Enhancing Cooperation Among Policy Research Institutions In Asia Pacific Jcie Twenty Fifth Anniversary Symposium

Focuses on the activities of nongovernmental research institutions, foundations, and philanthropic organizations in fifteen Asia Pacific countries (Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam).

Since the end of the Cold War, European and East Asian states have developed a series of unique trans-boundary structures and agreements, such as the European Union and ASEAN, and through new bilateral, multilateral and inter-regional relationships both Europe and East Asia are helping to transform other regions and the global community. This publication examines the complex emergence of a multi-level global governance system through innovative developments in info-communications governance; the role of policy advisors, think-tanks and related track-2 processes; and changes in higher education systems.

East Asia is undergoing a remarkable transformation, but at the same time it is facing a growing number of traditional and nontraditional security challenges with the potential to destabilize the region. In recent years, there has been growing attention to ways to strengthen regional security cooperation at the government level but much less attention to what is happening outside of official circles. In fact, civil society organizations in the region have quietly been playing a greater role in responding to security threats, especially nontraditional security challenges. In "A Growing Force" the authors explore how these organizations are contributing in five areas--piracy, disaster relief, human trafficking, health, and climate change--in order to diagnose how they are helping and what can be done to make them more effective. Contributors include Gui Yongtao (Peking University), Yanzhong Huang (Council on Foreign Relations), Jun Honna (Ritsumeikan University, Japan), Yukie Osa (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan), Chung Suh-Yong (Korea University), and J.N. Mak (independent analyst, Malaysia).

Providing both an international organizations and research bibliography, Volume 4 cites over 46,000 publications and information resources supplied by international organizations, and provides nearly 18,000 research citations under 40 subject headings. This volume also includes a research bibliography on international organizations and transnational associations. The "Yearbook of International Organizations" is also available online and as a complete set. Learn more at: brill.nl/internationalorganizations

The sovereign power of the nation-state has been steadily eroding for decades under the pressure of multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and multiregional organizations such as the European Union. The increasing prominence of non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch in times of crisis has also contributed, since the problems such groups address often extend beyond national borders and are thus difficult for national governments to manage alone. Multiregionalism and Multilateralism investigates these forces as they factor into political and economic relations between Asia and Europe.

Democratic leaders around the world are finding it increasingly difficult to exercise strong leadership and maintain public support. However, there is nowhere that this has proven to be as challenging of a task as Japan, which has seen its top leaders change more often over the past 25 years than any other major country in the world. The current prime minister has strived to put an end to this pattern, but can he buck this historical trend? More fundamentally, why do Japan's prime ministers find it so difficult to project strong leadership, or even stay in office? And what are the ramifications for Japan's partners and for the world? This volume, authored by contributors who straddle the scholarly and policymaking worlds in Japan, explores the obstacles facing Japan as it looks for greater leadership and explains why this matters for the rest of the world.

Life expectancy in Japan, South Korea, and much of urban China has now outpaced that of the United States and other high-income countries. With this triumph of longevity, however, comes a rise in the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension, reducing healthy life years for individuals in these aging populations, as well as challenging the healthcare systems they rely on for appropriate care. The challenges and disparities are even more pressing in low- and middle-income economies, such as rural China and India. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the vulnerability to newly emerging pathogens of older adults suffering from NCDs, and the importance of building long-term, resilient health systems. What strategies have been tried to prevent NCDs—the primary cause of morbidity and mortality — as well as to screen for early detection, raise the quality of care, improve medication adherence, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and increase “value for money” in health spending? Fourteen concise chapters cover multiple aspects of policy initiatives for healthy aging and economic research on chronic disease control in diverse health systems — from cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong to large economies such as Japan, India, and China.