Shocks and regional economic development in Thailand and Vietnam

The occurrence of external shocks negatively affects poor regions of developing countries, oftentimes destroying the positive developments brought about by regional policy strategies and leading to an aggravation of regional disparities. In accordance with the objective of the research unit, this special project aims at understanding the impact of external shocks on regional vulnerability, regional economic development, and regional institutional frameworks. Individual and household strategies to reduce vulnerability analyzed in this project are migration, local off-farm-work and education to improve job opportunities. These strategies are closely related to institutional issues like property rights, contract enforcement, private entitlement to land, access to capital etc. The methodological approach is threefold. First, individual and household strategies are analyzed with the help of the household survey conducted in base project 2. Second, data on local off-farm-work opportunities will be collected by in-depth interviews with companies and local co-operative ventures. Third, interviews with regional stakeholders are conducted in order to assess the local institutional setting and to clarify its potential weaknesses. The perspective envisaged in this project wil lead to a better understanding of the regional dimension of the vulnerability issue.

Publications:

• Mausch, K. (2010): Poverty, Inequality and the Non-farm Economy: The Case of Rural Vietnam. Logos Verlag: Berlin.
• Lübben, I. (2010): Migration und Rücküberweisungen in Thailand: Eine Analyse vor dem Hintergrund des Konsum- und Investitionsverhaltens ländlicher Haushalte. Südwestdeutscher Verlag fuer Hochschulschriften: Saarbrücken.
• Dang, H. L. (2010): Wirtschaftlicher Strukturwandel und außerlandwirtschaftliche Beschäftigung in Vietnam. LIT Verlag / Hannoversche Geographische Arbeiten: Hannover.

Presentations to Scientific Audiences:

• Brünjes, J. (2009): Participation in Different Nonfarm Wage Activities – Evidence from Vietnam. Jahrestagung des Arbeitskreis Südostasien der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie, 3.-5.Juli 2009. Köln.
• Dang, H. L. (2009): Challenges of Vietnamese Companies in Dak Lak, Ha Tinh, TT Hue: the weaknesses and opportunities of the current education and qualification system. Workshop of Research Unit 756 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG),February 22 – 26, 2009, Hue City, Vietnam.
• Mausch, K. (2009): Does Diversification into non farm activities improve welfare of rural households in remote regions of Vietnam? Workshop of Research Unit 756 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG),February 22 – 26, 2009, Hue City, Vietnam.
• Schätzl, L. (2009): Migration and Vulnerability in Thailand. Workshop of Research Unit 756 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), February 22 – 26, 2009, Hue City, Vietnam.
• Lübben, I. (2008): Internal Migration and Remittances in Northeast Thailand. Jahrestagung des Arbeitskreis Südostasien der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie, 13.–15. Juni 2008. Hannover.
• Mausch, K. (2008): Poverty and the rural non-farm economy: Comparing three remote provinces in Vietnam. Jahrestagung des Arbeitskreis Südostasien der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie, 13.–15. Juni 2008. Hannover.
• Dang, H.L. (2008): Beschäftigung in außerlandwirtschaftlichen Unternehmen in Vietnam: Untersucht an den Provinzen DakLak, Thua Thien-Hue und Ha Tinh. Jahrestagung des Arbeitskreis Südostasien der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie, 13.–15. Juni 2008. Hannover.