Asia - Pacific

Lembaga Penelitian, Pendidikan dan Penerangan Ekonomi dan Sosial (LP3ES)

Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education & Information (LP3ES) is a Non-Government Organization (NGO), which is non-profit and autonomous. It was founded by a group of intellectuals and student activists on August 19, 1971. Its formation was sparked by the felt need for developing alternative thinking for national development.

Website: http://www.lp3es.or.id

The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)

The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, also called the CSDS or informally, just the Centre, is a premier institute of India in the social sciences and humanities.

The Centre provides a unique institutional space which seeks to nurture intellectual interests outside the entrenched boundaries of academic disciplines. This simultaneously gives the Centre a sense of intimacy with and distance from universities. Therefore, the Centre has deliberately chosen not to duplicate the structure of university department.

This also allows the Centre to support and nurture interdisciplinary modes of enquiry. Over the years, the Centre has also managed to generate and utilize a productive tension between rigorous scholarly work and social movements, between academic commitment and political practices. It has been frequently engaged with contentious contemporary issues which have shaped its academic programme and contributed to struggles for dignity, livelihood and creative self expression.

At the same time the CSDS zealously and meticulously guards its own space of reflective distance, theoretical work and research which has no obvious visibility in the public domain.

Website: http://www.csds.in/index.php

The Institute of European and American Studies

In August 1969, Dr. Shih-Chieh Wang, the late President of Academia Sinica, proposed the establishment of an institute for American studies in the Republic of China. As a result, the Center for American Studies was founded in March 12, 1972, and Dr. Chi-Lu Chen was appointed director. On July 1, 1974, the Center was officially incorporated as the Institute of American Culture, Academia Sinica. Dr. Yen Chu succeeded Dr. Chen as director in July 1977, and presided until June 1983, when Dr. Tung-Hsun Sun assumed the directorship. From 1988 to 2002, the Institute was organized into three divisions: the Humanities, Social and Economic Studies, and Legal and Political Studies. Dr. Liang-Tsai Wei took over the directorship on July 1, 1989 when Dr. Sun’s term of office expired.

The name of the Institute was changed to the Institute of European and American Studies on August 3, 1991, reflecting its newly expanded mandate. In an effort to recruit competent scholars in European Studies, the European Studies Preparatory Committee was formed with Dr. Yen Chu as advisor. On July 1, 1993, Dr. Jia-You Sheu assumed the directorship. He was succeeded by Dr. Cheng-Yi Lin on March 1, 1998 and then by Dr. Yu-Cheng Lee On August 1, 2003 respectively. On Auguest 1, 2009, Dr. Te-Hsing Shan was appointed director.

Website: http://www.ea.sinica.edu.tw/index-en.php

The Sejong Institute

The Sejong Institute of the Sejong Foundation is a private non-profit research institute in the areas of security, national unification, and foreign affairs that is dedicated to suggesting a future map of the Republic of Korea.

Established in 1983, the Sejong Institute is a private think tank located in the Republic of Korea that is dedicated to conducting researches and making analyses on the past, present and future mid- and long-term national policies in the areas of security, national unification, and foreign affairs. As an affiliated organization of the Sejong Foundation, it has been active in developing policy alternatives for the promotion of security, peace, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. In collaboration with numerous research fellows and experts from both domestic and international organizations, the Institute focuses its research programs and analyses mainly on security, inter-Korean relations, regional studies, and international political economy. Moreover, the Institute not only carries out various independent researches and analyses on these issues but also provides quality educational training services to related officials from both private and public sectors.

Website: http://www.sejong.org/index.php

Thailand Democracy Watch

TDW is an interactive research program, initiated in 2007 by the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, and granted by Chulalongkorn University’s academic development fund throughout the next five years, 2008-2012. The Center for TDW is located in the Faculty of Political Science, chaired by Dr. Charas Suwanmala, Faculty Professor and Dean. The center’s governance body, the TDW executive committee, is made of professors and scholars of various disciplines including government and politics, public administration, international relations, sociology and anthropology.

TDW’s Objectives, Functions, and Services
TDW program aims to monitor the progress of Thailand democratization, to provide research findings, information, and knowledge to the public, as well as to stimulate political awareness of political turbulences. TDW expects to prevail against the so-called “vicious circle” of Thai politics rooted in the country for more than half a century.

Website: http://www.tdw.polsci.chula.ac.th/?q=thailand-democracy-watch