Dr. Rehaiem is currently a Scholar-in-residence on US foreign policy in East Asia at Riytadh University, KSA.</div><div>Dr. Rehaiem is also an International News Media Consultant with a panoply of international News Stations in THREE languages- English, French, Arabic: My YouTube Channel.</div><div>Dr. Rehaiem is also an International News Media Consultant with a panoply of international News Stations in THREE languages- English, French, Arabic: My YouTube Channel:</div><div>(<span><span>https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHcrbomHh-mgnCrx7ouWlaA</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>) ALSO: (<span><span>https://www.youtube.com/watch?<em>v</em> = s4QmDm0dGmg</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Quoc Hoi Le , The Son Tung Than , Phuc Hong Hoang , Minh Nga Nguyen
{"title":"State ownership’s dual impact: Agency costs in vietnam’s construction and real estate sector","authors":"Quoc Hoi Le , The Son Tung Than , Phuc Hong Hoang , Minh Nga Nguyen","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100117","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100117","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the impact of state ownership on agency costs in Vietnam’s real estate industry from 2011 to 2023. Using a dual-proxy approach—Total Operating Expenses Ratio (TOER) and Total Asset Turnover (TAT)—we analyze data from 122 listed firms. Findings indicate that state ownership raises the TOER due to bureaucratic inefficiencies but also boosts TAT through state-supported resources, demonstrating a dual influence. By combining agency and institutional theories, the study reveals how Vietnam’s governance, shaped by political influences, regional differences, and corruption, impacts these effects. Policy suggestions include establishing professional boards, ensuring transparent land allocation, and implementing anti-corruption strategies to better align state goals with market efficiency. These findings aim to guide governance reforms in Vietnam and similar transitioning economies in Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100117"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145265208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How oil prices impact the Indonesian economy: Evidence from the stock market","authors":"Willem Thorbecke","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100122","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100122","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oil prices have been high and volatile. This paper investigates how oil prices affect Indonesian stocks. Using Hamilton’s (2014) method to decompose oil prices into portions driven by shocks to aggregate demand and to oil supply, the results indicate that demand-driven oil price increases benefit sectors such as coal and iron and steel that compete in global markets. They harm sectors such as food and consumer goods that use oil for production and depend on consumer purchasing power. Supply-driven oil price increases benefit the resource sector in Indonesia. The finding that several sectors benefit from oil price increases indicates that blanket fuel subsidies are suboptimal. The finding that many sectors suffer from oil price increases indicates that Indonesia should reduce its exposure to oil by switching to sustainable energy sources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100122"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145473653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Plurilateral cooperation in response to aggressive unilateralism?","authors":"Bernard Hoekman","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The international trade order is under unprecedented pressure as a result of the unilateral decision by the Trump administration to increase U.S. tariffs by an order of magnitude to 15- 20 percent or higher on imports from most countries. This paper reflects on where the global trading system may be heading given recent events, focusing on potential responses by U.S. trading partners, distinguishing between revitalization of multilateral trade cooperation in the WTO, expansion and deepening of preferential trade agreements and issue- or domain-specific plurilateral agreements among groups of economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100114"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145121023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"South Asian global value chain integration patterns: A value-added perspective","authors":"LILA BALLAV BHUSAL","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study analyzes the integration of South Asia into global value chains (GVCs) through a value-added decomposition framework that distinguishes simple and complex participation modes. Using the Asian Development Bank Multi-Regional Input-Output database, which spans two decades, the study examines sectoral and country-level GVC participation, bilateral value-added flows, and global integration patterns. The findings demonstrate a persistent structural asymmetry where backward participation substantially exceeds forward participation across all economies. Sectoral analysis indicates that labor-intensive sectors demonstrate forward participation, and capital-intensive industries show stronger backward orientation. The bilateral examination uncovers distinct integration spheres: India dominates Nepal and Bhutan’s production networks through simple GVC linkages, while China increasingly supplies intermediate inputs to Bangladesh and Pakistan. Despite growing intermediate goods trade replacing final goods imports, complex GVC integration remains limited throughout the region. By moving beyond gross trade metrics, this study offers country-specific insights into structural dependencies and identifies key impediments—tariff regimes, infrastructure gaps, and regional fragmentation—that constrain upgrading and value capture, informing strategies for more inclusive GVC integration in South Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100110"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Introduction to the round table and a view from the United States: Will a new global trade system or a stronger Asian free trade arrangement emerge against the United States’ aggressive tariff regime? A political economy approach","authors":"Josef C. Brada","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100129","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100129","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100129"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A disrupted global trading system and the future of multilateralism","authors":"Sunghoon Park","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100123","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100123","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current global trade order is disrupted for many reasons. The Covid-19, the Russian war against Ukraine and the all-front tariff war initiated by the United States are most outstanding factors to the disrupted global trade flows. This paper discussed shaping factors of and presented four scenarios for the future development of mullateralism. A fundamental policy reorientation is needed for the functioning multilateral trading system to be restored within a foreseeable future. A special attention should be given to both the US return to multilateral approaches in its trade policy and the preservation of liberal trade policy by the US major trading partners</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100123"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Uneven partners: The regional dynamics of FDI flows between China and Russia","authors":"Nadia Doytch , Kiril Tochkov","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100124","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper analyzes the regional determinants of bilateral FDI flows between China and Russia over the period 2003–2021, using project-level data from the <em>fDi Markets</em> database. We construct panels for both Chinese FDI in Russia and Russian FDI in China to examine how subnational characteristics shape investment patterns. The results reveal clear asymmetries: Chinese FDI in Russia is larger, more regionally dispersed, and concentrated in resource and infrastructure sectors. Russian FDI in China is more limited and focused on services in coastal provinces. While wages and marketization influence location decisions, geographic proximity and investor location within Russia have little explanatory power.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100124"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond financial hardships: Exploring the effects of unemployment and low wages on psychological health in India","authors":"Swapnanil SenGupta","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100118","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the effects of unemployment and low wages on mental health in India. The analysis applies cross-sectional data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), 2017–18. Seven different indicators of psychological distress are used. The relationships are estimated using the ordered polytomous logistic regression technique. Controlling for several individual characteristics, unemployed individuals are found to suffer higher odds of mental distress. Low wages increase the likelihood of higher life dissatisfaction levels. Compared to low-wage and out-of-labour-force individuals, unemployed individuals are at a higher risk of suffering psychological issues, implying that individuals do not voluntarily select unemployment over a low-paid job. The results also suggest that men are more affected by unemployment and low wages than women. These findings are largely similar to studies in Britain and Germany. In addition, the age group of 20–45, followed by 46–55, seems to be the most vulnerable to labour market outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100118"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145265209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Are deep trade agreements a solution for Asia?","authors":"Zdenek Drabek","doi":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current crisis in the international trading system has led many to ask whether Asia can succeed where the WTO has failed. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the possibility of stronger regional trade ties as a result of the turmoil in the WTO. It is argued that, given its size and heterogeneity, Asia is unlikely to succeed in deepening trade relations as a continent, but it could succeed with a well selected and targeted group of countries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100126,"journal":{"name":"Asia and the Global Economy","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100127"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}